NCSL Podcasts

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Government
**NCSL Podcasts**

Learn about the people, policies and politics of America’s state legislatures with NCSL’s three podcasts: “Our American States,” “Across the Aisle” and the special limited series “Building Democracy.”

Latest Episodes:

Tim Storey, NCSL — **2020 Election: Big State Legislative Takeaways | OAS Episode 113** Nov 15, 2020
Show notes

The presidential election, understandably, has drawn much of the attention of the media and the public following Election Day. But there also were more than 6,000 state legislators on the ballot and more than 120 statewide ballot measures. Some would argue those elections will have more effect on the life of the average American than those at the top of the ticket.

One of those people is Tim Storey, executive director of NCSL and a close observer of state legislative contests for decades. Even after the election, policymakers in Washington, D.C., are likely to remain gridlocked and the real action will be in state legislatures, Storey says. He breaks down the results of the election and how it will affect redistricting, action on the pandemic and the economy, and more.

Our second guest in Amanda Zoch, an NCSL expert on statewide ballot measures, who takes us through what passed, what it says about the policy concerns of Americans and a few of the more unusual measures that voters said yes to on Election Day.

Resources

2020 State Elections: What the Voters Said, Webinar

OAS Episode 13 Transcription

State Elections 2020, NCSL

Statewide Ballot Measures Database, NCSL

Amanda Zoch, NCSL — **2020 Election: Big State Legislative Takeaways | OAS Episode 113** Nov 15, 2020
Show notes

The presidential election, understandably, has drawn much of the attention of the media and the public following Election Day. But there also were more than 6,000 state legislators on the ballot and more than 120 statewide ballot measures. Some would argue those elections will have more effect on the life of the average American than those at the top of the ticket.

One of those people is Tim Storey, executive director of NCSL and a close observer of state legislative contests for decades. Even after the election, policymakers in Washington, D.C., are likely to remain gridlocked and the real action will be in state legislatures, Storey says. He breaks down the results of the election and how it will affect redistricting, action on the pandemic and the economy, and more.

Our second guest in Amanda Zoch, an NCSL expert on statewide ballot measures, who takes us through what passed, what it says about the policy concerns of Americans and a few of the more unusual measures that voters said yes to on Election Day.

Resources

2020 State Elections: What the Voters Said, Webinar

OAS Episode 13 Transcription

State Elections 2020, NCSL

Statewide Ballot Measures Database, NCSL

Representative Jordan Harris (D-Penn.) — **Clean Slate Streamlines Process to Clear Criminal Records | OAS Episode 112** Nov 09, 2020
Show notes

Clean slate is a policy model that uses technology to automatically clear criminal records, usually for nonviolent misdemeanors, if a person stays crime free for a certain period of time. The first such law in the nation passed in Pennsylvania in 2018. It was cosponsored by Representatives Jordan Harris (D) and Sheryl Delozier (R).

On this podcast, we talk with Harris about what prompted him to pursue the legislation and how it has worked so far in his state. Our other guest on the program is Anne Teigen, a policy expert at NCSL who tracks clean slate and other criminal justice reform legislation. She offers perspective on efforts in other states and what the future holds for this approach to criminal justice reform.

Resources

On the Same Page: Clearing Criminal Records for Those Who’ve Earned a Second Chance, State Legislatures magazine

OAS Episode 112 Transcription

Anne Teigen, NCSL — **Clean Slate Streamlines Process to Clear Criminal Records | OAS Episode 112** Nov 09, 2020
Show notes

Clean slate is a policy model that uses technology to automatically clear criminal records, usually for nonviolent misdemeanors, if a person stays crime free for a certain period of time. The first such law in the nation passed in Pennsylvania in 2018. It was cosponsored by Representatives Jordan Harris (D) and Sheryl Delozier (R).

On this podcast, we talk with Harris about what prompted him to pursue the legislation and how it has worked so far in his state. Our other guest on the program is Anne Teigen, a policy expert at NCSL who tracks clean slate and other criminal justice reform legislation. She offers perspective on efforts in other states and what the future holds for this approach to criminal justice reform.

Resources

On the Same Page: Clearing Criminal Records for Those Who’ve Earned a Second Chance, State Legislatures magazine

OAS Episode 112 Transcription

Jamie Merisotis, Lumina Foundation — **COVID-19 and the Challenges for Higher Education | OAS Episode 111** Nov 02, 2020
Show notes

COVID-19 swept through some colleges and universities this fall as schools reopened with a variety of approaches. Beyond the headlines, however, higher education and post-secondary training have been profoundly affected by the pandemic in other ways.

Our two guests on this podcast fill us in on the challenges ahead and the role legislators will play in dealing with state colleges and universities.

Our first guest is Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of the Lumina Foundation, a private foundation that is a major player in supporting efforts to expand higher education and post-secondary learning. He discusses how the pandemic has affected the world of higher education, how it has laid bare the need for more post-secondary training and how legislators can play a role.

