Legislation Document

WHEREAS, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) was established in 1975 as a nonpartisan association of public officials composed of sitting state legislators from a range of states, territories, and commonwealths across the United States; and

WHEREAS, NCSL was established for the purpose of advancing the effectiveness, independence, and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation, especially in support of state sovereignty and state flexibility as well as protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption; and

WHEREAS, NCSL promotes cooperation between state legislatures in the United States as well as those in other countries, and is committed to improving the operations and management of state legislatures, the effectiveness of legislators and legislative staff, and encourages the practice of high standards of conduct by legislators and legislative staff; and

WHEREAS, the organization maintains eight standing committees composed of legislators and legislative staff appointed by the leadership of the legislatures which serve as the central organizing mechanism for NCSL members; and

WHEREAS, each committee provides a means by which state legislators can share experiences, information, and advice on a variety of state issues ranging from policy to management and provides a bipartisan platform for this collaboration in finding solutions to common problems and fostering cooperation and understanding across party lines; and

WHEREAS, NCSL committees meet together twice a year at the NCSL Capitol Forum and at NCSL’s annual Legislative Summit to adopt state-federal legislative policies that will ultimately guide NCSL’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. – with said committee meetings serving as an opportunity for states to network and establish flows of information as well as consider experience-based suggestions from other states; and

WHEREAS, NCSL also works to build the state legislative community by hosting various conferences, webinars, publications, and leadership meetings, as well as access to relevant websites and online documents that help provide lawmakers with information, data, and analysis about emerging issues to then inform their policy decisions; and

WHEREAS, the organization is led by a legislator who serves as its president, and a legislative staffer who serves as staff chair; and

WHEREAS, the day-to-day operations of the organization are managed by its Chief Executive Officer, Tim Storey, who assumed that role in 2019 following the retirement of former Chief Executive William T. Pound, who had served NCSL for 32 years; and

WHEREAS, the Delaware State Senate was pleased to host Mr. Storey when he came to Delaware in April 2018 to lead a Senate staff retreat in Lewes, Delaware that focused on staff values, mission, and goals, and considered what types of internal and external issues present the greatest challenges to success and what strengths can be leveraged to overcome those hurdles; and

WHEREAS, Tim gave such an impressive performance, that it was both thrilling to those staff members who had an opportunity to get to know and work with him, and entirely understandable when we learned the following year that he had been named NCSL’s chief executive officer; and

WHEREAS, during NCSL’s half-century of service, 2 Delaware legislators have served as NCSL president – the late Senator Robert T. Connor, who served in 1993 and 1994, and the late State Representative Donna Stone, who served in 2007 and 2008; and

WHEREAS, a former member of Delaware’s legislative staff, Controller General Russell T. Larson, Retired, served as NCSL Staff Chair in 1996-1997; and

WHEREAS, a number of other Delaware legislators and staff members, past and present, have served in various capacities with, or been honored by NCSL over the past 50 years; and

WHEREAS, many Delaware legislators and staff members have participated over the years in NCSL seminars, symposiums, staff trainings, and other events, with the organization offering evidence-based research to help legislators address complex issues more effectively; and

WHEREAS, these have included the following: former House Speaker Peter C. Schwartzkopf, who served on the NCSL Executive Committee; Senator Marie Pinkney, who served as a Maternal and Child Health Fellow with NCSL in 2023; former State Representative David Bentz, who served as an NCSL Opioid Policy Fellow; and Delaware legislative staffers Richard Dillard, Lori Christiansen, and Mark Cutrona, who have been honored with the Legislative Staff Achievement Award by NCSL’s Research, Editorial, Legal, and Committee Staff Association (RELACS); and

WHEREAS, other Delaware legislative staff members who have received the Legislative Staff Achievement Award have included Janet Roberson and Angel Burack of the General Assembly’s IT staff, who were honored by NCSL’s National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT); House staffer Lori Rigby (2002), Senate staffer David Wilkins (1998), who received the award from NCSL’s Leadership Staff Professional Association; and House staffer Drew Volturo who was honored by NCSL’s Legislative Information and Communications Staff Association; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Cutrona and Legislative Attorney Holly Vaughn Wagner have served, or are presently serving, on the Executive Committee of the RELACS Association, and several members of our Legislative Council’s Division of Research staff have presented programs at various RELACS professional development seminars over the years; and

WHEREAS, in 2020, the Delaware General Assembly was honored by NCSL for its legislative drafting manual, which was termed a “Notable Document”; and

WHEREAS, NCSL staff members have greatly assisted the Delaware General Assembly in many ways over the years and play a crucial role in strengthening state legislatures, enhancing the effectiveness of state governance, and ensuring that state interests are represented at the national level.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152nd General Assembly, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the members do hereby honor and commend the National Conference of State Legislatures, and its leadership and staff, past and present, for their outstanding service to the legislatures of Delaware and other states, territories, and commonwealths in the United States over the past half-century.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives extend to all those associated with the National Conference of State Legislatures heartfelt best wishes for a wonderful 50th Anniversary celebration, together with the hope that NCSL will enjoy many more years of success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that suitable copies of this Senate Concurrent Resolution be shared with the National Conference of State Legislatures, its members, officers, and staff.