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Legislative Grassroots Call Action Process |
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Grass roots effort on legislative items. No effort to initiate or improve National Guard related legislation would succeed without strong grassroots support. Not every National Guard and WNGEA family will be able to drop everything and rush to the state capitol for a rally. Fewer still will be able to lobby legislators regularly. But everyone can be involved in National Guard politics at the grassroots level-without leaving home. Seem impossible? Let's take a look at how it works. No matter how savvy and conscientious the lobbyists are in the Statehouse, they will only be as effective as their ability to convince legislators that real people, their own constituents, want and will benefit from change. Long before the lawmaker casts a favorable vote, someone persuaded the legislator to do so. It is logical that National Guard and WNGEA families are most often the ones responsible for turning an unfavorable vote into a favorable one. If a majority of legislators favorable to National Guard issues meets and votes at the statehouse, families all across the state forged that majority in their living rooms, and at their kitchen tables, and on the phone lines, and in front of their computers. It may surprise you to discover that your legislators really want to know your opinion. For the most part, people seek office because they want to make a difference; to improve their local community, county, state or country. In order for them to make things better, they need to know what ordinary citizens want. In order for them to continue their careers, they need to get reelected. These needs provide two powerful reasons for them to listen to you. This does not mean that every legislator can be persuaded. Most, however, will be open for persuasion to your point of view, if the legislator receives enough communications from their constituents voicing a popular consensus. Remember our government was founded on the premise of “Of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Our legislators work for the people. That means they work for you and me. Once these CALL TO ACTION notices are put on the web site, email notices will be sent out to all those that are on our mailing list through the WNGEA Talk Discussion Board. If you want to be included in our mailing list, register to join the
The Value of Getting Co-Sponsors. At the National level, after a new bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee or two. At the beginning of a Congress, both the House and the Senate decide which committees get which types of bills. Since most bills only change existing law (rather than creating an entirely new law) Committee jurisdiction usually follows whether or not the Committee worked on the law in the past. Committees take up the new bill only when someone, either from the Committee or their party's leadership, wants them to. It's totally up to the Chairman. He or she sets the entire schedule. Getting the Chairman to agree to conduct a hearing and/or hold a markup, requires a tremendous amount of sucking up. Markups are Congressional cuts or additions. When the hearings are completed, the subcommittee meets to "mark up" the bill, that is, make changes and amendments prior to recommending the bill to the full committee. If a subcommittee votes not to report legislation to the full committee, the bill dies. Controlling the schedule is an immense power. If a Chairman doesn't want to deal with an issue, they can simply avoid ever holding a hearing or a markup. After the bill is introduced, members try to gather support for the bill from their fellow members and from organizations. A member shows his or her support for a bill by adding his or her name as a "co-sponsor." If one member wants to co-sponsor another member's bill, they just call the other person's office and tell their staff that they want their name added. It is the responsibility of the office that sponsors the bill to add their names by filling out a form, having their boss sign it, and submitting it to the Congressional Record. The more co-sponsors that the bill has mean the more support it has. Bills rarely secure half of the House or Senate (218 in the House or 51 in the Senate). In the current Congress, there are a few bills that have tremendous support but are not scheduled for consideration. Members try to get co-sponsors by talking on the floor before and after votes, as well as through Dear Colleagues. Dear Colleagues are mini-advertisements created by Congressional offices that are sent around everyday in the House and usually go directly to the staff who handles the particular issue for the Congress member. Dear Colleagues help get the word out on bills, but they can't do it all. Members of Congress will often work with organizations such as EANGUS to get the word out about their particular bill. They will ask organizations to notify their members about the pending bill and urge them to write their Congress members or Senators in support of a particular bill. This is called generating "grass-roots support," and the main idea is to get people talking about the bill. Sometimes Congress members or Senators will work with the organizations to stage a media event on the issue, often bringing in a person who will be affected by passage of the bill to put a human face on a particular issue. At the State level, in most cases, in Wisconsin, a legislator comes up with an idea for a bill, & has the Legislative Reference Bureau draft it. The draft is then circulated for legislators to sign on as co-sponsors. The bill is then introduced and given a number. the original sponsor of the bill will circulate the bill to get signatures of "Co-sponsors." Legislators can sign on as Co-sponsors depending on their depth of feeling for the bill, and feedback from their constituents. Co-sponsors can be from either or both political parties, and they can be from either branch of the legislature. It is not unheard of for some popular bills to have a majority of one or the other house sponsoring them. Now that you know how it works, what can you do? What is your job? Use this 10 step checklist to make sure you do your job right, and make sure your legislative representative does their job. 1. Keep an ear and eye tuned to all new legislation that is being introduced through new resolutions or changes in existing law legislation. Do searches on the national and state legislative web sites. 2. Determine if you are in favor or not in favor of the legislation. Contact your Association leaders if you are not sure how you want to influence your legislative representatives. 3. Look to see if your legislative representative is a co-sponsor of this bill. 4. If they are not a co-sponsor, write them and request that they become a co-sponsor or not. 5. Repeat step 3 and 4 above until they do become a co-sponsor or not. 6. Watch the bill to see where it is in the process. 7. If in a committee, and your legislative representative is a member of that committee, write them to encourage passage out of the committee or let it die. 8. If ready for a floor vote, write your legislative representative encouraging them to vote your way to pass or defeat the bill. 9. If your legislative representative voted your way at any of the steps of the process, send them a big thank you letter, and an explanation on how this bill will help you as passed, or not passed. 10. If the bill becomes law, or not, send another thank you letter. "Legislation is in your hands." Sample State Call to Action Format Here is what each CALL TO ACTION will consist of: 1. State Call Number: YR-NO (05-01) 2. Bill Number: AB000, SB000, Resolution Number, ETC. 3. Recommended Action: (letters, phone call, emails, etc.) 4. Window For Action: From- _______ To- _________ 5. Position of the WNGEA ( For or Against Issue) 6. Considerations: (What this issue will do if passed or not passed.) 7. Sample statements to use in your communication, besides your own. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State WNGEA Calls To Action The Call To Action is to notify each member that action is needed. Besides this notice, the information will be sent via email to all members registered on WNGEA Talks Discussion Board. A State Legislative Call To Action is generated by the WNGEA State Legislative Manager. Adding a new Call is triggered based on the submission of a WNGEA Resolution , a notice from another organization, a legislator, or individual that has submitted their own resolution that we as an organization need to support . The state legislative calls are monitored and managed by the WNGEA State Legislative Manager. Calls will be added and removed as needed. New calls will be added in the proper format to make it easier for everyone to respond with the proper suggested action for passing or the defeat of the legislation. Once a bill has been passed and signed by the governor, it will be reworded explaing how it benefits the members of the Wisconsin National Guard, and placed under Menu item Accomplishments. The most recent list of CALLS TO ACTION notices for high priority important issues that are before the state legislature for National Guard related issues are found at this web site: CURRENT STATE LEVEL CALLS TO ACTION Issues need to be addressed at each step in the legislature, so if you thought you already sent a letter or call for support, you may be asked to do it again at a different stage or status in the legislative process. The most urgent issues are listed from top to bottom. Writing Letters To Legislators. Sample Format For Addressing Your Legislative Letters and Emails. Your First Last name, or use your own letterhead. Date of Letter (For Federal Congressional members.)
(For State of Wisconsin Legislatures.)
Sincerely yours: Your full name --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The body of your letter or email to your Legislative Representative. General suggested rules:
Reference the bill number and title. Self Introduction. Upon discovery of a new bill and requesting to co-sponsor. Request for support of an issue. Upon the passage of the Bill from a house. A constituent of yours. To request a response:
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