Legislative Advocacy: Tracking the Legislative Session

Legislative Process

This is a basic introduction to the legislative process (i.e., bill making) and advocacy. You will learn how to contact your legislator(s), track a bill, and lobby an issue. Links to important websites and sample searches are included. To begin your instruction, check out the legislative district

Find your Senator or Representative

Do you remember civics?

The three branches of government operate on three different levels. Each branch of government performs different functions and publishes a variety of documents. See chart below for details.

Publications of the Three Branches of Government

Levels	Executive	Legislative	Judicial
Federal	President	Congress	Federal Courts
	Executive Orders Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Federal Register (FR)	US Code (USC) US Statutes Public Laws Bills & Resolutions	US Reports Federal Reporter
State	Governor	State Legislature	State Courts
	State Executive Orders Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Washington Register	Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Session Laws Bills & Resolutions	Washington State Court Opinions Other State Court Opinions
Local	Mayor & County Executive	City & County Councils	Municipal & County Courts
	City Executive Orders County Executive Orders Executive & Administrative Policies	Seattle City Charter, Municipal Code, Ordinances King County Charter, County Code, Ordinances	Seattle Municipal Court King County Courts

How does a bill become a law?

• Graphic version
• Text version

Glossary of legislative terms

Bill

A proposed law presented to the Legislature for consideration

Bill Report

Summary of background and effect of bills prepared by committee staff

Bill History

A record of the action taken on bills, resolutions and memorials

Journal

Official record of action of legislative session

Revised Code of Washington (RCW)

A codification of current statutes as enacted and amended

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)

Rules and regulations adopted by state agencies

Tracking Bills

Bill tracking is an important step in learning about the progress of a bill. There are several quick ways for tracing current legislation by: Bill number, Keyword, or Topic. For more details, check the Washington State Legislature Bill Information Page. Also, get email alerts by subscribing to legislative lists.

Advocating Issues

Advocacy means "to speak up, to plead the case of another, or to champion a cause." Legislative advocacy or lobbying specifically involves influencing public policy through the legislative process.

1. Advocacy Resources
   • Democracy Center's Training Handouts: Includes developing an advocacy strategy and lobbying basics
   • Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest Publications: Includes the Nonprofit Lobbying Guide
2. Advocacy Links
   • American League of Lobbyists: National organization dedicated to advancement of the lobbying profession
   • Center for Responsive Politics: Non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C.
   • League of Women Voters: Nation's premier citizen organization promoting active participation in government
   • Public Agenda: Nonpartisan, nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization based in NY
   • Washington Community Action Network: State's largest grassroots public interest citizen group