WASHINGTON, D.C. A fixture in the N.C. Senate, Sen. Dan Blue (D-Wake) has ascended to the role of president of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a role he also held 1998-1999. Created in 1975, the bipartisan NCSL offers support to state legislatures, shares policy experiences, and aims to maximize the voice of state legislatures on the federal level.First elected to the North Carolina House of Representative in 1980, Blue has spent his entire career in public life. As a member of the House, Sen. Blue was re-elected 11 times. In 1991, he was elected Speaker of the House. In 2002 he made an unsuccessful run for United States Senate. He returned to the House in 2007, before running for a seat in the state Senate, in which he has served four terms. Blue has also served as chairman of the Judiciary and Appropriations committees.Blue was appointed by the NCSL Executive Committee to fill the vacancy of NCSL Immediate Past President and to serve as the president of the NCSL Foundation for State Legislatures in May 2016. He is a founding partner of Blue, Stephens & Fellers, a law firm in Raleigh. Blue holds nine honorary degrees and currently serves as the chairman of the Board of Trustees at Duke University.
