NCSL Podcasts NCSL

On this episode, we talk with two guests—New Jersey’s secretary of higher education and an NCSL expert who tracks higher education legislation—about the effort by states to enact legislation that holds higher education institutions accountable for the value of their programs.

Melissa Furman is a trainer, coach, and consultant who's worked with legislative staff. She joined the podcast, the second in a series focused on legislative staff, to discuss the aftermath of the pandemic in the workplace including burnout, new challenges of and some lessons to take away from the emergency.

Two people with deep experience working in the area of disability rights--Eve Hill, one of the nation's top disability rights lawyers, and Nevada Assemblywoman Tracy Brown May, who's worked on numerous initiatives to aid those with disabilities—joined the podcast to discuss how the Americans With Disabilities Act has evolved.

Three state legislative staff leaders joined the podcast to talk about the long-term effects of the pandemic and how their institutions coped with the emergency.

Two legislators from Indiana and Maryland with deep expertise in work-based learning programs such as apprenticeships and credential programs sat down to discuss how programs in their states are offering youth more post-secondary options.

Public health officials and lawmakers in Kentucky had been trying to address the complex issue of maternal mortality for years. Rep. Kimberly Moser had long been a neonatal and intensive care nurse, and knew the struggles around maternal health in the state. Lawmakers had taken steps in past sessions, but last year when the latest numbers came out, Moser decided it was time to bring the best minds together to finally improve the odds for Kentucky mothers and babies. The result of months of research and discussion yielded a range of solutions in a bill dubbed the “Momnibus.”