Legislative Action Starts Here-and Now

by Sarajane Siegfriedt, Legislative Action Co-Chair

Now is the time to start thinking about the 2006 state legislative session. Legislative committees are holding meetings and activist groups are contacting their members and their legislators, prioritizing their shopping lists. What is your #1 issue, your "mission?" To avoid being overwhelmed, you'll need to narrow your scope.

Pick an Interest Group

A partial list of those groups who monitor human services action in Olympia in has been posted at the 46th Democrats' website: http://46dems.com/committees/advocacygroups.php. The Children's Alliance (www.childrensalliance.org) is one of the best. The Statewide Poverty Action Network ()www.povertyaction.org stakes out unique ground on behalf of poor people. WA State Coalition for the Homeless (Email sethdawson@att.net) is an especially effective alert list.

A list for the environment might start with WashPIRG (www.washpirg.org). Earth Share of Washington (www.esw.org) lists 12 citizen advocacy and watchdog organizations, including Puget Soundkeepers Alliance (www.pugetsoundkeeper.org) and Heart of America Northwest (www.heartofamericanorthwest.org). Some, like the Washington Environmental Council (www.wecprotects.org) provide Olympia monitoring services. Pick your issue(s) and contact and/or join an action-oriented e-list.

Research the Legislature

Become familiar with the legislative process. Lots of background information is available at the main website for the legislature: www.leg.wa.gov. Look up your 46th District legislators, read their biographies and what committees they sit on. You can be most influential with these legislators, in these committees, because the voices of constituents (YOU) always speak the loudest. Enter their addresses in your email address book. Call them for coffee, before Thanksgiving. Once the session starts you'll probably only get 15 minutes-in Olympia.

Then check out the committees that deal with your key issue. What meetings and work days are scheduled? What major pieces of legislation passed last year, in the first year of the biennial legislature, and what is still on their plate? What reports are available? You can email the committee staff or the responsible state office and ask these questions.

About 2,000 bills will be introduced in the next session, and fewer than 25% will become law. You can't track them all, so pick your interest area-for this year. An experienced lobbyist sending email alerts will tell you when a bill has been introduced, or "dropped," when committee hearings are being held and when your comments will be the most helpful, when votes are taken and when to thank the legislators who supported your bill.

Email has changed access

Email has completely changed advocacy and our access to our legislators. Most of the representatives use laptops to read their email on the floor between votes. You may receive a congratulatory update directly from the House floor! Computers are not allowed in the Senate, and Senators have more staff.

E-mail advocacy etiquette: Always include the bill number in the message line. Be succinct. Always be respectful, beginning with Dear Senator or Rep (or Governor). Include your complete street address, so a legislator can tell if you are a constituent, and can follow up by mail.

Use our online email tool to contact Olympia!

Go to Advocacy Day in Olympia

Most advocacy groups schedule an Advocacy Day (or more) in Olympia. The Children’s Alliance’s Have A Heart for Kinds Day is February 9, 2006. The Washington Low Income Housing Alliance’s Housing Advocacy Day is later in February. If you can, take the day to meet face to face and get familiar with how everything works. The day will include orientation to the process and the issues, handouts for you and leave-behinds for your legislators. You will gain a new appreciation for how hard they work and how much they are interested in your opinions as a constituent.

Check our list of Advocacy Groups for your top issues!