NALIT News - June 2026

NALIT News - June 2026

Beyond the AI Hype: Practical Protocols, Prompting, and the "Human in the Loop" Rule - NALIT Only - July 7, 2026, 3 p.m. ET

This NALIT Zoom call will explore a grounded, practical approach to using AI effectively and responsibly at work. Designed for an IT-focused audience, Alex Hatfield, IT research analyst from the Idaho Legislative Services Office, will lead this conversational session with a walk through of core integration principles, guardrails for confidentiality, RTFS prompting and refinement, and a live demonstration of refining outputs. It will also emphasize verification and the continued role of human oversight, concluding with audience Q&A.

Register Now!

Call for Nominations Now Open! 2026-2027 Election of Executive Committee

Elections for NALIT Executive Committee members will be conducted at the NALIT Annual Business Meeting, held in Raleigh, N.C. The executive committee helps guide the priorities and programing of NALIT and assists in serving the larger NALIT body. One secretary and three director roles are available this year.

Secretary: The secretary is elected for one year and automatically succeeds the following year to the office of vice chair for one year and chair for one year. The secretary works with the NCSL staff liaison to publish and distribute the association newsletter. The secretary is not required to travel but is encouraged to attend any meetings they can. Once the secretary moves up to vice chair and then chair, they will need to have approval from their director to travel to the LSCC meetings to represent NALIT and ideally to the NALIT Professional Development Seminar.

Directors: Directors are elected for two-year terms and may be reelected for a second consecutive term. Directors serve on the executive committee including helping to identify topics and faculty for NALIT meetings and webinars and serve in other appointed roles, including committees and other advisory roles, as assigned by the chair.

Please fill out this form to express your interest in running for the secretary position or a director position by Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.

Professional Development for Newer Staff

Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials (LSIE) Applications Close on July 6, 2026.

NCSL's Legislative Staff Institutional Essentials program will be held online in October and November 2026 during five two-hour sessions and one bonus session. This month-long training program is for newer legislative staff seeking a broader context about legislatures and the legislative process. It will focus on five core competencies. Staff with less than three years of legislative employment are invited to apply, with the approval of their director/supervisor.

This unique program will provide newer legislative staff important perspectives and insights about their roles in supporting the legislative institution. Participants will be awarded a certificate and digital badge upon completion.

Learn more about the program here.

NALIT's Code Sharing and Development Group

Explore the new Code Sharing and Development NALIT group space, designed to connect members, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects and resources. Share code, ask questions, and learn from peers across legislatures. Strengthen our community through open collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Interested and joining? Sign up here!

Utah Legislature's Website Receives 2026 NCSL Online Democracy Award

NCSL has named the Utah Legislature's official website the recipient of the 2026 Online Democracy Award, recognizing the platform for strengthening public access to government and improving citizen participation. NCSL's Online Democracy Award is presented annually to a legislature, legislative chamber or caucus whose website makes democracy accessible in an outstanding way. The winning website is chosen by a committee of legislative staffers who evaluate each site's design, content and technological integration.

The Utah Legislature's website earned recognition for its intuitive and well-organized design. The committee praised the site's accessibility features, interactive "My Legislature" calendars and thoughtfully designed bill pages, which allow users to easily track legislation, meetings and district information directly from the homepage across desktop and mobile devices.

Learn more about the Online Democracy Award or check out the Utah Legislatures winning website!

Congratulations to the 2026 NALIT Legislative Staff Achievement Award Winner

The National Association of Legislative Information Technology is happy to congratulate Jamie Schaub, senior information technology strategist, Wyoming Legislative Services Officeand the Media Services Team and American Sign Language/Language Access Team, Oregon Legislative Assembly, for their accomplishments and being recognized as this year's NALIT legislative staff achievement award winners.

Read about their accomplishments and contributions to NALIT!