NCRA members have seen a consistent increase in demand for their work since 2019 when the last dues adjustment was implemented after a majority of members voted yes.
So what has NCRA done to keep court reporters and captioners in demand?
First, NCRA continues to fight to keep court reporters as the primary record-keeping resource in many states. There is no end in sight for the current shortage of court reporters in states like California and Texas, both of which are currently considering options to resolve this shortage and that NCRA’s Government Relations department continues to monitor. Thanks to the effective advocacy efforts of NCRA in collaboration with various state associations and members, deregulation was stopped in its tracks in states like Tennessee and Indiana, saving thousands of jobs and protecting the integrity of the record.
In addition, the Association is recruiting people into the profession. In the last year alone, more than 670 participants earned a certificate from the NCRA® A to Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program – a significant milestone achieved in response to members urging a greater presence of the program by NCRA.
The Association continues to prioritize the issues most important to its members, ensuring the court reporting, professional captioning, and legal videography professions remain lucrative ones; recruiting the next generation of members; and remaining responsible stewards of the Association itself.
Members of NCRA continue to work in the “best-kept secret” of a career and are able to write their way to a larger paycheck thanks in part to the stature of our Association with its 125-year track record of consistent advocacy and professional development programs.
The “turn over every rock” for savings mentality of the Association’s executive leadership that was first introduced in 2019 remains at the forefront of every business decision NCRA makes.
Combating the overhead cost of holding NCRA’s annual Conference & Expo, the Association’s signature event, has become another opportunity to pull the curtain back and show members how the everyday rise in cost of living has far outpaced the previously enacted dues adjustment of 2019. No aspect of NCRA has been immune from being examined for savings to stave off a proposed dues adjustment in 2024, from coffee service in sessions at Conference down to the phone lines for staff, resulting in an annual savings of more than $410,000 per year.
NCRA has adhered to this savings mentality under the leadership of Executive Director Dave Wenhold, CAE, PLC, and Vice President of Finance and Human Resources John N. Dripps, CPA, CGMA, CAE, because it was not only the fiscally responsible thing to do, it was the ethical thing to do. Sensitive to the increasing financial burdens of our members as they have regained their positions following the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave and John pushed to delay another adjustment as long as possible. That time has passed, unfortunately, and now NCRA is depending on our members to act responsibly by voting yes on the dues adjustment proposal this August. Thanks to that ongoing effort for the last five years, a modest dues adjustment of $50 has been proposed by the NCRA Board of Directors, an investment in yourself and your career that will certainly offer many rewards.
Find more information on the 2025 dues adjustment proposal
Voting on the 2025 dues adjustment proposal will begin within two hours of the Annual Business Meeting taking place on Aug. 1 in conjunction with the 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo.
Learn more about the proposal.
