This year, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) marks its 50th anniversary. State legislatures have existed for over 400 hundred years, but these past fifty years have been uniquely transformative. From the typewriter to artificial intelligence, and the development of searchable online databases, the work of lawmaking has changed dramatically. NCSL has been at the center of that story, helping legislatures modernize and adapt to new demands.
So, what were the last 50 years of U.S. state legislatures like?
Legislatures in the 1970s: A Changing Pace to Changing Laws
In the 1970s, state legislatures stood at a turning point. The Supreme Court’s Baker v. Carr decision had reshaped the disproportionate control that rural populations held. In turn, state legislatures now had more fairly distributed power based on population.
Reformers pushed for legislatures to become stronger and more cohesive. Efforts to create a unified national voice for state legislatures took shape when three separate groups representing different facets of legislative work merged to form the NCSL. The new organization signaled that state legislatures were asserting themselves as equals in government.
At this time, legislatures were undergoing structural change: they expanded professional staff, lengthened their sessions, and devoted more energy to committee and interim work. By the end of the decade, serving as a legislator had become a more time-intensive and professional responsibility than ever before.
Technology’s role was minimal in those early years, drafting was still largely a paper process, staff relied on typewriters, and legislative records were distributed as physical copies. But the foundation was being laid for a more modern and data-driven institution.
Modernizing the Tools of Lawmaking
The 1980s brought the first significant wave of technological modernization. Personal computers began appearing in legislative offices, changing the way staff drafted bills and handled fiscal notes.
Word processing software gradually replaced typewriters, making amendments and revisions less labor-intensive. Still, publishing remained a slow process, with printed documents dominating. The public relied on physical copies of bills or summaries prepared by staff. Technology was a tool of efficiency for legislative staff, but it had not yet transformed the relationship between legislatures and the public.
By the 1990s, legislatures were embracing the internet. Bill drafting agencies began standardizing digital formats, and legislatures created their first online databases, allowing the public to search bills and statutes electronically. This was a critical shift: for the first time, citizens could follow legislative activity in real time without relying solely on printed reports or in-person visits.
The 1990s also saw legislatures build internal IT departments, recognizing that technology was becoming integral to governance rather than a peripheral tool.
NCSL helped legislatures navigate these changes by hosting technology conferences, and producing research on digital publishing. Staff were connected across states who were experimenting with new systems. Many legislatures also began building internal IT departments to support these innovations, recognizing that technology had become central to the business of governing.
The turn of the millennium brings greater transparency
The 2000s accelerated these trends. Broadband expanded access to legislative websites, and many states adopted webcasting to make committee hearings and floor debates available online.
Digital transparency became a new expectation, and legislatures had to keep pace. Bill drafting systems became more sophisticated, integrating legal research databases and automated formatting tools. Technology was no longer just for efficiency, it was shaping how legislatures connected with the public and how citizens engaged with their representatives.
In the 2010s, the rise of smartphones and social media transformed legislative communications. Legislatures increasingly used online platforms to publish real-time updates, while advocates and constituents could mobilize around legislation faster than ever before.
Cloud computing made collaborative drafting easier across offices and committees. At the same time, the decline of statehouse journalism meant legislatures relied more heavily on digital publishing to ensure the public could track their work. Technology had become central to the legislative process itself, rather than just a background tool.
How technology is shaping legislatures today
Today, in the 2020s, technology is inseparable from legislative work. Legislatures use advanced drafting software, automated bill tracking systems, and real-time digital publishing to maintain transparency.
Artificial intelligence, while still in its early stages, is beginning to make its mark. Some state legislatures are exploring AI-assisted tools for drafting legislation, analyzing fiscal impacts, and summarizing public testimony. Others are considering both the opportunities and risks of AI, including questions of accuracy, transparency, and security. Just as computers and the internet transformed legislatures in previous decades, AI is poised to shape the next era of lawmaking.
Propylon has had the pleasure of working with many state legislatures as they navigate a constantly changing technological landscape. It is clear that one constant that has remained is the adaptability of legislatures.
As Natalie Wood of NCSL put it “Legislatures have proven their ability to evolve”. In an age of rapid change, that resilience may be their greatest strength.