The 2024 legislative session is well underway, completing three weeks in session as of this publication. Our League Lobby Team of Issue Chairs has been very busy reviewing bills, researching, preparing testimony, and writing the Legislative Action Newsletter. The 13 Issue Chairs are supported by 14 Advocates, who are League members with a passion about specific issues and who have the time and talent to help with research and writing. Additionally, Issue Chairs rely on support from the League’s contract lobbyist, Nancy Sapiro, and issue-specific coalitions for background and prioritizing which legislation is most important to support (or oppose).

Here's what goes on behind the scenes. Issue Chairs work in teams of related issues, including Making Democracy Work, Environment and Social and Economic Policy. They begin in the summer, during the legislative interim, recruiting new volunteers and meeting in a retreat to debrief the previous session and determine how to approach the upcoming one.

Early in the term of the new Board (some Board members are elected each year, most at Convention and some at Council), there is a discussion of how the Lobby Team is organized, as background for upcoming issues.  In early fall, each Issue Chair—both current and proposed new ones—submits an application to be appointed to that role. Issue Chairs are authorized to speak for the League and must be approved by the Board. Advocates, in contrast, do not speak for the League and do not need Board approval. They work with Issue Chairs according to interests and the needs of the Issue Chairs.

In later fall, the Lobby Team submits proposed legislative priorities and requests for coalition memberships for Board approval. Then the Team begins organizing the Action Workshop(s) for late November/early December and Democracy Lobby Week in conjunction with Fix Democracy First, typically in late January. (Note, the 2024 Lobby Week is having its celebration as this is published). These activities are organized to provide you—our members and interested readers—with background on the issues and opportunities to meet with your legislators during session.

The week ahead is critical for the legislature. January 31 is the cut-off of bills in the policy committees of the chamber of origin. In other words, if a bill is initiated by a Representative, then the relevant House policy committee must have passed it on to the next stage or the bill has died; and the same in the Senate. Our Lobby Team is working hard to help get priority bills passed by then. This means tracking progress, testifying in committees, meeting with legislators to discuss the bills, and coordinating with relevant coalitions.

The next phases are consideration of fiscal bills—those that generate revenue and those that appropriate, or spend the funds—and working on legislation going through the process in the opposite chamber. Throughout this process, both Chambers meet “on the floor” in session where they vote on what to pass for the other chamber to consider. By February 13, any bill that has not been passed by its chamber of origin dies.

The last day of session is March 7, only three weeks after the above cut-off. During that final period, the opposite chamber is considering bills passed by the first chamber and gets into final budget negotiations. Our Lobby Team works hard to continue to press for legislation and budgets we support, right up to the end.

This is a continuous learning experience for everyone. Even Issue Chairs who have been in that role for a decade or more learn something new each session. If you are interested in joining this team, starting as an Advocate and perhaps moving into an Issue Chair role, please know that we need your help! You will be provided with training and mentoring throughout. Those interested can contact Cynthia Stewart to learn how to get involved.