STAFF PIONEER • GOVERNORS’ EXPERIENCE • GOVERNMENT JOBS January 2016 2016 POLLING PLACE SCHOOL PHARMACY CIGARETTS Help Track Legislation and Dialogue Comprehensive Profiles On Every State Legislator Search and track every bill, vote, tweet, Facebook Generate customizable profiles of legislators that post, and gubernatorial press releases across all include their most active issues, most frequent 50 states. Receive custom email alerts to stay collaborators, industry background, educational ahead. history, and more. Comprehensive Census Data Send Personalized Mail Merge Emails Easily rank state legislative districts by any of the To Legislators and Their Staff 1,000 different demographic statistics in the Quickly send personalized emails to legislators American Community Survey to discover which and their staff to provide an update, make an ask, constituents are most affected by an issue. or share an event. A National Conference JANUARY 2016 VOL. 42 NO. 1 | CONTENTS of State Legislatures Publication Executive Director William T. Pound Director of Communications Karen Hansen Editor Julie Lays Assistant Editor NCSL’s national magazine of policy and politics Kevin Frazzini Contributing Editor Jane Carroll Andrade Web Editors Edward P. Smith FEATURES DEPARTMENTS Mark Wolf Copy Editor Leann Stelzer Legislatures: Start Your Engines Page 12 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAGE 4 Advertising Sales Manager BY WENDY UNDERHILL AND DANIEL DIORIO LeAnn Hoff (303) 364-7700 Voters said “stay the course” in legislative elections last SHORT TAKES PAGE 5 Contributors fall and “yes” to most of the ballot measures. Now it’s NCSL expertise and a recap of staff section professional Jeanne Mejeur Anne Teigen time to get to work. development seminars. Dustin Weeden Rich Williams Art Director Bruce Holdeman Setting the Scene for 2016 Page 18 STATESTATS PAGE 7 NCSL Officers BY JULIE LAYS Where Are the Government Jobs? President From opioid addiction to fantasy sports, state Senator Curt Bramble President Pro Tempore, Utah lawmakers will have plenty on their plates this year— NEWSMAKERS PAGE 8 President-Elect no matter who occupies the White House. Republican majorities are stronger in several states; U.S. Senator Mike Gronstal Majority Leader, Iowa Chamber tips hat to two West Virginians; and Tim Rice, Staff Chair Karl Aro executive director of the Illinois Legislative Information Department of Legislative Services, Maryland System, retires after 36-year career. Denver Office 7700 East First Place Denver, Colorado 80230 TRENDS PAGE 10 (303) 364-7700 A look ahead at upcoming Supreme Court cases; how a Washington, D.C. Office 444 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite 515 bad credit report can hurt drivers; and the changing rules Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 624-5400 on “ballot selfies.” Website www.ncsl.org/magazine POLLING PLACE STATELINE PAGE 14 State Legislatures (ISSN 0147-0641), the News from around the nation—from states offering free national magazine of policy SCHOOL and politics, is published community college, legislating part-time and cooperating monthly by the National PHARMACY CIGARETTS Conference of State Legislatures except on the use of federal lands to battling opioid addiction and July/August and October/ November, which are arming police with less lethal weapons. combined. Postmaster: Send Help address changes to: State Legislatures, 7700 East First Place, Denver, CO 80230. ON RECORD PAGE 22 © 2015, All Rights Reserved. Q&A with economist Christopher Thornberg Opinions expressed in this “We need to start paying attention to the unfunded stuff magazine do not necessarily reflect NCSL policy. and stop worrying about the funded stuff.” Go to www.ncsl.org/bookstore BRUCE HOLDEMAN ILLUSTRATION: COVER to subscribe. Annual rates: U.S.—$49; foreign—$55; teachers—$25 (promo code The Accidental Librarian Page 25 THE FINAL WORD PAGE 31 SLMTEA). Single copy: $6.50. Letters to the editor and BY MICHAEL GIOIA Meet Ellen Roberts, Colorado Senate President Pro requests for permission to reprint may be mailed How a quirky former football coach upended the staid Tempore. to Julie Lays in the Denver office or e-mailed to her at: world of libraries and changed the role of legislative [email protected]. Send subscriptions and changes of address to the Marketing research forever. NEW! SL ONLINE Department in Denver. Be sure to visit the newly redesigned State Legislatures Periodically, NCSL rents mailing labels to other Experience Preferred Page 28 online at www.ncsl.org/magazine for links to audio and organizations. If you prefer your name not be included BY LOUIS JACOBSON video recordings and related websites, relevant reports, please send a written request. Legislative experience can be a plus for governors— expanded graphs