Brain drain: many legislative staffers are due to retire soon--taking with them a ton of experience.

• Author: Kolman, Joe

When it comes to legislative proposals, Eddye McClure and her counterparts in Montana Legal Services have seen it all.

"Don't try to reinvent the wheel," McClure tells rookie bill drafters. "There are no new ideas that haven't already been drafted in some form--ask one of us."

But what happens when wise veterans of a decade or more of legislative sessions lay down their codebooks, turn in their nametags, and saunter off to places where nobody cheers when somebody says "sine die?"

As baby boomers eye their golden years, employers across the nation face the prospect of losing folks who know how things work and why. The problem may be even more acute, however, in the relatively small world of legislative employment. Most of the positions are highly specialized, may appeal to only a few, and can take years to learn. The hours can be long, stressful and irregular. And many of the jobs rely heavily on relationships built over the years with lawmakers.

Why does it matter? While lawmakers make the big decisions, staffers do everything to make sure the giant machines known as state legislatures run as smoothly as possible. They provide research and context, write bill drafts in the proper style, explain budget information and dispense legal advice. They are versed in parliamentary procedure and rules. And those are only the most visible staffers; thousands of others make sure computer systems hum along and documents actually make it into print.

"It's a unique world, so experience helps," says Legislative Counsel of California Diane Boyer-Vine.

But like other leaders of legislative staff across the country, Boyer-Vine sees many of her employees nearing the end of their careers. Nationwide, almost half of legislative staffers are more than 50 years old, according to a recent survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures. About one out of every three staffers surveyed has spent two decades or more working for a legislature.

"You have a lot of experience walking out the door," Boyer-Vine says.

Possible solutions range from convincing potential retirees to hang on a bit longer to establishing formal mentoring programs and succession plans. The pending glut of retirements also presents a chance to evaluate and possibly change the traditional structure of legislative organizations.

"We can bemoan it, but that's not going to stop them from retiring," says Susan Fox, a 15-year veteran of Montana Legislative Services recently hired as executive director. "This is opportunity knocking."

A LONG TIME COMING

How the boomer generation came to be more prevalent in the public sector than in the private world is complicated.

About 46 percent of government workers at all levels are more than 45 years old, according to a 2002 study by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. Among state workers, the figure is 45 percent. But less...