Each legislature and each legislator's office within that body has a unique way of conducting business. Your policy initiative team will need to understand the established legislative procedures and requirements, become familiar with the key players, and align your strategies accordingly. In addition, it is important to look broadly at the context within which the policy will be enacted and consider how the proposed policy may affect and be affected by other existing policies and practices. After legislation is enacted, regulations often need to be developed to determine how it will be implemented. (See the Regulations approach for additional information.)
Important considerations for understanding and planning for the process include:
- Have you familiarized yourself with the process of the legislative body? Are there any particular process issues the team should be aware of (e.g., needing to introduce the legislation through a particular committee)?
- Are there any scheduling considerations with the legislative body (e.g., only accepts new legislation filings by a certain date)? What are the implications for your policy initiative team's activities and timelines? Do you have any internal timelines you are trying to meet?
- Are there any known advocates of your issue in the current legislative body? Is one of them a potential sponsor of the legislation?
- Are there likely obstacles or opponents to the intended legislation? If so, how can these be overcome?
- What connections do team members have with legislative offices? Have you developed relationships with the office of the executive official (e.g., the President, governor, mayor, chief) who will need to sign the legislation into law if passed by the legislature?
- Has this legislation been attempted previously? If yes, why was the last effort not successful and what can be done differently to make your initiative successful?
- Are there other policies or ongoing initiatives regarding this issue that you should link to or incorporate? For example, does the proposed legislation align with any existing multiparty agreements or statewide child welfare reform efforts?
Resources
California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
The Community Toolbox
University of Kansas, Work Group for Community Health and Development
Information about developing and maintaining ongoing relationships with legislators and their offices.
Laws and Policies
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Laws and Policies
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau
Laws and Policies That Promote Systems of Care
Child Welfare Information Gateway
National Conference of State Legislatures
Provides information about State and Federal legislation and resources on a variety of issue areas.
State and Local Government on the Net
THOMAS (Library of Congress)
Information about Federal legislation.
Virtual Reference Desk
United States Senate