For more than two decades, the National Center for Interstate Compacts (NCIC) has helped states work together through interstate compacts—constitutionally authorized agreements that allow states to act collectively while preserving their authority.
As states confront shared challenges in areas such as workforce mobility, public safety, infrastructure, and emergency response, interstate compacts offer a proven, state-led alternative to one-size-fits-all federal action. They enable coordination, and collaboration without sacrificing state autonomy.
Established in 2004 by The Council of State Governments, NCIC provides the expertise, tools, and coordination states need to design, implement, and sustain effective interstate compacts. Today, NCIC supports states across the full lifecycle of a compact—from early concept and enactment to long-term administration and modernization.
NCIC serves as the nation’s central clearinghouse for interstate compact information, offering:
This shared foundation helps states make informed decisions and reduces duplication across jurisdictions.
NCIC works directly with states, compact commissions, and administrators to:
This assistance helps ensure compacts are both legally sound and operationally effective.
NCIC strengthens the compact community by:
By connecting states to one another, NCIC turns individual experience into shared knowledge.
At its core, NCIC promotes interstate compacts as a distinctly American solution—one that allows states to lead together while preserving their authority.
Through compacts, states can:
This approach reinforces federalism by strengthening state leadership, not replacing it.
In 2026, CSG launched a new project to support states achieve efficient software solutions through state collaboration. The CSG Intergovernmental Software Collaborative provides states with resources and technical assistance to form new and leverage existing state partnerships to develop and maintain software technology that meets collective public policy needs.
The project builds from the work of NCIC to create CompactConnect, a shared, open source data platform for occupational licensure compacts. The platform saves an estimated $1.1 million per compact compared to building separate systems
As interstate compacts became more central to state policymaking, the systems supporting them did not keep pace. States increasingly relied on compacts to address shared challenges, yet the legal guidance, technical expertise, and practical tools needed to manage them were often difficult to access.
To better understand those gaps, The Council of State Governments conducted a 50-state survey of interstate compact administrators. Across policy areas and regions, the message was consistent: states needed more coordinated support to manage, sustain, and evolve their compacts effectively.
Administrators cited challenges interpreting legal requirements, navigating enforcement and compliance, educating legislators and agency leaders, coordinating with peers in other states, and responding to federal actions that could affect compact authority.
The conclusion was clear. Interstate compacts were a vital tool for state-led problem solving, but the community responsible for administering them lacked a dedicated source of support.
