NCSL Podcasts

Feb 16 2025 216 ep. 26 mins 460
NCSL Podcasts artwork

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."

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Forty Years of the Women’s Legislative Network | OAS Episode 238

Feb 16 2025 21 mins  
Two leaders of the Women’s Legislative Network of NCSL, one a Democrat and one a Republican, joined the podcast to discuss the group’s 40th anniversary and women in legislatures more generally.

What Americans Think About Voting | OAS Episode 227

Feb 09 2025 38 mins  
Election expert Charles Stewart III, a professor at MIT, joined the podcast to discuss the results of his Survey of the Performance of American Elections, asking voters in every state and Washington, D.C., about their voting experience. His 2024 report from that survey offers a window into how Americans voted—not who they voted for—and if they were satisfied with their voting e

ATA Oregon Split House

Feb 01 2025 10 mins  
Power-sharing in tied legislative chambers is typically no picnic. But about 15 years ago in Oregon when the House faced a historic tie, things went so smoothly people from both sides of the aisle are still talking about it today.

2025 Legislative Session Preview With Tim Storey | OAS Episode 226

Jan 05 2025 28 mins  
At the start of each year, I sit down with NCSL CEO Tim Storey to discuss the most important issues facing state legislatures in the upcoming session. Storey discussed state budgets, technology, education policy and how the new federal administration’s plans for deporting people in the country without documents will affect states.

Looking at Nuclear Energy’s Future | OAS Episode 225

Dec 15 2024 38 mins  
Two experts on nuclear energy policy joined this episode of the podcast to discuss how nuclear energy policy may or may not change in the transition from the Biden to the Trump administration, and how a steep increase in energy demand because of data center and new industrial facilities may affect that policy.

Some Friendly Advice for New Legislators | OAS Episode 224

Dec 01 2024 19 mins  
About 1,000 new lawmakers were elected in November’s election and will be joining their legislatures in the new year. Every legislature is different, of course, but for this episode we asked two veteran legislators to offer a little advice on a few issues that likely apply in most legislatures.

Wildfire, Utilities and Mitigation Plans | OAS Episode 223

Nov 17 2024 38 mins  
Massive wildfires in the U.S. have caused widespread damage in recent decades. On this episode we’re joined by a utility executive and a state legislator to discuss the value of wildfire mitigation plans and how legislators can use them to better understand the steps utilities are taking to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Tackling Affordability and Outcomes in Higher Education | OAS Episode 222

Nov 03 2024 65 mins  
On this episode, we talk with three people who have worked for the past two years on NCSL’s Task Force on Higher Education Affordability and Student Outcomes in 2022. They explained how the project started and how the final report will help address key challenges in the system.

Election 2024: State Legislative Races and Ballot Measures | Oct. 27, 2024

Oct 27 2024 28 mins  
On this episode, we sat down with two election experts from NCSL to discuss the Nov. 5 election. Ben Williams, NCSL’s associate director of Elections and Redistricting, broke down the race for 5,508 legislative seats on ballots in 44 states. Helen Brewer, who tracks statewide ballot measures for NCSL, discussed the large number of measures on ballots this year related to abortion

NCSL at 50: Evolution of the Legislature | OAS Episode 220

Oct 20 2024 17 mins  
This is one of the series of podcasts reflecting on the 50th anniversary of NCSL. For this episode, our focus is the legislative institution and how today’s legislatures evolved over the last 400 years. Our guests include a historian of legislatures and three people who’ve spent considerable time in the legislature and given a lot of thought to the institution.