NCSL / 2017 Legislative Summit

This video from a session at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston looked at federal proposals to replace the Affordable Care Act that portend dramatic changes for states. From the most visible features such as health exchanges, insurance subsidies or credits and the Medicaid expansion, to lesser known provisions, such as payment reforms and financing sources, states face major unknowns.

Biotech research is growing fast. In Massachusetts, more than 63,000 biopharma employees are working on more than 1,600 potential new medicines. In this video from NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston, learn how new models for pricing and research are hoping to bring down the cost.

This session was held Aug. 9, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

he American Dream mean different things to every American, but one of its defining ideals is the equal access to opportunity. The ideal is that any American can reach economic stability through hard work, and that children will have a higher standard of living than their parents. Researchers as Stanford and Harvard have found this is no longer true. Just 46 percent of 30-year-old’s today are making more than their parents did at age 30. Additionally, research from the Economic Innovation Group finds economic dynamism, or the rate of churn in the American economy, is at an all-time low. What are the causes of this changing landscape, and what are the policy options available to broaden access to the American Dream?

This session was held Aug. 7, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

You worked hard to get elected to your legislature because you care about your community and about important issues that affect your state. You want to make things better. But many citizens don’t see you that way, and public opinion of elected officials seems to decline every year. This session is about reversing that trend and reclaiming and rebuilding the image of public servants (legislative members and staff) as honorable people doing work that is essential to American democracy.

This session was held Aug. 8, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

Lawmakers from states that recently legalized recreational marijuana at the ballot box have plenty to learn from the pioneering states when it comes to taxation, product regulation and other issues. But no one is certain how all this may change with the Trump administration. Explore the complexity and uncertainty of state cannabis laws.

This session was held Aug. 8, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.


If there were only one skill that determines your success as a legislator, staffer or lobbyist, it would probably be the ability to communicate your ideas efficiently and effectively. You'll gain practical tips and acquire the tools needed to give short, compelling presentations.

This session was held Aug. 8, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

Learn strategies legendary leaders use every day. Discover how to deal with constant change, increasing pressure and the need to adapt quickly. Through activities and humor, you will be ready to apply these secrets immediately.

This session was held Aug. 7, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

For a number of years, Massachusetts has topped national and international rankings for student achievement in math, science and English Language Arts. This has been the result of a strategic vision set years ago by education officials in Massachusetts and policies and practices put in place to meet that goal. Learn more about student achievement in the state and the successful strategies used to earn it a top spot in the world.

This session was held Aug. 6, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

Increasingly, states are providing captions for the deaf and hearing impaired as part of their live webcasts of legislative proceedings. Learn about the issues concerning accessibility and captioning, including live stream captioning, necessary software, support on mobile devices and browsers and potential impact on remote testimony.

This session was held Aug. 6, 2017 at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

A sudden special session, protesters at the capitol, a natural disaster or security threats—legislative staff are on the front line when the unexpected happens. Hear from colleagues in various roles about how they prepared for, dealt with or found solutions for unexpected situations.

This session was held Aug. 6, 2017, at NCSL's 2017 Legislative Summit in Boston.

Social media, personal and state-owned devices, email and text messages all raise questions about whether and how legislators and legislative staff use them, how the records they create are retained (or not) and which are subject to public records requests. Discuss how legislative policies were developed, what legislatures considered and how they came to their conclusions.