The National Conference of State Legislatures’ leftwing stances raise questions about its commitment to nonpartisanship.
Conspicuous double-dealing on behalf of liberal and progressive interests is not unique to widely known institutions, like Harvard, CNN, or the National Institutes of Health. A broad array of liberal organizations that claim the mantle of nonpartisanship operate behind the scenes at the state level, quietly advancing values and policies at odds with conservative majorities in state houses, including Wyoming’s, across the country.
Wyoming citizens should regard self-proclaimed nonpartisan organizations with skepticism until they’ve demonstrated their commitment to impartiality or come clean with their advocacy.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), which claims to provide nonpartisan support to state lawmakers in Wyoming and elsewhere, appears to be a solid, even-handed organization at first glance. But its history of policy stances, including some recent missteps, undermines its stated commitment to bipartisanship and raises questions about its continuing usefulness to lawmakers.
You might not recognize the name. Outside of those who work in and around state legislatures and in state policy, NCSL is not widely known. But you might be interested to know that the Wyoming State Legislature pays NCSL nearly $270,000 in membership dues every two years. So, what is NCSL— and what is Wyoming getting in return for the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars Wyoming lawmakers give them?
A handful of state officials founded the organization in 1975 to lobby the federal government on behalf of state legislatures and provide resources, such as legislation tracking and policy research, to lawmakers. States pay regular membership dues to NCSL, and in return, all sitting state legislators, as well as their staffers, become members.
In theory, NCSL serves as a neutral knowledge resource for state lawmakers and a counterweight to federal overreach. However, in practice, like many supposedly impartial institutions these days, it turns out that NCSL committees have backed resolutions supporting Obamacare and cap-and-trade, among other things.
Today, all 50 states continue to funnel taxpayer funding toward NCSL, and the organization continues to advocate for a concerning number of leftwing policies. Let’s look at some recent policy stances, beginning with Medicaid.
In February of this year, NCSL wrote a letter opposing a Republican plan to require that able-bodied Medicaid recipients provide proof of employment, writing, “Policy changes that mandate specific eligibility requirements and alter the fiscal makeup of the program threaten Medicaid’s effectiveness and reduce state flexibility in program design.” Medicaid work requirements have become a flashpoint in the recent budget reconciliation drama on Capitol Hill, with Democrats adamant that healthy adults should not have to work to receive taxpayer welfare dollars.
Why is NCSL taking the Democratic Party’s position on Medicaid, and why are Wyoming residents paying for them to do so?
NCSL’s leftwing dalliances extend beyond tax and welfare policies. In 2023, the group, along with the National Association of Cities, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, penned a letter in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). You’ll recall that the Obama Administration created the DACA program in 2012, allowing illegal child migrants to stay in the country for an indefinite period of time.
NCSL’s defense of an unconstitutional program protecting illegal immigrants was more than a little tone deaf at a time when the Biden administration was allowing millions to flood the country. The organization’s support for DACA mirrored the Democratic Party’s position. It was neither nonpartisan nor bipartisan, considering that Republican states have sued the federal government to end the program.
NCSL says its mission is to “advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures.” If that’s true, then one wonders why NCSL feels the need to advocate for leftwing policies in the first place.
Their periodic support for leftwing policies calls into question whether the organization can credibly claim to be nonpartisan—and whether it is deserving of our tax dollars. In this day and age, especially, that kind of inconsistent behavior should set off blaring alarm bells. Over the last five years, Americans have watched as one institution after another shed its commitments to fairness and nonpartisanship in favor of progressivism. It’s no wonder trust in institutions is declining precipitously.
They say that trust is earned, not given. Before the Wyoming State Legislature trusts NCSL with another check for $270,000, lawmakers should take a close look at the organization’s record and demand an accounting for its leftwing missteps. Wyoming families should not be on the hook for organizations that advocate for policies that run contrary to our conservative values. NCSL should have to prove that it has reformed its ways, or risk losing its funding.