For government relations professionals at associations, navigating the legislative landscape in all 50 states is a constant challenge. Fortunately, you don’t have to find your way across this complex terrain on your own: Several well-established organizations of state officials, including the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the Council of State Governments, can make this work much easier.

Who are these groups and how do they differ? Here’s an overview.

National Governors Association

NGA comprises the nation’s 50 state governors, as well as governors from the four territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands). Led on an annual rotating basis by governors of alternating parties, NGA is the premier group for all governors. It is often the first state group that Congress looks to for the position of the states on issues.

Recently, NGA expanded its partners program to enable associations to participate, and it allows for private-sector input at policy meetings. Priority issues for NGA include tax reform, workforce development, trade, and public health and Medicaid.

National Conference of State Legislatures

The members of NCSL include the 7,383 elected members of all 50 state legislatures and various staff. State government affairs professionals should spend time developing new relationships with NCSL members and building on existing relationships formed in their respective state capitals.

NCSL is one of only two organizations (NGA is the other) that are chartered to lobby Congress on behalf of states. NCSL does not adopt model legislation, but rather adopts policy best practices and resolutions urging states, Congress, or the administration to act. The organization has always permitted input and guidance from the private sector in its policy-making process. This makes NCSL a powerful voice for associations with issues that overlap the state-federal arenas.

NCSL's annual legislative summit is a must-attend event for GR professionals because its education agenda includes a large number of concurrent sessions on everything that state legislatures cover.

Council of State Governments

CSG is unique in that its members work in all three branches of state government: They are legislators, governors, and judges. The organization has four regional offices and a national headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky. The regional offices are independent of the national office and are driven by regional leaders who set agendas based on regional priorities.

CSG provides a forum for legislators and advocates to work together to share best practices from around the country. For example, its Shared State Legislation Committee (SSL) is a group of legislators who meet twice a year to review legislation enacted in the states and select measures to include in its annual “SSL volume,” published for state leaders and staff. CSG neither promotes specific legislation nor drafts model legislation. Rather, it aims to facilitate the sharing of legislative ideas among members.

American Legislative Exchange Council

ALEC’s members are state lawmakers, but while the organizations listed above are nonpartisan or bipartisan, ALEC has a reputation for attracting more conservative and libertarian legislators. ALEC is also unique because it openly encourages private-sector partnerships to prepare research, white papers, and policy resolutions. ALEC adopts model legislation and is influential in the 26 states where Republicans control both the legislature and governor's mansion.

ALEC holds three major meetings: the Spring Task Force meeting, an annual meeting, and the States and Nation Policy Summit.

National Association of Attorneys General

NAAG is composed of the attorneys general of each state. It is particularly focused on issues like consumer protection, the judiciary, and criminal justice. NAAG hosts a winter meeting in Washington, DC, as well as the NAAG Presidential Initiative Summit and a summer meeting, which are open to the public.

Niche Groups

In addition to these broad-based organizations, other important state organizations focus on particular issues, such as insurance (the National Conference of Insurance Legislators) or agriculture (State Ag and Rural Leaders). There are also partisan subsets of the large bipartisan groups. Depending on their advocacy goals, associations might be interested in engaging with some of the following organizations:

Governors

• Republican Governors Association
• Democratic Governors Association

Legislators

• State Legislative Leaders Foundation
• Senate Presidents Forum (limited private-sector membership; invitation only)
• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
• Republican State Leadership Committee

Attorneys General

• Republican Attorneys General Association
• Democratic Attorneys General Association
• Conference of Western Attorneys General

Professional Networking

• State Government Affairs Council (national)
• Washington Area State Relations Group (DC-focused)

Legislative groups are a good point of entry for associations and a cost-effective way to educate policymakers about issues in multiple states simultaneously. Engagement with these groups makes it easy for policymakers to know what your association stands for and where to find you—and is an important component of any comprehensive government relations strategy.