Karen Hansen

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan non-governmental organization established to serve the members and staff of state legislatures of the United States.The National Conference of State Legislatures has three major objectives: improving the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures; promoting policy innovationand communication among state legislatures; and ensuring state legislatures a strong cohesive voice in the federal system.NCSL maintains two offices: one in Denver and the other in Washington, D.C. The organization has eight standing committees composed of legislators and legislative staff, appointed by the leadership of the legislatures. Each Committee provides a means by which state legislators can share experience, information, and advice on a variety of state issues ranging from policy to management. The committees meet together biannually at NCSL’s Fall Forum and NCSL's Legislative Summit to adopt state-federal legislative policies. These committee meetings also serve as an opportunity for states to network and establish flows of information as well as experience-based suggestions from other states. In addition to the Fall Forum and the Summit, NCSL builds the state legislative community by hosting various web seminars, leadership meetings, and access to relevant websites and online documents throughout the year.The organization is led by a legislator, who serves as its President and by a legislative staffer, who serves as Staff Chair. The National Conference of State Legislatures was established in 1975 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, United States.