Legislative Committee: FAQ's

1. What is the purpose of Legislative Committee? The Legislative Committee reviews policy issues that deserve the attention of legislators and other officials, and develops a set of legislative priorities for the Chapter on an annual basis. Depending on the issues and opportunities at hand, members may provide testimony to legislative committees, help to draft proposed legislation, or monitor current bills and outcomes for the chapter.
2. How do I prepare to become a Legislative Committee Member?  Become familiar with the purpose and charge of the committee which you can view here. Also view the Legislative Initiatives Policy included in the electronic packet. You may request to be added to the committee ListServ as well in order to receive information about current committee information. Read more about listserv here.
3. What steps should I take to prepare for meetings? Check the Bill List updates and view the emails sent out by the Chapter Office the week before the committee meetings.
4. What is StateBillInfo? StateBillInfo (otherwise known as our Bill Lists) is a service that our contract lobby agency utilizes to help organize the bills and provide quick information and status of the bills we are interested in keeping track of. You will be given the link via email once you become a member of the committee.
5. How much of a time commitment is there for Legislative Committee? Legislative is one of the most time intensive committees during legislative session (Jan-May). There is a 1-hour meeting from noon-1pm on the 1st and 3rd weeks of every month beginning in January, and the committee usually begins holding meetings 1x/month in August or September each Fall through December. There can also be additional reading, email communications, and legislative hearings. View the current Legislative Committee schedule here.  
6. The time commitment seems kind of big, and I have a busy schedule.  Are there suggestions to make this work in my schedule?  The committee meets virtually via Zoom, so you can join by computer and/or phone for meetings, or communicate with the Legislative Committee Chair via phone or email to stay involved if you can't make it to the scheduled meetings; however, because the Legislative process can move very quickly at times, attendance at committee meetings is highly recommended.
7. I do not live or work close to Denver/the Capitol Building, can I still participate and how? The committee meets virtually via Zoom, so you can participate by computer and/or phone during the meetings. Visit the Chapter's Event Calendar to get the Zoom link and/or call-in number to join the meetings - the committee uses a recurring Zoom link for each meeting, so you may save it in your calendar and re-use it for each meeting.
8. I have certain professional interests that I am passionate about - can I encourage the committee to participate in bills related to these interests? You can bring up your interests with the committee. The committee determines which bills it will be focusing on by popular vote of the committee members during the committee meeting times. The contract Lobbyist will provide input with regard to strategy as well.
9. Does the NASW Legislative Committee endorse certain politicians? No, we have a separate committee that addresses candidate endorsements which is the PACE (Political Action for Candidate Elections) Committee. You can view the PACE Committee information here. You must sign in to view PACE Committee information because it is a members-only committee.
10. How does the Colorado NASW Legislative Committee interact with the National NASW Legislative Committee? There is no direct interaction. NASW Colorado works with the state laws and state Legislature and the National Office deals with federal laws and Congress.
11. Other members seem to know a lot about who the politicians are, how can I learn who they are and what they stand for? You can go to Colorado General Assembly website and look up a legislator by name or district number by clicking here. You can also google any legislator’s name and visit their website.
12. Who is the current Chair of the Legislative Committee? Click here to find out who is the current Chair