Montana state Sen. Barry Usher, second from the left, was named president-elect of the National Conference of State Legislatures at its 2025 summit in Boston. (Contributed photo)

The National Conference of State Legislatures announced Wednesday that Montana state Sen. Barry Usher has been named president-elect of the bipartisan organization, and will take over the leadership position in 2026.

The NCSL was founded in 1975 to serve legislators and legislative staff of America’s states, commonwealths, territories and the District of Columbia — representing 7,386 lawmakers and more than 30,000 legislative staff.

Usher, who is currently NCSL’s vice president, succeeds Illinois Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans Jr., a Democrat, who became NCSL president at this year’s Legislative Summ

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