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More legislation is introduced

There are 7,426 state legislators introducing legislation, in contrast to Congress’ 535 Members. Those state legislatures introduce 23 times the amount of bills that the U.S. Congress does, for a total of 128,145 state legislative bills per year. With more legislators introducing an even greater number of bills, there is a greater likelihood that legislators will take action on your issues.

Bills are enacted at a higher rate

It’s important to first note that legislation at the state level is more likely to be enacted than federal legislation. 19.3% of state Senate bills and 13.3% of state House bills are enacted on average compared with 3.6% and 1.9% of US Senate and House bills respectively. Therefore, if your organization advocates at the state level, there is a high likelihood that you will see policy enacted that reflects the issues you are advocating for.

Shorter legislative cycles and increased interactions with constituents

Most state legislatures are only in session from January to April, presenting a limited window for legislation to be introduced, deliberated, and voted on. Shorter legislative cycles encourage urgency, resulting in an expedited legislative process, unlike Congress. Most state legislators also represent fewer constituents than Members of Congress do, so they are oftentimes more connected and understanding of their constituents’ issue priorities, and more invested in ensuring the legislation is moving.

Smaller staffs

State legislators have limited professional staff, with the average state legislator having only one staffer, compared to 24 on the Hill. While this gives state offices a smaller capacity to read and evaluate legislation, it also gives their constituents and other legislative advocates more direct access to legislators. Speaking to lawmakers directly is incredibly valuable to your organization and your issue. It is essential to capitalize on this opportunity, as it can be quite challenging to schedule meetings directly with Members of Congress.

Shorter bills

The fast-paced nature of state legislatures and the lack of staff might be why the average enacted bill at the state level is shorter than a federal bill. On average, enacted state bills total 2,145 words, whereas at the federal level, enacted bills average 2,774 words. This makes it easier to manage what goes into the legislation and to compare any changes. Now that you know the statistics…You can utilize the following five best practices to successfully track state legislation.

Best Practices in State Legislative Tracking

  1. Purchase a state legislative tracking system. An online, automated platform makes tracking 7,426 state legislators and 128,145 state bills every year more efficient, leaving you with more time to influence outcomes.
  2. Decide whether your organization is going to be proactive and actively introduce legislation, or be reactive and monitor developments and engage when legislation is proposed. While not mutually exclusive, limited resources generally necessitate an organization making these strategic decisions ahead of time.
  3. Pay attention to social media including tweets, Facebook posts, and press releases as legislators often discuss their policy agendas first online before introducing legislation.
  4. Communicate with state legislators frequently through emails and in-person meetings to get policymakers familiar with you and your organization.
  5. Track those engagements with state legislators to create an organizational history and stay in touch with the policymakers most integral to your work.
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More legislation is introduced

There are 7,426 state legislators introducing legislation, in contrast to Congress’ 535 Members. Those state legislatures introduce 23 times the amount of bills that the U.S. Congress does, for a total of 128,145 state legislative bills per year. With more legislators introducing an even greater number of bills, there is a greater likelihood that legislators will take action on your issues.

Bills are enacted at a higher rate

It’s important to first note that legislation at the state level is more likely to be enacted than federal legislation. 19.3% of state Senate bills and 13.3% of state House bills are enacted on average compared with 3.6% and 1.9% of US Senate and House bills respectively. Therefore, if your organization advocates at the state level, there is a high likelihood that you will see policy enacted that reflects the issues you are advocating for.

Shorter legislative cycles and increased interactions with constituents

Most state legislatures are only in session from January to April, presenting a limited window for legislation to be introduced, deliberated, and voted on. Shorter legislative cycles encourage urgency, resulting in an expedited legislative process, unlike Congress. Most state legislators also represent fewer constituents than Members of Congress do, so they are oftentimes more connected and understanding of their constituents’ issue priorities, and more invested in ensuring the legislation is moving.

Smaller staffs

State legislators have limited professional staff, with the average state legislator having only one staffer, compared to 24 on the Hill. While this gives state offices a smaller capacity to read and evaluate legislation, it also gives their constituents and other legislative advocates more direct access to legislators. Speaking to lawmakers directly is incredibly valuable to your organization and your issue. It is essential to capitalize on this opportunity, as it can be quite challenging to schedule meetings directly with Members of Congress.