and in-depth interviews. State Legislatures is indexed but it hardly guarantees success. in the PAIS Bulletin and Expanded Academic Index. It is also available in microform and electronically through University Microfilms Inc. (UMI) at STATE LEGISLATURES 3 JANUARY 2016 (800) 521-0600. Message From the Executive Director elcome to all who serve in our state legislatures— including the new lawmakers in Louisiana, Mississippi, WNew Jersey and Virginia elected last fall—and to the roughly 30,000 legislative staff who keep our institutions running. Given the inertia in Congress, Americans are looking more and more to the states to solve problems. And as the laboratories of democracy, state legislatures deliver. You are the first to tackle tough topics, like those outlined in our cover story about emerging issues. You are the ones who reach across the aisle, negotiate, compromise and collaborate to get things done. You are the innovators. As you convene in capitols across the country and begin the difficult work of solving some of the nation’s biggest challenges, I’d like to remind you that NCSL is here to help. We provide thorough, unbiased and comprehensive information to help you navigate complex policy issues. Visit ncsl.org regularly and be sure to download our new mobile app from the Apple or Android to improve your skills, solutions you can adapt to your state, insight store. to challenge your assumptions, facts to bolster your positions and, I’d like to extend my gratitude to those of you who are involved we hope, a phrase or cartoon to make you chuckle. in NCSL, whether by serving on our executive committee or The contributions you make to American democracy cannot one of our standing committees, sharing your perspective and be overstated. Remember, through NCSL, you are part of the expertise, using our services or attending our meetings. If you are community of all legislators—Republicans and Democrats—and not involved or are unfamiliar with NCSL, I invite you to participate. staff across the country. We are committed to your success. Turn Your engagement helps ensure that NCSL, now entering its to us often. 42nd year, achieves its mission to strengthen state legislatures by providing support, ideas, connections and a strong voice on Capitol Hill. We hope each issue of this magazine helps you in your challenging job. Behind the award-winning cover art you’ll By William T. Pound, discover award-winning stories on people you can relate to, ways NCSL Executive Director NCSL is your organization We are committed to your success SUPPORT A STRONG VOICE IDEAS CONNECTIONS JANUARY 2016 4 STATE LEGISLATURES SHORT TAKES ON NCSL NEWS Learning about CONNECTIONS innovations and challenges in other A Busy, Productive Fall for Legislative Staff states is one of the most In cities across the country last fall, legislative staff could be found honing their skills and net- valuable aspects of the working with colleagues during professional development seminars held by NCSL’s staff sections. staff seminars. From left, Jesse Saunders from Texas, Elisa Naquin of Louisiana and Melanie Hershman from Texas listen to fellow legislative research librarians discuss their work in the ever-popular “5 Minutes of Fame” session. The librarians met in Austin in conjunction with the Research and Committee Staff Section and Legal Services Staff Section. Among the nearly 200 staffers discussing everything about IT—from data The newest members of the National Legislative Services and Security Association were systems and mobile recognized at a state dinner held in the New Mexico Museum of Art. apps to webcasts and webinars—were, from left, Ellen Donati of California, Sabrina Lewellen, deputy director and Terri Clark of Kansas and Mendora Servin of California. assistant secretary of the Arkansas They attended the National Association of Legislative Senate (left) and Charlotte Carter- Information Technology’s seminar in Sacramento. Yamauchi, acting director of the Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau (right), present NCSL’s Jeanne Mejeur NCSL with a gift commemorating her 25 years of service with the Research and EXPERTISE Committee Staff Section. “You’re dealing with people and personalities and homes and After touring the Arizona Capitol emotions.” Museum, Dennis Yoder from Heather Morton in a Governing article Texas snaps a “selfie” with K’Lynn about state ombudsman programs Sloan Harris from Montana and that help mediate disputes between residents and Cory Stewart from Louisiana. All homeowners associations. are officers in the staff section for legislative information and “It’s definitely a very hot topic.” communications staff. Jonathan Griffin on the regulation of fantasy sports, in the Houston Chronicle. Things got interesting for the American Society of Legislative