Why I Love the First Branch.

• Author: Storey, Tim
• Position: FROM THE CEO

After the revered "We the People" preamble, the writers of the U.S. Constitution very intentionally made the legislative function of the self-government experiment the first branch. The first words in Article I, Section 1 designate all legislative powers to a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, the latter, according to Section 2, to be chosen by the "People of the several States"--the people's branch. The U.S. Constitution drew heavily from the several existing state constitutions that established legislatures in their opening words. I take pride in the fact that the legislature is the first and, in my opinion, preeminent branch of our checks-and-balances form of democracy.

The George Washington-chaired convention that drafted the Constitution had many goals and concerns in trying to design a new form of government. Chief among those: distributing power to avoid the tyranny the Founding Fathers saw in England's King George III. The drafters sought to establish a form of self-governance where the people had the ultimate voice through elected legislators. It's not a perfect system, yet the legislative institution has endured for over 400 years in North America. As legislators or the staff dedicated to making legislatures function smoothly, we are today's keepers of the institution. We should strive to be worthy stewards and pass along to the next generation an institution in better shape than we found it.

That leads me to why I love the first branch: the people. During my 30-plus years at NCSL, I estimate that I have met thousands of legislators and staff and worked closely with hundreds. I'm pleased to say that hardly any were flatout jerks--I could count those rare encounters on one hand. The vast majority of people working in the first branch are exemplary, honest public servants--indeed, the best among us.

Sadly, that is not what many Americans think. Mention the words "elected official," and too many conjure up a corrupt politician like Mayor Quimby from "The Simpsons." Too often, legislatures only get broad media attention when there is an episode of corruption, further reinforcing the false impression that elected officials are all self-dealing.

It's an extremely misleading narrative that has deep roots in the American consciousness. And it's why polls show that faith in government has steadily declined in the last 30 years. The Pew Research Center released a poll in early June showing that only 54% of...