Shorter bills

The fast-paced nature of state legislatures and the lack of staff might be why the average enacted bill at the state level is shorter than a federal bill. On average, enacted state bills total 2,145 words, whereas at the federal level, enacted bills average 2,774 words. This makes it easier to manage what goes into the legislation and to compare any changes. Now that you know the statistics…You can utilize the following five best practices to successfully track state legislation.

Best Practices in State Legislative Tracking

  1. Purchase a state legislative tracking system. An online, automated platform makes tracking 7,426 state legislators and 128,145 state bills every year more efficient, leaving you with more time to influence outcomes.
  2. Decide whether your organization is going to be proactive and actively introduce legislation, or be reactive and monitor developments and engage when legislation is proposed. While not mutually exclusive, limited resources generally necessitate an organization making these strategic decisions ahead of time.
  3. Pay attention to social media including tweets, Facebook posts, and press releases as legislators often discuss their policy agendas first online before introducing legislation.
  4. Communicate with state legislators frequently through emails and in-person meetings to get policymakers familiar with you and your organization.
  5. Track those engagements with state legislators to create an organizational history and stay in touch with the policymakers most integral to your work.
[post_title] => Make State Bill Tracking a Centerpiece of Your Advocacy [post_excerpt] => State legislatures introduce 23 times more legislation than Congress. Learn why state advocacy is so important, and how state legislative tracking software like Quorum can help organizations enact more policy change at the state level. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => state-bill-tracking-2 [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-06-01 18:49:09 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-06-01 18:49:09 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://marketing-staging.quorum.us/resources/state-bill-tracking-2/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => resources [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 1 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1691 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2017-10-07 00:00:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-10-07 00:00:00 [post_content] => With slow-moving legislation in Congress, many organizations have taken advantage of the opportunity to enact policy change at the state level. Despite the challenges posed by both the amount of legislation and the number of legislators at the state level, statistics and data indicate that your organization should be doing state legislative tracking. We’ve laid out the benefits of advocacy at the state level, the advantages of state legislative work, and five best practices to help develop your organization's approach.

More legislation is introduced

There are 7,426 state legislators introducing legislation, in contrast to Congress’ 535 Members. Those state legislatures introduce 23 times the amount of bills that the U.S. Congress does, for a total of 128,145 state legislative bills per year. With more legislators introducing an even greater number of bills, there is a greater likelihood that legislators will take action on your issues.

Bills are enacted at a higher rate

It’s important to first note that legislation at the state level is more likely to be enacted than federal legislation. 19.3% of state Senate bills and 13.3% of state House bills are enacted on average compared with 3.6% and 1.9% of US Senate and House bills respectively. Therefore, if your organization advocates at the state level, there is a high likelihood that you will see policy enacted that reflects the issues you are advocating for.

Shorter legislative cycles and increased interactions with constituents

Most state legislatures are only in session from January to April, presenting a limited window for legislation to be introduced, deliberated, and voted on. Shorter legislative cycles encourage urgency, resulting in an expedited legislative process, unlike Congress. Most state legislators also represent fewer constituents than Members of Congress do, so they are oftentimes more connected and understanding of their constituents’ issue priorities, and more invested in ensuring the legislation is moving.

Smaller staffs

State legislators have limited professional staff, with the average state legislator having only one staffer, compared to 24 on the Hill. While this gives state offices a smaller capacity to read and evaluate legislation, it also gives their constituents and other legislative advocates more direct access to legislators. Speaking to lawmakers directly is incredibly valuable to your organization and your issue. It is essential to capitalize on this opportunity, as it can be quite challenging to schedule meetings directly with Members of Congress.

Shorter bills

The fast-paced nature of state legislatures and the lack of staff might be why the average enacted bill at the state level is shorter than a federal bill. On average, enacted state bills total 2,145 words, whereas at the federal level, enacted bills average 2,774 words. This makes it easier to manage what goes into the legislation and to compare any changes. Now that you know the statistics…You can utilize the following five best practices to successfully track state legislation.

