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1. Track State Legislation and Regulations

Tracking state legislation and regulations is critical for public affairs teams to stay informed and ahead of potential changes that could impact their organization. By monitoring state legislation and regulations, public affairs teams can proactively engage with policymakers, build relationships, and advocate for their organization's interests. This can help ensure that the organization is well-positioned to respond to changes in policy, minimize risk, and seize opportunities as they arise. Monitoring state legislation can be difficult. According to a Quorum survey, 43% of public affairs teams track more than 10 issues. And, surprisingly, 38 percent don’t use professional legislative tracking software. This presents a clear opportunity to stay ahead of the competition by taking advantage of the latest technologies.. With Quorum's legislative tracking software, public affairs teams can monitor bills, regulations, and committee activity in real-time across all 50 states, making it easy to stay up-to-date on important issues and take action quickly.

2. Track Social Media for Problems and Opportunities to Engage

Staying up on the latest news means more than paying attention to local newspapers and media outlets. Over 50 percent of state legislators are on Twitter and 75 percent are on Facebook, meaning you need to pay attention to social media. Quorum offers dialogue tracking, which collects social media posts, press releases, floor statements, and more — providing a centralized hub for tracking conversations and legislation. [post_title] => 11 State Government Affairs Best Practices [post_excerpt] => Learn ten best practices to implement in your state legislative strategy including tracking social media, building relationships, and consulting policy experts. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => best-practices-state-government-affairs [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://marketing-staging.quorum.us/resources/three-best-practices-state-government-affairs/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => resources [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [queried_object_id] => 1576 [request] => SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_name = 'best-practices-state-government-affairs' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'resources' ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC [posts] => Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1576 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2018-04-19 00:00:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-19 00:00:00 [post_content] => Public affairs teams are paying closer attention to state legislatures. In fact, 83 percent think that state-level advocacy will become more critical in the year ahead according to our recent survey. It’s no wonder why. States have significant power in shaping policies and regulations that directly affect organizations operating within their borders. Additionally, state governments are often more accessible and responsive than the federal government. Finally, state-level policy often serves as a testing ground for new ideas and initiatives that may eventually be considered in other states or at the federal level. “Pretty often, we’ll see a bill one year in a state and then the following year, the state adjacent to it has picked up the same,” says Craig Sepich, Assistant Director of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In this post, we'll discuss 11 best practices for engaging in state government affairs, including how to build relationships with key stakeholders and navigate the often-complex legislative process. So whether you're a business owner, lobbyist, or advocacy group, read on to learn more about how to effectively engage in state government affairs and make an impact on policy decisions.

1. Track State Legislation and Regulations

Tracking state legislation and regulations is critical for public affairs teams to stay informed and ahead of potential changes that could impact their organization. By monitoring state legislation and regulations, public affairs teams can proactively engage with policymakers, build relationships, and advocate for their organization's interests. This can help ensure that the organization is well-positioned to respond to changes in policy, minimize risk, and seize opportunities as they arise. Monitoring state legislation can be difficult. According to a Quorum survey, 43% of public affairs teams track more than 10 issues. And, surprisingly, 38 percent don’t use professional legislative tracking software. This presents a clear opportunity to stay ahead of the competition by taking advantage of the latest technologies.. With Quorum's legislative tracking software, public affairs teams can monitor bills, regulations, and committee activity in real-time across all 50 states, making it easy to stay up-to-date on important issues and take action quickly.