Our second guest is Scott Jaschik, editor of the news website Inside Higher Ed. Jaschik gives us an up-to-date assessment of reopening efforts at colleges and universities around the country and discusses the fiscal landscape state legislators will face in the wake of the pandemic.

Resources

Inside Higher Ed

Lumina Foundation

OAS Episode 111 Transcription

Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed — **COVID-19 and the Challenges for Higher Education | OAS Episode 111** Nov 02, 2020
Show notes

COVID-19 swept through some colleges and universities this fall as schools reopened with a variety of approaches. Beyond the headlines, however, higher education and post-secondary training have been profoundly affected by the pandemic in other ways.

Our two guests on this podcast fill us in on the challenges ahead and the role legislators will play in dealing with state colleges and universities.

Our first guest is Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of the Lumina Foundation, a private foundation that is a major player in supporting efforts to expand higher education and post-secondary learning. He discusses how the pandemic has affected the world of higher education, how it has laid bare the need for more post-secondary training and how legislators can play a role.

Our second guest is Scott Jaschik, editor of the news website Inside Higher Ed. Jaschik gives us an up-to-date assessment of reopening efforts at colleges and universities around the country and discusses the fiscal landscape state legislators will face in the wake of the pandemic.

Resources

Inside Higher Ed

Lumina Foundation

OAS Episode 111 Transcription

**Supreme Court Update | OAS Episode 109** Oct 12, 2020
Show notes

On this podcast we get an update on the U.S. Supreme Court from Lisa Soronen, the executive director of the State and Local Legal Center in Washington, D.C. The court started its new term on Oct. 5.

We discussed the legacy for state legislatures of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace her and the position of Chief Justice John Roberts on the shifting court.

Soronen also went over significant cases affecting the states from last term, cases to watch out for this term and, of course, the upcoming arguments over the Affordable Care Act.

Resources

2020 Election Litigation Tracker

OAS Episode 109 Transcription

State and Local Legal Center

**State, Federal Policies Aim to Ease Transition Out of Foster Care | OAS Episode 108** Oct 05, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast is focused on foster care and specifically on the challenges faced by young people as they transition out of the foster care system.

Our guests are Levi Smith Jr., a 23-year-old senior at Georgia State University studying social work. Levi spent 10 years in foster care and discusses the challenges faced by older youth as they transition out of that system. Our second guest is Georgia Rep. Katie Dempsey (R), who has been involved with various pieces of legislation affecting youth in foster care during her 13 years in the legislature.

In the second segment of the show, I talk with Lynn Johnson, who is the assistant secretary overseeing the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Johnson discusses the federal government’s role in aiding states as they work with young people transitioning out of foster care.

Resources

Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

MAAC

NCSL Human Services Homepage

OAS Episode 108 Transcription

Rep. Katie Dempsey, Georgia House of Representatives

Georgia Representative Katie Dempsey — **State, Federal Policies Aim to Ease Transition Out of Foster Care | OAS Episode 108** Oct 05, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast is focused on foster care and specifically on the challenges faced by young people as they transition out of the foster care system.

Our guests are Levi Smith Jr., a 23-year-old senior at Georgia State University studying social work. Levi spent 10 years in foster care and discusses the challenges faced by older youth as they transition out of that system. Our second guest is Georgia Rep. Katie Dempsey (R), who has been involved with various pieces of legislation affecting youth in foster care during her 13 years in the legislature.

In the second segment of the show, I talk with Lynn Johnson, who is the assistant secretary overseeing the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Johnson discusses the federal government’s role in aiding states as they work with young people transitioning out of foster care.

Resources

Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

MAAC

NCSL Human Services Homepage

OAS Episode 108 Transcription

Rep. Katie Dempsey, Georgia House of Representatives

**Data Privacy, State Legislation and the Pandemic | OAS Episode 107** Sep 21, 2020
Show notes

Consumer concern about data privacy has been mounting for the last few years in light of numerous data breaches. Many people also are aware of recent major governmental actions to protect privacy. One of the most far-reaching was Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, passed in May 2018. The California Consumer Privacy Act, passed in 2018, went into effect this year and was by far the most comprehensive law enacted in any state.

This podcast focuses on data privacy and features a discussion with Ted Claypoole, an attorney with Womble Bond Dickinson in Atlanta and one of the nation’s top legal experts on data privacy. Claypoole has more than 30 years of experience representing clients in in the public and private sector on issues related to software, data management and security. He is also one of the contributors to the HeyDataData technology blog.

I talked with Claypoole about the ramifications of those laws, the prospect for more comprehensive data privacy laws in the states, the likelihood that Congress will look at a comprehensive data privacy law, and privacy issues related to artificial intelligence.

