NCSL was founded in 1975 and resulted from the merger of three legislative groups: the National Legislative Conference, the National Conference of State Legislative Leaders, and the National Society of State Legislators.

The purposes and objectives of NCSL, as stated in its bylaws, are to: (1) advance the effectiveness, independence, and integrity of the legislatures in the states, territories, and commonwealths of the United States; (2) foster interstate cooperation and facilitate information exchange among state legislatures; (3) represent the states and their legislatures in the American federal system of government consistent with support of state sovereignty and state flexibility and protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption; (4) improve the operations and management of the state legislatures and the effectiveness of legislators and legislative staff; encourage the practice of high standards of conduct by legislators and legislative staff; and (5) promote cooperation between state legislatures in the U.S. and legislatures in other countries.

NCSL is a nonpartisan organization that represents and supports state legislators from all political parties. The organization does not participate or intervene in any political campaign and is expressly prohibited from doing so by the organizational bylaws.

NCSL’s membership consists of the legislatures of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, each of the territories of the United States, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

NCSL is financed by appropriations from member legislatures, as determined by the 63-member executive committee. Each state is assessed a flat-rate charge, plus an amount prorated based on population. NCSL also receives support from the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures, a nonprofit tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) corporation.

NCSL hosts an annual legislative summit in July or August, as well as a forum held in Washington, D.C. in December.
NCSL also conducts in-depth legislative training programs and seminars for legislators and staff on particular issues of importance to state legislatures.

CSG was founded in 1933 and is a nonpartisan interstate organization serving all three branches of state and U.S. territorial governments. The organization is a region-based, national organization that helps state officials exchange ideas to assist them in shaping public policy. Wisconsin is served by the Midwest forum, which includes 11 states as members and four Canadian provinces as affiliate members. CSG provides policy expertise and resources on best practices, facilitates multistate solutions, fosters leader to leader interactions, and advocates for the states at the federal level.

CSG’s membership consists of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.

CSG is supported, in part, through direct contributions by the states and other U.S. jurisdictions. Each state’s assessment is calculated from a base fee amount and a population factor for that state. CSG administers federal and private foundation grants that support research and information-gathering projects on topics of interest to state officials. The organization also generates revenue from publication sales and by conducting workshops and conferences.

CSG holds an annual National Leadership Conference, as well as annual meetings for the regional conferences.

The ULC was founded in 1892 and is a nonprofit association that serves the states by drafting state laws on subjects where uniformity is desirable and practicable. The ULC drafts uniform or model acts for individual states to consider and enact.

The ULC is comprised of more than 300 commissioners from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. A commissioner is typically appointed by the Governor of his or her state or by the state’s legislature. ULC commissioners must be attorneys and serve on a volunteer basis.

Wisconsin’s ULC representatives are selected as specified in state statute which provides for eight commissioners: 

• The Director of the Legislative Council staff or a designee (no specified term).
• The Chief of the Legislative Reference Bureau or a designee (no specified term).
• Two Senators and two Representatives from the two major political parties (two-year term).
• Two public members appointed by the Governor (four-year term).

[s. 13.55, Stats.]

If a Senator or Representative is unable to serve, a former Senator or Representative may serve instead as long as the person is from the respective house and political party and served as a commissioner during his or her term of office. Wisconsin’s commissioners not only represent Wisconsin at ULC meetings, but also comprise a separate commission, the Wisconsin Commission on Uniform State Laws (WCUSL). The WCUSL meets at least once every two years to advise the Wisconsin Legislature on uniform laws and model laws and prepare uniform law legislation to be introduced into the Legislature.

The ULC is primarily supported by state appropriations. Every jurisdiction is also asked to fund its commissioners’ participation at the ULC annual meeting. In addition, ULC seeks revenue from publication of uniform laws and grants from private foundations and public agencies.

The ULC holds an annual meeting, usually in July or August. Drafting and study committees also meet at various other times throughout the year.

The Education Commission of the United States (ECS) was founded in 1965 and helps states develop effective policy and practice for public education. ECS conducts policy research, tracks state education policy trends, provides advice and policy assistance to states, and fosters nationwide leadership and collaboration in education. ECS is a nonpartisan organization that works on issues at all levels of education from pre-K to postsecondary.

The commission’s outreach and collaborative efforts serve two major purposes:  (1) bringing information into ECS to better understand the issues and problems facing its constituents; and (2) providing ECS with opportunities to assist policymakers with complex education decisions.

The ECS Executive Committee has day-to-day oversight of the organization and a Steering Committee of Commissioners maintains broad oversight of ECS.

Forty-nine states, three territories, and the District of Columbia have enacted the Interstate Compact on Education and are members of the commission. Each member state or territory has seven commissioners. The seven-member Wisconsin delegation consists of the Governor, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, one member each from the Senate and Assembly, and three members appointed by the Governor. [s. 39.76, Stats.]

ECS is financed by fees paid by member states and territories, as well as grants and sponsorship funding.

ECS holds an annual meeting each summer. The ECS steering committee, which consists of one commissioner from each of the member states, holds two additional meetings and other networks also hold various meetings throughout the year.

MHEC was established in 1991 under the statutorily created Midwest Higher Education Compact. The purpose of the compact is to provide greater higher education opportunities and services in the Midwestern region, with the aim of furthering regional access to, research in, and choice of, higher education for the citizens residing in the member states. [s. 39.80, Stats.]

MHEC is charged with promoting interstate cooperation and resource sharing in higher education. The commission seeks to improve access to a wide variety of high-quality postsecondary education programs while maintaining affordability and maximizing return on investment for students and taxpayers.

The Executive Committee, made up of a subset of commissioners, acts for the commission in the interim between annual meetings and oversees development of the compact’s short and long-range activities.

MHEC is comprised of five commissioners appointed by each state. The commissioners include:  the Governor or the Governor’s designee, a member of each chamber of the Legislature, and two at-large members, one of whom must have background in post-secondary education. [s. 14.90, Stats.] The member states are: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

MHEC is financed through member state dues, program fees, and foundation grants.

MHEC meets annually in November and the Executive Committee meets during the interim.

• Wisconsin Family Impact Seminars is a series of nonpartisan seminars for state policymakers on family-focused topics such as early childhood adversity, homelessness, foster care, and youth workforce development. 
• Campus Connect matches legislative leaders with UW–Madison researchers (faculty and staff) who lend expertise by providing overviews of the research on legislative priorities and expert testimony.
• Office Hours at the Capitol is a drop-in event for legislators and staff to connect with UW–Madison faculty and staff who are doing research on timely public policy issues.
• The La Follette School coordinates professional development opportunities for legislative staff and student research projects for legislative offices.

 

The La Follette School also hosts an annual conference for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on timely policy issues (e.g., health policy), as well as keynote talks, and topic-focused seminars and discussions.