Best Practices in State Legislative Tracking

  1. Purchase a state legislative tracking system. An online, automated platform makes tracking 7,426 state legislators and 128,145 state bills every year more efficient, leaving you with more time to influence outcomes.
  2. Decide whether your organization is going to be proactive and actively introduce legislation, or be reactive and monitor developments and engage when legislation is proposed. While not mutually exclusive, limited resources generally necessitate an organization making these strategic decisions ahead of time.
  3. Pay attention to social media including tweets, Facebook posts, and press releases as legislators often discuss their policy agendas first online before introducing legislation.
  4. Communicate with state legislators frequently through emails and in-person meetings to get policymakers familiar with you and your organization.
  5. Track those engagements with state legislators to create an organizational history and stay in touch with the policymakers most integral to your work.
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Blog

Make State Bill Tracking a Centerpiece of Your Advocacy

Make State Bill Tracking a Centerpiece of Your Advocacy

With slow-moving legislation in Congress, many organizations have taken advantage of the opportunity to enact policy change at the state level.

Despite the challenges posed by both the amount of legislation and the number of legislators at the state level, statistics and data indicate that your organization should be doing state legislative tracking.

We’ve laid out the benefits of advocacy at the state level, the advantages of state legislative work, and five best practices to help develop your organization’s approach.

More legislation is introduced

There are 7,426 state legislators introducing legislation, in contrast to Congress’ 535 Members. Those state legislatures introduce 23 times the amount of bills that the U.S. Congress does, for a total of 128,145 state legislative bills per year. With more legislators introducing an even greater number of bills, there is a greater likelihood that legislators will take action on your issues.

Bills are enacted at a higher rate

It’s important to first note that legislation at the state level is more likely to be enacted than federal legislation. 19.3% of state Senate bills and 13.3% of state House bills are enacted on average compared with 3.6% and 1.9% of US Senate and House bills respectively. Therefore, if your organization advocates at the state level, there is a high likelihood that you will see policy enacted that reflects the issues you are advocating for.

Shorter legislative cycles and increased interactions with constituents

Most state legislatures are only in session from January to April, presenting a limited window for legislation to be introduced, deliberated, and voted on. Shorter legislative cycles encourage urgency, resulting in an expedited legislative process, unlike Congress. Most state legislators also represent fewer constituents than Members of Congress do, so they are oftentimes more connected and understanding of their constituents’ issue priorities, and more invested in ensuring the legislation is moving.

Smaller staffs

State legislators have limited professional staff, with the average state legislator having only one staffer, compared to 24 on the Hill. While this gives state offices a smaller capacity to read and evaluate legislation, it also gives their constituents and other legislative advocates more direct access to legislators. Speaking to lawmakers directly is incredibly valuable to your organization and your issue. It is essential to capitalize on this opportunity, as it can be quite challenging to schedule meetings directly with Members of Congress.

Shorter bills

The fast-paced nature of state legislatures and the lack of staff might be why the average enacted bill at the state level is shorter than a federal bill. On average, enacted state bills total 2,145 words, whereas at the federal level, enacted bills average 2,774 words. This makes it easier to manage what goes into the legislation and to compare any changes.

Now that you know the statistics…You can utilize the following five best practices to successfully track state legislation.

Best Practices in State Legislative Tracking

  1. Purchase a state legislative tracking system. An online, automated platform makes tracking 7,426 state legislators and 128,145 state bills every year more efficient, leaving you with more time to influence outcomes.
  2. Decide whether your organization is going to be proactive and actively introduce legislation, or be reactive and monitor developments and engage when legislation is proposed. While not mutually exclusive, limited resources generally necessitate an organization making these strategic decisions ahead of time.
  3. Pay attention to social media including tweets, Facebook posts, and press releases as legislators often discuss their policy agendas first online before introducing legislation.
  4. Communicate with state legislators frequently through emails and in-person meetings to get policymakers familiar with you and your organization.
  5. Track those engagements with state legislators to create an organizational history and stay in touch with the policymakers most integral to your work.