Source: Health Resources and Services Administration. State legislatures vary from state to state, with differences in the number of legislative members and staff, time spent in session, legislative procedures, political makeup and so on. Despite these differences, however, the general legislative process is similar across states. This section summarizes the basics of the legislative process, including how bills become laws, and the people involved in the legislative process.
It is important to know how the process works to communicate effectively with its participants! The legislative process—in theory—follows a predictable, rational path that goes something like this:. In addition to an understanding of the legislative process, it is important for stakeholders to engage in the budget process.
The budget process may fund oral health and public health programs, and the budget can directly affect oral health policy. While these are the steps in every state except Nebraska, which has one chamber , the human factor is a significant part of the legislative process. Many professionals support and interact with legislators, and each has a specific role in the legislature.
States vary in how long legislators are in session, from nearly year-round legislatures like California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to sessions that last less than two months in Florida, Louisiana, Utah and Wyoming. Knowing when your state legislature is in session is critical. Every state has formal rules that affect the process, including requirements about how many bills a legislator can introduce in a session, the deadline for introducing bills, and the process for assigning bills to a committee.
Understanding the rules that govern the process in your state is important since they determine the timing and flow of bills through the legislative process, and shed light on pressure legislators may face to prioritize issues.
If you want to provide input on a specific bill before a specific committee the appropriate committee for oral health issues varies by topic and state , you need to know when committee hearings take place and the rules for presenting testimony. While the process may seem cumbersome, the rules were designed to protect against a rush to judgment and ensure that policies are reviewed by many people before going into effect.
For oral health professionals looking to communicate with legislators, do not underestimate the role of elections and political makeup within each state and across the nation. In , 5, of 7, state legislative seats nationwide were up for election. In the same election, just 12 states chose governors. About 1, of the elected legislators were new to the legislature after the elections. On average, 20 percent of legislators are new each election cycle, which can pose a challenge for them to learn about wide-ranging policy issues, budgets and the legislative process in short order.
See the political makeup of the country between and above. These maps can change overwhelmingly in just one election. Understanding this context can be critical to effective communication with state legislators. The day after an election, people in the state legislature face new colleagues, shifts in the balance of power and executive priorities. Strategies for communicating may need to change to fit new human or political realities. Furthermore, any work you did to educate legislative leaders, committee chairs or your own representative last year will need to be updated and repeated.
Those who want to contribute information to the legislative process should understand the constraints that affect how legislators respond to public policy issues or proposals. Although there are many constraints, the good news is that most legislators see themselves as students. Challenges include the following:. Identify the committees of jurisdiction and the legislators on these committees who have the greatest influence concerning oral health issues.
This may be the committee chair, interested committee members, or perhaps even your own representative. Contact key legislators, meet with them, and identify yourself as a knowledgeable and dependable resource. In some states, the best way to reach legislators may be by building a relationship with key people on their staff.
Follow up by contacting them periodically as a reminder that you are interested in being a resource. A good time to contact them, for example, might be on the heels of newly released data; you can help them interpret the data and discuss ways the legislature might address issues the data highlights. Another way to develop relationships with legislators is to engage in legislative oral health caucuses. Oral health caucuses allow stakeholders to access legislators with a professed interest in oral health.
Many meetings are open to the public and provide a venue to discuss oral health issues that are important in your state or community. The box above outlines key features of legislative oral health caucuses. Oral health caucuses may engage in a range of activities or discussions about improving oral health in your state. Identifying the champions, the issues, and modes of engagement and communication of the caucus are critical components in developing a relationship with state legislators.
Massachusetts started the first legislative oral health caucus in the nation in Over the years, the caucus worked with oral health stakeholders to prioritize certain oral health services. Legislative champions may choose to reach out to their constituents through local media outlets to explain why an issue is important to them. Oral health stakeholders might also choose to highlight the work of legislative champions for their own members or constituents. The bipartisan oral health caucus in the Missouri General Assembly was created in The Missouri Oral Health Coalition, which is made up of many stakeholders, helped initiate the caucus by reaching out to legislators.
The coalition raised state-level oral health concerns with the caucus, which spurred legislation and funding allocations for oral health. Getting information into the hands of legislators may be more about the relationships you have—with the media, state agencies, foundations and other stakeholders—than your direct relationship with a legislator.
Informing a network of individuals can efficiently and effectively raise awareness about a wide range of oral health issues. Furthermore, oral health issues cross many jurisdictions and interest areas, among them health, insurance, licensing, workforce development guidelines, Medicaid and public health.
The broader your coalition, the more support a lawmaker can expect among his or her colleagues. Timeline of Congress and the Capitol Prologue - - - - - - Present Epilogue. Breadcrumb U. Capitol Visitor Center About Congress. About Congress. What Congress Does Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government that makes the nation's laws. Two Bodies, One Branch The two houses of Congress have equal but unique roles in the federal government.
Must have been a citizen of the United States for 9 years. Congressional Leadership I. Selected by majority party. Usually most senior member of the Senate majority party.
Majority Whip. Policy Committee. Reviews legislative proposals and makes recommendations to senators of the majority party. Steering Committee. Minority Leader. Chairman of the Conference. Committee on Committees.
Assists the leader, rounds up votes, heads large group of deputy and assistant whips. Steering and Policy Committee.
Assists the leader, rounds up votes, heads large forum of deputy and assistant whips. The following is a brief summary: To levy and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises. To borrow money. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the states, and with Indian tribes. To establish rules for naturalization that is, becoming a citizen and bankruptcy.
To coin money, set its value, and punish counterfeiting.
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