On Monday October 22nd, CSL conducted a training and education session for over thirty people ranging in age from the 20's to the 80's, covering the details of Citizen Advocacy at the Capitol. In this short session, we covered a range of topics:
- What CSL does and what an individual can do as a member of our non-partisan CSL.
- Educational/informational events
- Statewide connections
- Ad Hoc coalitions with other organizations
- Researching issues and legislative proposals
- Forming positions on proposed legislation (there is a process)
- How to register as a Citizen Lobbyist (it's easy, costs nothing, and has no reporting or other requirements - and you get a card).
- How our lawmakers can be best engaged and communicated with by citizens in issues of importance to individuals, and groups, such as CSL. How to be most effective in doing so.
- The path that a proposed piece of legislation takes to becoming law (How a Bill Becomes Law).
- What it means to testify in legislative committee hearings and how to do that (it's actually very simple; anyone can do it).
- Using the General Assembly website.
- And other areas of interest.
We will be having more of these sessions in the near future - watch for them.