By Colin Brehm
The debate over artificial intelligence in the courts carries consequences for everyone who depends on an accurate record. Litigants need confidence that their words are captured correctly, sensitive information is protected, and someone is accountable for the result. Professional captioners provide another essential service: ensuring people can access the information and conversations that affect their lives.
Those responsibilities will bring NCRA members together for the 2027 NCRA Leadership & Legislative Boot Camp. After breaking attendance records in recent years, we are moving the annual event to the Grand Hyatt Washington, a larger venue closer to Capitol Hill. The move reflects members’ growing enthusiasm for taking an active role in the decisions shaping their professions.
That participation has already put our priorities before congressional offices across the country. Attendees conducted more than 100 congressional meetings in 2025 and 110 meetings in 2026. Behind those numbers were members who practiced explaining their work, responding to difficult questions, and asking lawmakers for specific action. In 2027, participants can expect leadership development, practical advocacy exercises, and opportunities to put their preparation to work with elected officials and congressional staff.
The 2027 NCRA Leadership & Legislative
Boot Camp will bring members to Washington, D.C., March 14-16 to strengthen leadership skills and advance the profession’s priorities on Capitol Hill.
Beginning in November 2026, NCRA will implement a new federal lobbying strategy that gives this engagement a sustained direction. We look forward to collaborating with members, their representatives and senators, and their respective staff to recruit new legislative champions across party lines. A productive Capitol Hill visit should become the beginning of a relationship that members and NCRA continue to develop throughout the year.
Our priorities include providing context on the pitfalls of AI in judicial proceedings, support for court reporting school programs, and protection of judicial integrity. Equal access through professional captioning, including the proposed CART Act, will also remain central to our work, alongside other priorities affecting members and the communities they serve.
A revitalized NCRA PAC will support that strategy by seeking federal candidates who understand and champion our professions. NCRA PAC achieved its third consecutive fundraising record in 2026, with member contributions increasing 34.5 percent over 2025. Members’ contributions give us greater capacity to support those champions and cultivate new relationships while introducing a new PAC presence.
We also plan to connect NCRA’s annual Legislative & Leadership event with the lessons members will learn at the inaugural State Leadership Summit in Kansas City. Strategic planning, effective governance, communication, and membership engagement all help associations sustain their advocacy. Attendees will then be able to carry those lessons into legislative outreach, helping members organize colleagues, communicate clear priorities, and follow through when they return home.
Students currently enrolled in NCRA approved programs must be included in this work. For those interested in helping sponsor a student’s Boot Camp registration, consider a tax-deductible contribution to the NCRF Linda Breech Memorial Advocacy Scholarship, which provides full registration for an eligible student. Inaugural recipient Anna Sohn, from the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, described her experience in a 2026 JCR interview. Supporting the scholarship helps another future professional gain the skills and confidence to advocate for the people and professions that depend on their work.
Registration is already open; check our website at NCRA.org/BootCamp.
Colin Brehm is State Government Relations Manager for the National CourtReporters Association, PAC administrator for the NCRA PAC, and a 2025 National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics Top Lobbyist. He can be reached at cbrehm@ncra.org.
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