Resources

HeyDataData Blog

NCSL: Coronavirus Resources for States Page

NCSL: Data Privacy Documents

Dr. Melinda Wharton, CDC — **Keeping Kids Up to Date on Vaccines | OAS Episode 106** Sep 14, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast focuses on childhood vaccinations and a troubling drop in the rate of routine immunizations for children in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our first guest is Dr. Melinda Wharton, the director of the Immunization Services Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Wharton, one of the nation’s preeminent experts on vaccine policy, discusses the reasons behind the drop, the steps the CDC is taking to help states bolster the immunization rate, the importance of keeping children on a vaccine schedule and what state lawmakers can do to help. She also reminds us that adults need vaccines as well as we enter flu season.

My other guest is Erik Skinner, an NCSL policy associate who tracks legislation related to vaccines. He offers a perspective on how state legislatures acted on vaccine policy.

Resources

Immunization Services Division, CDC

NCSL: Coronavirus Resources for States Page

Erik Skinner, NCSL — **Keeping Kids Up to Date on Vaccines | OAS Episode 106** Sep 14, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast focuses on childhood vaccinations and a troubling drop in the rate of routine immunizations for children in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our first guest is Dr. Melinda Wharton, the director of the Immunization Services Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Wharton, one of the nation’s preeminent experts on vaccine policy, discusses the reasons behind the drop, the steps the CDC is taking to help states bolster the immunization rate, the importance of keeping children on a vaccine schedule and what state lawmakers can do to help. She also reminds us that adults need vaccines as well as we enter flu season.

My other guest is Erik Skinner, an NCSL policy associate who tracks legislation related to vaccines. He offers a perspective on how state legislatures acted on vaccine policy.

Resources

Immunization Services Division, CDC

NCSL: Coronavirus Resources for States Page

Building Democracy: The Story of Legislatures | Episode 3 Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Overview

Podcast logo NCSL’s Our American States podcast presents a special six-part series, “Building Democracy: The Story of Legislatures.” This new mini-series covers the history, characters and stories of state legislatures in America, from the beginnings in Jamestown, to the present day and into the future.

Each episode in the series will contain interviews with experts from inside and outside the legislative world to provide a comprehensive view of historical events and their legacy in today’s legislatures. Extras will include extended guest interview clips, articles in NCSL’s State Legislatures magazine, blogs and resources for those who want to dive deeper into topics covered in the podcast.

Episode 3

In this installment, we explore how the states and their legislatures expanded west, split apart, and came together again.

The era of American history between 1803-1877 was one of massive territorial growth, conflict, and social and economic change. The U.S. evolved from a small grouping of former colonies and newly formed states on the East Coast to exponentially expanding territories across the South, Midwest and the wilderness of the West. Legislatures were the main venue for shaping these territories into states of diverse populations and environments. After the Civil War, state legislatures became the main setting for enforcing reconstruction policies and resistance to them. The struggle to integrate a huge population of formerly enslaved people into the citizenry led to incredible victories for the expansion of civil rights, only to see them shrink again, continuing the push and pull we continue to experience as a nation today.

Guests

Bob Davidson, former director, Mississippi Senate Legislative Services Office
Mark Hirsch, historian, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian │Bio │Blog
Burdett Loomis, professor emeritus, University of Kansas │Bio
Kercheik Sims-Alvarado, assistant professor of Africana Studies, Morehouse College │Bio │Book

Special Guest Voice

Representative Billy Mitchell, Georgia │Bio

Additional Resources

**COVID-19: A New Approach to Back to School | OAS Episode 105** Sep 07, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast looks at how K-12 schools can reopen safely amid an ongoing pandemic and what that might look like for the foreseeable future.

Our first guest is Dr. Carissa Moffat Miller, the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CSCCSO). Dr. Miller’s organization works with state education leaders around the nation and offers a national perspective on how schools are reopening.

Our second guest is Dr. Kristi Wilson, president of the American Association of School Administrators, which is the organization of school superintendents around the nation. She is also the superintendent of the Buckeye Elementary School District just west of Phoenix, and offers some perspective from the district superintendent level.

Resources

AASA: Guidelines for Reopening Schools

NCSL: Coronavirus Resources for States Page

Council of Chief State School Officers Coronavirus Resources Homepage

OAS Episode 105 Transcription

**COVID-19: A New Approach to Back to School | OAS Episode 105** Sep 07, 2020
Show notes

Today’s podcast looks at how K-12 schools can reopen safely amid an ongoing pandemic and what that might look like for the foreseeable future.

Our first guest is Dr. Carissa Moffat Miller, the executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CSCCSO). Dr. Miller’s organization works with state education leaders around the nation and offers a national perspective on how schools are reopening.

Our second guest is Dr. Kristi Wilson, president of the American Association of School Administrators, which is the organization of school superintendents around the nation. She is also the superintendent of the Buckeye Elementary School District just west of Phoenix, and offers some perspective from the district superintendent level.

Resources

AASA: Guidelines for Reopening Schools

NCSL: Coronavirus Resources for States Page

Council of Chief State School Officers Coronavirus Resources Homepage

OAS Episode 105 Transcription

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