Civic Engagement: Effectively Advocate Your Needs

Civic Engagement
How to Effectively Advocate Your Needs

Who is Katie Misukanis?
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Government Relations Director, Rasmussen College
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Current Chair of the Minnesota Career College Association and Wisconsin Council for Independent Education
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Former President of the Junior League of St. Paul and Visitation Alumnae Association
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Working on Masters in Public Administration

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Importance of Building Relationships with Elected Officials
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Who is Who in Government
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How the Government Goes About Its work
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How to Find my Representatives
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How to Contact Them and Form Relationships
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Questions
Agenda

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Got a Question? Just Ask!

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Importance of these relationships is illustrated by two simple principles:
1. Make friends before you need them.
2. The world is run by those who show up.
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Be a credible source of information.
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Have input in the decision making.
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Have an ally when supporting or opposing legislation.
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Be part of a representative government by engaging purposeful conversation with elected officials.
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Gain confidence advocating in a group setting.
Building Relationships With Elected Officials

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There are local, state and federal elections. All take place based on terms.
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Elections take place on the second Tuesday in November.
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Elections are based on geographical boundaries.
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There are general thresholds and criteria set up for who can run for office.
Government 101

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City Council and Mayoral positions
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County Commissioners
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School Board positions
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Local Boards and Commissions
Local Government

Example of a state legislature:
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Minnesota Senate
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67 members – one from each
legislative district.
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Elected to four year terms.
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Minnesota House
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134 members – two from each legislative district.
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Elected to two year terms.
State Legislature

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There are 100 Senators – two for each state; all with six year terms.
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There are currently 435 Representatives – based on census data taken every 10 years, with two year terms. Districts can change in size and geography.
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There are three branches of government at the federal level; executive, legislative and judicial.
Federal Government

•The mayor and city council are generally broken into committees to address the needs of the community.
•The county operates much like the city with committees, but it has more focus on some of the human services piece.
•Each entity works off a budget that is made from the fees and taxes at a local level.
Local Cycles

•The states generally are on biennial sessions starting with a budget; one exception is North Dakota.
•Each of the two years in the biennium has a regular session that can vary in length.
•There is a temporary adjournment between the sessions.
•Bills which did not pass during the first session can be acted on in the consequent sessions.
•The state must balance the budget every two years.
State Legislative Session

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The Governor can call the Legislature into a special session at anytime.
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This power is limited to the Governor.
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Once in special session, the Governor has no power to limit the length or scope of the session.
State Special Sessions

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House and Senate both have standing committees chaired by a member of the ranking party.
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The U.S. Congress does not have to balance its budget.
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Each body must hear the same bill, pass it and then it goes on to the President to be signed.
Federal Government Cycle

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Individuals, public interest groups and agencies suggest laws to transform their needs into law.
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The group will find a sponsor and author for the bill.
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It will then have a hearing in front of the appropriate committee. It may take several paths through a variety of other committees.
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A conference committee will take up final bills, and if approved, will head to floor votes.
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If approved, the bill will head to the Governor or President.
How a Bill Becomes a Law

How Do I Find My Local Officials?
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Go to your town or cities’ website and look for “government.”
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Go to your counties’ website and look for “government.”
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Each website should have a map listing your councilmember’s contact information. Meeting times should also be posted.

Example 1: Minnesota
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Go to leg.state.mn.us/.
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Bottom, center of the page, you will see “Who Represents Me?”
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Enter your address in the box as shown in the example and click on search.
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You will get the contact information for your State Representative, State Senator, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator.
How Do I Find My Legislator?

Example 2: Florida
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Go to myflorida.com/.
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Middle, right you will see “Find My Legislator?”
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Enter your address in the box as shown in the example and click on search.
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You will get the contact information for your State Representative, State Senator, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator.
How Do I Find My Legislator?

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Go to leg.state.mn.us/.
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In the middle column, click on “Bill Search and Status”.
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The next screen gives you several choices for either Senate or House.
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You can search by bill number, author, topic or committee.
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Once you get to a specific bill, click on House or Senate.
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Go to Recorded House Roll Call floor votes.
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Any actual votes will be listed in the far right column.
How Do I Find My Legislator’s Voting Record?

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Letter
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Email
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Phone call
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Personal visit
How do I Contact my Legislator?

How to Effectively Communicate With Your Legislator
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Be brief but informative by stating your purpose in the first sentence.
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Identify any legislation by bill number or authors.
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Tell a story about how this issue affects real people.
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Try to include local data to support your position.
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Whether writing a letter or email, spell check and use other tools to make it a professional document.
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Understand phone calls are taken by staff members. Ask to speak with the staff member who handles your issue.
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Identify yourself as a constituent and explain as specifically as possible the message you want them to give to your legislator.
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Calls come in constantly, and they have limited time.
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Be prepared to testify if the opportunity arrives.

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State and Local Chambers
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Rotary Clubs
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Economic Development Committees
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Trade Associations
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Coalition Building
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Internal Government Relations Individuals
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Grassroots Efforts
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Contract Lobbyists
Unique Ways to Interact With Elected Officials

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Maintain Contact.
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Keep your legislators informed of your concerns on pending legislation.
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Offer to provide additional information on key issues.
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Continue to visit his or her local office when possible and leave a “standing” invitation to visit your organization or business.
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Track Committee Activity and Votes.
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Update any changes in committee assignments.
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Be ready to activate students, faculty and staff if need arises.
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Use additional websites such as minnesotavotes.org or those in your state to track legislation and voting records.
How to Establish a Positive Relationship With Your Legislature

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All of us, amateur or professional, have the ability to influence legislation and the decisions of the government.
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Thank you for using your voice!
We All Have a Voice

Civic Engagement: Effectively Advocate Your Needs

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