Generative AI Use Policy: A Template for State Legislative Offices
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Introduction
This template is a starting point and should be customized for each office's specific needs, institutional requirements, and operational context. Consult with your chamber's information technology office or leadership for the latest institutional guidance before implementation.
State legislatures vary widely in structure — from full-time bicameral chambers with large professional staffs to part-time unicameral bodies where a single legislator may handle constituent services, communications, and policy research with little or no staff support. This policy is designed to be adaptable to that full range of contexts.
Highlighted sections indicate what needs to be customized by an office that adopts this template.
[Office / Member Name] Generative AI Use Policy
Last Updated: [Date]
Contents
Purpose and Scope
Policy Philosophy
Approved Tools
Prohibited Uses
Best Practices
Accountability and Oversight
Knowledge Sharing
Training and Support
Acknowledgment Agreement
Appendix: Recommended Use Cases
1. Purpose and Scope
This policy establishes guidelines for the responsible use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools in our office to enhance productivity, improve constituent services, and support legislative work while maintaining security, privacy, and ethical standards.
This policy supplements guidance issued by [the chamber’s IT office / legislative services agency / state CIO] and all applicable institutional or state policies. If no such guidance has been issued, this policy serves as the office’s governing standard until formal guidance is established.
2. Policy Philosophy
Staff have demanding workloads that can be improved through the use of emerging technologies, including GenAI. However, technology cannot replicate what makes the work meaningful. Knowing a constituent’s situation, understanding a Member’s priorities, exercising judgment: these are human capacities that sit at the core of what representative government requires.
This policy exists to encourage innovation to improve the capacity of our office. Our office embraces these tools and wants staff to use them with confidence. The guardrails established in this policy are to ensure that when AI contributes to the work, a human being has thought carefully about it, stands behind it, and remains accountable for it. The responsibility for what gets produced, sent, or signed rests with the person, not a tool they used.
3. Approved Tools
The following AI tools are authorized for use in this office:
__
__
__
The safe and secure use of authorized, off-the-shelf, commercially-available tools requires the use of a paid subscription account and all privacy settings enabled.
4. Prohibited Uses
GenAI tools MAY NOT be used for:
Replacing human judgment
For example, staff should not rely solely on AI to determine:
Policy positions or voting decisions
Constituent service case resolutions
Hiring or personnel decisions
Final editorial decisions on public-facing content
Processing personally identifiable information (PII)
Including but not limited to:
Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, or email addresses
Constituent case details or personal information
Financial information or account numbers
Health information or medical records
Immigration status or documentation details
Handling sensitive or confidential information
Including but not limited to:
Confidential committee materials or privileged legislative communications
Internal strategic discussions or sensitive political information
Staff personnel information
Private email or constituent correspondence
Creating misleading content
Such as:
Deepfakes or manipulated media
False statements attributed to the representative or other officials
Deceptive social media content
Fabricated quotes, statistics, or sources
5. Best Practices
Before using GenAI:
Verify the tool is approved by [the chamber’s IT office or leadership] (if such guidance exists).
Assess the sensitivity of information you plan to input and cross-reference the use case with the prohibited uses above.
During use:
Use general examples in place of otherwise sensitive information, such as active bill numbers tied to confidential strategy or sensitive political scenarios.
Iterate and refine prompts for better results. Specificity improves outputs.
After use:
Fact-check outputs. GenAI can produce inaccurate references, incorrect citations, and fabricated information.
Edit and personalize AI-generated content to reflect our office’s voice and Member’s perspective.
6. Accountability and Oversight
Individuals are responsible for the content they produce and use regardless of whether AI assisted during the creation process.
Staff must report suspected misuse of GenAI tools to [office leadership / chamber IT].
This policy will be reviewed and updated as institutional guidance evolves and as tools continue to develop.
7. Knowledge Sharing
Staff are encouraged to share GenAI use cases, prompt strategies, and lessons learned within the office. Because state legislative offices often operate with lean teams, building shared knowledge about what works is especially valuable.
8. Training and Support
All staff are strongly encouraged to pursue training on the responsible use of GenAI tools.
Resources include, but are not limited to:
Training materials from [chamber’s IT office or legislative services agency]
POPVOX Foundation’s AI resource guides, on-demand training, and templates at popvox.org/ai
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) guidance on legislative technology
9. Acknowledgment Agreement
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understood, and agree to comply with this Generative AI Use Policy.
Staff Member: _________________________________
Signature: _________________________________
Date: ______________
Appendix: Recommended Use Cases
While not exhaustive, the following are beneficial applications of institutionally approved GenAI tools for state legislative offices:
Research and Analysis
Background research on state and federal policy topics
Summarizing public agency reports, fiscal notes, or committee analyses
Tracking and comparing legislation across states on a given issue
Generating frameworks for constituent-facing policy explainers
Communications Support
Drafting initial versions of newsletters, press releases, or op-eds
Creating social media content ideas and drafts
Developing talking points and legislative testimony frameworks
Editing and improving clarity of written materials
Administrative Efficiency
Meeting and hearing agenda creation
Email template development for routine constituent inquiries
Scheduling and event planning assistance
Onboarding materials and office procedure documentation
Constituent Services
Developing FAQ responses on common state services (using public information only)
Creating resource guides for constituents navigating state agencies
Drafting template responses for frequently received correspondence
Identifying relevant state programs or benefits for general constituent categories
Legislative Work
Summarizing publicly available bill text or committee reports
Researching how other states have approached a particular policy issue
Drafting public-facing plain-language summaries of complex legislation
Preparing briefing materials from publicly available sources
This guide was developed by POPVOX Foundation to support state legislators and their staff in using AI tools responsibly and effectively. Questions or feedback? Contact us at info@popvox.org.
About POPVOX Foundation
POPVOX Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan nonprofit organization with a mission to help democratic institutions keep pace with a rapidly changing world. Through publications, events, prototypes, and technical assistance, the organization helps public servants and elected officials better serve their constituents and make better policy.
