NCSL Standing Committees are made up of legislators and staff appointed by the leadership of their respective state legislatures. Standing Committees are similar in makeup and jurisdiction to state legislature committees. There are 10 NCSL Standing Committees that focus on maintaining a balanced state-federal system, preserving state and territorial sovereignty. The Standing Committees' broad jurisdiction includes state-federal law preemption issues, constitution and constitutional law, civil rights and liability issues. 

"I am honored to have been recognized by the Senate President for the role I've played in the Territory toward crime prevention through this appointment, and am very excited to partner with other legislators nation-wide to work toward solutions for our islands," stated Senator Buckley. 

Criminal justice issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the Law and Criminal Justice Standing Committee include capital punishment, corrections, crime victims, drug crime, juvenile justice, law enforcement, probation and parole and criminal sentencing. Committee meetings allow legislators and staff to collaboratively benefit from the experiences of other states in crafting public policy, drafting new laws, and managing legislative institutions, as well as developing policy directives and resolutions on state-federal issues that guide NCSL lobbyists in Washington, D.C.

Standing Committees meet three times per year: once in Washington, D.C., once outside of Washington, D.C. and once at the NCSL Legislative Summit. Scheduled meetings for 2013 include:

Denver, Colorado May 2-4, 2013

Atlanta, Georgia August 12-15, 2013

Related Links:

National Conference of State Legislatures http://www.ncsl.org