New NCSL Officers.

PositionNCSL LEADERSHIP - National Conference of State Legislatures - Toi Hutchinson and Jon Heining

Every year, NCSL welcomes a slate of dedicated new officers. This year, we say hello to our new president, Illinois Senator Toi Hutchinson, and our new staff chair, Jon Heining, with the Texas Legislative Council.

Here's why they value NCSL and what they most look forward to as they start their new roles.

TOI HUTCHINSON

"Through NCSL you can create relationships with people you wouldn't even talk to in the thick of your own home politics."

"I love visiting and getting to know my colleagues from across the country," Hutchinson says.

"I look forward to hearing new ideas or finding another legislator from a different state who may be just as frustrated as I am about a particular issue and hearing how they handled it... Sometimes those conversations are quite surprising."

Hutchinson has earned a reputation as a highly effective and well-regarded public servant with a strong commitment to her south-suburban Chicago district.

Since joining the Senate in 2009, Hutchinson's priorities have been modernizing Illinois' tax structure, protecting women and children from violence and exploitation, supporting construction projects that create jobs and maintaining the state's position as an international transportation hub.

As chairwoman of the Senate Revenue Committee, Hutchinson has worked hard to ensure the state doesn't balance its budget "on the backs of middle-class families" and to help "working families keep more of their hard-earned money."

Hutchinson most values NCSL's "top notch" state services. "We have committees that mirror most of our state capitols," she says. "Whatever you're interested in, you can probably find it on a committee or task force. We will visit legislators in their own capitols and provide testimony and research on state bills. And above everything else, you can create relationships with people you wouldn't even talk to in the thick of your own home politics.

"My biggest goal is to make sure I leave NCSL stronger and prepared to weather the storms that hyperpartisanship brings. ... I honestly believe that NCSL makes stronger legislators. Strong legislators strengthen the institution of the legislature itself--a coequal branch of government that must work for our democracy to withstand whatever challenges come our way."

Like so many NCSL members, Hutchinson, a mother of three, says balancing a busy life in the legislature with family commitments is all about teamwork.

"Praise is due to the families who support us when we...

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