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? View the Capitol Watch updates and view the emails sent out by the Chair the week of the committee meetings.
4. What is Capitol Watch? Capitol Watch 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 1.5 hour meeting the 2^nd and 4^th weeks of every month beginning in 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?  You can join by phone or communicate with the Legislative Chair via phone or email to stay involved; 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 where the meetings occur, can I still participate and how? You can participate by phone during the meetings. Contact the Chair ahead of time to get the call-in number and password to join the meetings.
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 Committee. You can view the PACE Committee information here. You must sign in to view PACE Committee information.
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