2. Track Social Media for Problems and Opportunities to Engage

Staying up on the latest news means more than paying attention to local newspapers and media outlets. Over 50 percent of state legislators are on Twitter and 75 percent are on Facebook, meaning you need to pay attention to social media. Quorum offers dialogue tracking, which collects social media posts, press releases, floor statements, and more — providing a centralized hub for tracking conversations and legislation. [post_title] => 11 State Government Affairs Best Practices [post_excerpt] => Learn ten best practices to implement in your state legislative strategy including tracking social media, building relationships, and consulting policy experts. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => best-practices-state-government-affairs [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://marketing-staging.quorum.us/resources/three-best-practices-state-government-affairs/ [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] => 1576 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2018-04-19 00:00:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-04-19 00:00:00 [post_content] => Public affairs teams are paying closer attention to state legislatures. In fact, 83 percent think that state-level advocacy will become more critical in the year ahead according to our recent survey. It’s no wonder why. States have significant power in shaping policies and regulations that directly affect organizations operating within their borders. Additionally, state governments are often more accessible and responsive than the federal government. Finally, state-level policy often serves as a testing ground for new ideas and initiatives that may eventually be considered in other states or at the federal level. “Pretty often, we’ll see a bill one year in a state and then the following year, the state adjacent to it has picked up the same,” says Craig Sepich, Assistant Director of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In this post, we'll discuss 11 best practices for engaging in state government affairs, including how to build relationships with key stakeholders and navigate the often-complex legislative process. So whether you're a business owner, lobbyist, or advocacy group, read on to learn more about how to effectively engage in state government affairs and make an impact on policy decisions.

1. Track State Legislation and Regulations

Tracking state legislation and regulations is critical for public affairs teams to stay informed and ahead of potential changes that could impact their organization. By monitoring state legislation and regulations, public affairs teams can proactively engage with policymakers, build relationships, and advocate for their organization's interests. This can help ensure that the organization is well-positioned to respond to changes in policy, minimize risk, and seize opportunities as they arise. Monitoring state legislation can be difficult. According to a Quorum survey, 43% of public affairs teams track more than 10 issues. And, surprisingly, 38 percent don’t use professional legislative tracking software. This presents a clear opportunity to stay ahead of the competition by taking advantage of the latest technologies.. With Quorum's legislative tracking software, public affairs teams can monitor bills, regulations, and committee activity in real-time across all 50 states, making it easy to stay up-to-date on important issues and take action quickly.

2. Track Social Media for Problems and Opportunities to Engage

Staying up on the latest news means more than paying attention to local newspapers and media outlets. Over 50 percent of state legislators are on Twitter and 75 percent are on Facebook, meaning you need to pay attention to social media. Quorum offers dialogue tracking, which collects social media posts, press releases, floor statements, and more — providing a centralized hub for tracking conversations and legislation. [post_title] => 11 State Government Affairs Best Practices [post_excerpt] => Learn ten best practices to implement in your state legislative strategy including tracking social media, building relationships, and consulting policy experts. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => best-practices-state-government-affairs [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-12-14 20:10:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://marketing-staging.quorum.us/resources/three-best-practices-state-government-affairs/ [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => resources [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 1 [max_num_pages] => 0 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => 1 [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => [is_privacy_policy] => [is_404] => [is_embed] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => 1 [is_robots] => [is_favicon] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 6cb4c908c1158d7dad03225b4bc0a78a [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [allow_query_attachment_by_filename:protected] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => [compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => query_vars_hash [1] => query_vars_changed ) [compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => init_query_flags [1] => parse_tax_query ) )
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11 State Government Affairs Best Practices

11 State Government Affairs Best Practices

Public affairs teams are paying closer attention to state legislatures. In fact, 83 percent think that state-level advocacy will become more critical in the year ahead according to our recent survey.

It’s no wonder why.

States have significant power in shaping policies and regulations that directly affect organizations operating within their borders. Additionally, state governments are often more accessible and responsive than the federal government.

Finally, state-level policy often serves as a testing ground for new ideas and initiatives that may eventually be considered in other states or at the federal level. “Pretty often, we’ll see a bill one year in a state and then the following year, the state adjacent to it has picked up the same,” says Craig Sepich, Assistant Director of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

In this post, we’ll discuss 11 best practices for engaging in state government affairs, including how to build relationships with key stakeholders and navigate the often-complex legislative process. So whether you’re a business owner, lobbyist, or advocacy group, read on to learn more about how to effectively engage in state government affairs and make an impact on policy decisions.

1. Track State Legislation and Regulations

Tracking state legislation and regulations is critical for public affairs teams to stay informed and ahead of potential changes that could impact their organization. By monitoring state legislation and regulations, public affairs teams can proactively engage with policymakers, build relationships, and advocate for their organization’s interests. This can help ensure that the organization is well-positioned to respond to changes in policy, minimize risk, and seize opportunities as they arise.

