GUEST COLUMN.

We all know the famous quote from Gideon Tucker. “No man’s life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.” I would also add peace of mind to that list, but that’s just me.

I was a member of the Georgia state legislator from 2019 to 2023, and I know from personal experience that this is the time of year when elected officials are all stressed and looking around the corner to see what may be coming and how it will impact them both individually and in the work that they do. 

As legislation moves forward, leaders in state government are particularly concerned about legislation that is moving forward that will have a direct impact on your agency or department. Ideally you would have been part of the process to make sure the language is beneficial to you and will do what you intend. However, there are those situations where you may see something thrown into the hopper that will have a negative direct or indirect impact on your interest.

One of the questions I often get (and enjoy answering) is how to best educate and communicate a position with a legislator. Having been on both sides of this conversation as a former legislator and state employee I have a unique perspective.  In fact, I wish more people asked this question before they reached out to me or my office when I was in the Georgia House of Representatives, so I am happy to share what I consider tips for effective communication with a legislator.

Leaders in state government generally have reasonably easy access to their legislators, so I will not write about the myriad ways you can make that connection. Instead, I will concentrate on five ideas to keep in mind as you educate legislators about your interests and advocate for them to be taken into account:

1.     The most important thing to remember when you are communicating with your legislator is to be accurate with any information that you are sharing. Even though many people think legislators are all-knowing, that could not be farther from the truth. Most are in office because of a single issue or a single subject area that they are passionate about and wanted to change. Always approach them as if they are hearing your issue or concern for the first time.  Trust me, if they have heard it all before, they will push you to move on to the aspect of the topic they are most interested in hearing.

As you present your facts make sure they are just that… facts. Trust is a very powerful currency in the world or policy making so you want to make sure your information is accurate and from trusted sources. You only get one chance to provide false information before you are likely not to get access to that legislator again.

2.     Keep it local! If the issue for which you are advocating has a local impact to the legislator, please make sure to bring that up. Have the data handy of how many people in the district will be helped or hurt by a decision. How many jobs may be impacted or what the economic impact will be to the district? If the legislator has a clear picture of how it will help their direct constituents, it will likely get more of their attention and get you a better outcome.

3.     Also, if there is information you can share directly from influential voices in their district you will likely get some bonus points. It is true that all elections are local, and local influence will go a long way in your conversations.

4.     Don’t be discouraged if you are pushed to talk with staff and not able to have a direct audience with the principal. In most states being a legislator is a part-time job and the principal is likely to have a full-time job or just be very busy dealing with a mountain of legislation in a short few months. Personally, I think you are better off talking to a staffer than the legislator, because they have more time to research your issue and present it to the legislator in a way that you may not be able.

5.     Many readers may also have legislative liaison or staff who communicate directly with legislators. In those cases, staff-to-staff conversations are great. But agency/department leaders always want to also be accessible for this conversation and any follow-up that occurs.

It all boils down to three simple ideas: provide the most accurate information you have at the time; include as much local impact as you possibly can, and do not be discouraged if you do not get directly to the legislator.

There are no guarantees that your quest to influence legislation will be successful, but with luck the preceding will get you a good part of the way in that direction.

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