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NCSL expert briefs Nevada committee on legislature typologies, compensation and constituent management
Summary
Julie George of the National Conference of State Legislatures summarized national trends in legislative operations including full/part-time typologies, staffing and compensation differences among states, the growing use of constituent relationship management tools and AI, and examples from several states.
Julie George, director of the Center for Legislative Strengthening at the National Conference of State Legislatures, briefed the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections on national trends in legislative operations, staffing and compensation, and constituent relationship management. George highlighted that legislatures vary widely in time commitment and staffing, described compensation commissions and recent changes in several states, and discussed the increasing use of CRM software and AI tools to manage constituent communications.
George described NCSL's typology of legislatures as "full time, part time, and hybrid," noting that hybrid states like Nevada vary widely in staff ratios and session structure. She said, "The Center for Legislative Strengthening is the small but mighty team at NCSL that looks at the institution and operations of legislatures." Key examples she provided: Colorado's roughly 3-to-1 staff-to-legislator ratio (about 300 staff to 100 legislators), Nevada's about an 8-to-1 staff-to-legislator ratio, Arizona's similar 8-to-1 ratio and satellite office considerations, and New Mexico's move to provide personal staff at a roughly 5-to-1 ratio. George also told the committee, "AI is a hot topic at legislatures," and described ways AI is being used in constituent relationship management systems to cluster identical form letters and detect bot-generated communications.
On compensation, George summarized NCSL survey work showing varied pay models (annual salaries, per diem/day rates) and noted that some states have recently adjusted legislator pay—14 states reported increases in 2024 while one state saw a decrease tied to a statutory formula. She described compensation commissions' differing authorities across states and noted Nevada is considering a joint resolution to create a compensation commission. On constituent management, she outlined options legislatures use (centrally purchased CRMs, caucus-run systems, or individual/developer solutions) and gave state examples: Michigan (IndiGov), Arkansas and Kentucky (in-house systems), the New York Senate (open-source Bluebird CRM), and a WordPress-based tool from a Massachusetts senator. George closed by offering NCSL assistance and contact information for follow-up research.
Committee members asked a question about research on legislative effectiveness; George said NCSL does not prescribe single definitions of effectiveness but offered to provide resources and follow-up. The presentation was delivered via Zoom with members present in Carson City and by video conference in Las Vegas.