Monitoring state legislation can be difficult. According to a Quorum survey, 43% of public affairs teams track more than 10 issues. And, surprisingly, 38 percent don’t use professional legislative tracking software. This presents a clear opportunity to stay ahead of the competition by taking advantage of the latest technologies..

With Quorum’s legislative tracking software, public affairs teams can monitor bills, regulations, and committee activity in real-time across all 50 states, making it easy to stay up-to-date on important issues and take action quickly.

2. Track Social Media for Problems and Opportunities to Engage

Staying up on the latest news means more than paying attention to local newspapers and media outlets. Over 50 percent of state legislators are on Twitter and 75 percent are on Facebook, meaning you need to pay attention to social media.

Quorum offers dialogue tracking, which collects social media posts, press releases, floor statements, and more — providing a centralized hub for tracking conversations and legislation.

How to Engage Members of Congress on Social Media

Read Now

3. Be on the Ground in a State

Shoe leather lobbying should be a necessary part of any strategic plan. Being on the ground may involve hiring a contract lobbyist or placing team members in priority state capitals. If something suddenly comes up that impacts an issue you care about, you respond promptly.

According to Pierce Haley, a partner at Serlin Haley, “former staffers make the best lobbyists. They know how the actual process works.”

Haley explained his thinking during a session at Wonk Week 2022. “They’re not just calling their friends in the legislature,” he said. “That’s not to discount former elected officials … but as a former staffer, I think that they know how the system works. They’ve done the work, they know what it takes.”

Additionally, when you are on the ground, it’s easier to build relationships with stakeholders and staffers who can keep you informed as progress happens on your issues, something that’s not always possible with online tools.

4. Use National Networks to Build Relationships

Speaking of relationships, one way to build your network is to interact with organizations like the National Governors Association, the Council of State Governments, the National Speakers Association, or the State Legislative Leaders Foundation. These groups make meeting people involved with legislative affairs and local advocacy easier.

You may also want to consider partnerships with larger nonprofits and trade associations with local chapters or affiliates in your area. Your voice will be louder when backed by a coalition of like-minded organizations and individuals.

5. Organize Teams by Region

Region-based teams save time and money. If you have region-based teams, you can get someone to any state within a few hours, whereas if you’re only in one area, your options are limited. Working in regions also limits the need to hire as many contract lobbyists.

Western Governors University used this approach to scale its advocacy outreach to all 50 states. Learn how the higher education institution used a regional system to move towards its goals with limited resources.

6. Consult Policy Experts

A best practice to stay on top of the specifics of legislation is to have a point person tracking legislation and measuring the implications. This person can then provide summaries or briefings to the government affairs team on the ground.

If your team is large enough, this can involve issue area specialists who can quickly comprehend complex legislation and communicate impacts to your organization.

7. Build Key Relationships

With thousands of state legislators and other government officials across the country, it’s impossible to build relationships with each one. Instead, look to engage the legislators who sit on relevant committees and are the most vocal on the issues that matter to you.

8. Seem Bigger Than You Are

Your team may be small, but you can reach each of the 7,400 state legislators with the proper tools. With tools like Quorum’s Outbox, you can send emails to each state legislator that appears as a personalized message in their inbox. Use advertising on social media to show that you are vocal in their state. Attend local events or sponsor a dinner to keep your organization in the front of their minds.

9. Attend Fundraisers

Use corporate and political action committee funding when appropriate to donate to legislators. Donations can get you a seat at the table (figuratively and literally) to discuss your issues. It’s important to be aware of the rules in each respective state, as they differ in what is allowed.

10. Go Federal, Go Local

Positions in government are constantly changing, with elected officials, staffers, and lobbyists regularly transitioning to new positions. The mayor may become the governor, or the state legislator may become the next Senator. When the opportunity arises, get to know officials at different levels of local government who may eventually make their way to other offices or even Washington, DC.

11. Survey Your Network

Stakeholders or advocates in your network likely have relationships with legislators in different states. By surveying stakeholders for their existing relationships, you can build ambassadors of your organization who can help fill in the gaps in areas where you aren’t on the ground.

State government affairs can seem overwhelming at first. By taking things step-by-step and having the right tools in place, organizations can expand their impact. If your state efforts are falling behind, schedule a demo with Quorum to learn how we can help you act fast.

Request a demo from Quorum

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