85CF64DE69A05454872589DD005A01BB Hearing Summary

PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For PRESENTATION CONCERNING LEGISLATIVE AGENCY DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT PROCESSES IN OTHER STATES

JOINT COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL SERVICES
Date Jun 29, 2023
Location SCR 357

Presentation concerning legislative agency director appointment processes in other states - Committee Discussion Only


	10:22:40 AM	Natalie Wood, National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), gave an overview of NCSL and what her presentation will include, which she stated will be that strong staff and strong management make for strong legislatures, there is no one correct way to hire a director, and hires tend to be a reflection of the culture of what a legislature values.
	10:26:49 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained that NCSL has been doing a lot of work on retention and turnover and have discovered that managers play the most key role in retaining staff.
	10:27:57 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, went into detail about what other states have done to select new directors and how other states have set up their hiring processes.
	10:30:55 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained that in other states where a committee selected a candidate, they often used a subcommittee to review resumes and bring the top ones before the whole committee. She also explained that having a set timeline and set interview questions ready to go helps the process.
	10:32:37 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, mentioned how important it is to have a solid job description and discuss key features to look for in candidates such as prioritizing legislative experience.
	10:33:50 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained that all the legislatures she talked to did both an internal and national search for candidates.
	10:35:48 AM	No questions from the committee.
	10:35:57 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained the pros and cons of hiring internally versus externally and that most legislatures hire externally when they are looking for a cultural shift in the office and the legislative institution is ready to accommodate that sort of cultural shift.
	10:37:00 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, brought up that a new major concern for candidates in today's world is work-life balance and time-off flexibility and capabilities to work from home.
	10:38:15 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, mentioned that it's important to listen to and consult with your HR director during the process and also brought up possibly thinking about having a probation period or check-in with the candidate a bit after hiring.
	10:39:24 AM	Senator Gardner asked about her thoughts on having legislators outside of the committee as part of the interviews.
	10:40:14 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained that they should first evaluate the strengths of the committee members and that it is an asset that the committee has members with legal experience.
	10:41:36 AM	Senator Moreno asked if she knows of any experiences where there weren't many applicants that applied and what should be done if that happens.
	10:42:00 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, explained that candidate pools have been smaller in the last few years but that the legislatures have been satisfied with the quality of candidates and that it's important to have a hiring timeline where you won't lose applicants to other offers.
	10:43:17 AM	Representative Soper, vice chair, asked if the other legislatures had processes for deciding how many candidates they wanted to interview before moving to next steps.
	10:43:58 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, stated that the other legislatures did not and instead just based their processes on how many candidates ended up applying.
	10:45:28 AM	Representative Weissman commented on Mrs. Wood's point that legislatures tended to hire internally and emphasized the value of having external candidates as comparisons to internal candidates.
	10:46:35 AM	Natalie Wood, NCSL, answered that the interview process can help people think about long-term goals for the institution and that external candidates can bring valuable ideas for future visions for the organization as a fresh perspective while new internal candidates can hit the ground running as they know exactly how things operate already.
	10:51:51 AM	Senator Gonzales, chair, thanked Mrs. Wood for her presentation.

Presentation concerning legislative agency director appointment processes in other states - Committee Discussion Only

Colorado General Assembly