SECTION 5
LEARN MORE AND DEEPEN YOUR STATE ADVOCACY KNOWLEDGE
What this section is for
Take a closer look at certain state advocacy topics by clicking on a subject below.
In Washington DC, Congress meets for a lot of the year. But in many state capital cities, legislative sessions are much shorter and state elected officials can get overloaded with things demanding their attention in this limited period of time. Knowing about the pace they must keep, at least during legislative sessions, can help you understand them better.
Which of the following do you think are important influences on state lawmakers, as to how they vote on and prioritize policy issues?
- Their life experiences
- What they believe a majority of their voters want
- Their political party and views
- Legislative leaders’ and governor’s requests of them
- Their family members’ and friends’ views
- Donors to their election campaigns
- “The facts” as they know them, including what lobbyists and others may tell share with them
- Personal stories from people they represent
- Their lawmaker colleagues’ requests of them
- Staff members who work for them
- Media coverage of issues and how they might look
The answer is that all of these things play a role in how they might approach their vote on a bill, what their budget and other priorities are, and how they may respond when you meet with them.
Which can be incredibly powerful and within your control? Creating a compelling experience for them through effective sharing of your personal story. The information and tools within this guide can help you do this.
Lawmakers get bill ideas from various places, and when they choose to file legislation it’s often to solve a challenge, enhance an opportunity, or otherwise make government better. Sometimes the idea or request comes from a constituent in their district, or a professional industry or other group to which they may belong. Other times they observe the challenge directly, or hear about a bill from another state that they think would be appropriate.
When they consider filing legislation, they may think about: what (if anything) will it cost state or other governments, or private parties such as those who pay insurance premiums. How will it impact people in their district, and others they care about? Who might support the bill, and who might oppose?
If they decide to move forward, often they will use the state’s legislation drafting body (sometimes called a legislative counsel, or other title) to take their concept for what needs to be done and figure out how to fit it into existing state law by adding, changing or deleting language. Or how to authorize and spend state funds on new initiatives.
As an advocate – especially after you get to know your legislator(s) from initial meetings with them – if you have an idea for legislation or budget items, the considerations noted above are things you should also consider. But you don’t have to learn to write a bill or find one from another state. It’s ok to just describe the idea, what challenge it would solve, etc. and leave the bill drafting to them if they accept.
We have provided a link to all state legislative websites within this guide (see Section 4). Each state site allows you to look at bills from the current and previous legislative sessions, by doing a word/phrase search or other method of investigating.
You might start by just using the word “autism” or the phrase “developmental disability” in bills of the current legislative session. Most states allow you to follow or “track” bills in which you are interested. It’s always a good idea to have some sense of what legislation is already filed in your state, as you consider what your interests might be and if you are going to request that something new be filed.
Sometimes state and local organizations focusing on disability or neurodiversity, and bodies such as state councils of developmental disabilities, share lists of legislative priorities or bills they may be advocating for or tracking. Searching the internet for this kind of information can also be potentially helpful.
When a bill is filed, it is usually assigned by the leadership of that legislative chamber to either a subject-relevant committee (such as health or education) or a rules/holding committee, where it can sit for some period of time depending upon legislative priorities, who the bill author is, and other factors.
Most state legislative websites allow you to follow or “track” bills of interest so that you will know if they are assigned to a committee, called up for a committee hearing where testimony may be given, passed or failed to pass committee, scheduled for debate on the house or senate floor, etc.
Many state and local government agencies, legislators, organizations and coalitions have newsletters for which you can sign up and/or social media accounts you can follow. We have linked some of these by state and encourage interested advocates to register for receiving this kind of periodic information, and/or follow relevant social media accounts.
Within newletters and email updates these groups and individuals send out, there are often in-person and virtual stakeholder opportunities shared, town hall meetings, and other ways of connecting with decisionmakers and other advocates. We encourage you to consider participating where possible, to learn and to share your experiences and thoughts.
The process of developing annual (or in some cases, biennial or two-year) budgets varies somewhat by state, but many common factors are in place across the nation.
There are multiple points in the process where budget items can be included or excluded, from pre-legislative session work by the governor’s office with administration leaders, to legislative appropriations/budget committees working with state agencies to receive their budget requests for the next year (which agencies are often then asked to “defend”), to those committees and even subcommittees holding hearings to take public input about priorities and programs.
Unlike the federal government which has deficit spending ability, states must have balanced budgets. The revenue available year-by-year and the demand for spending can be greatly affected by things like reductions in federal funding sent to states for implementation of programs like Medicaid, to fluctuations in state income and other tax revenues, to increased demand for services in emergencies and economic downturns.
Final state budgets are negotiated between the governor/administration and leaders of the legislative bodies. All members of a state legislature vote on budget bills, however outside of budget committee members and legislative leaders, their influence on specific budget items is often focused upon a few narrow priorities.
We encourage you to review public/educational documents about the specific budgeting process and timelines in your state, often found within the legislative website and governor’s office website, or shared by better-government and policy issue-focused groups, accessible by internet search.
On various occasions, state agencies will need to develop more detailed guidance to implement a new law, for example, or to establish, change or remove a program or service. To create transparency and opportunity for public input, they will publish draft rules or requests for information. These instances can provide a good opportunity to share lived experience or other thoughts to inform the agency staff.
Often, notice of such draft rules or requests for information will come through the newsletters/emails from relevant state agencies, so you will receive them if registered to receive these communications.
The comments or information you share is best received and utilized when it’s:
- no longer than necessary to communicate the most important information;
- provides personal examples/lived experience if possible; and
- takes a polite, nonpartisan tone that assumes good intentions on the part of the agency.
Directions are provided within the request for information or feedback, on how to submit your comments (usually by email or joining a virtual or in-person stakeholder session about the topic).
In many cases, you can either go in person to the meeting location in order to give testimony, or you can do it virtually/online.
Often there will be a set limit on how long each “witness” (person giving testimony) is given to speak at the hearing. It’s important to stay within that time allowance.
You should keep the information you share simple, clear, and personal whenever possible. Are you in support of the bill or opposed to it? How does the issue being discussed impact you or someone you care about?
Be sure to avoid anything too political or partisan when you speak.
If you get nervous or emotional, it’s ok. Just take some deep breaths and you can let them know how you are feeling, if you would like to. When you are ready to continue you can start again, or if you ever need to stop it is fine to do so and try again another time. Legislators hear from a lot of people and this sometimes happens.
A deeper dive into policy issue areas
Learn more about four key policy areas: health care and other services; education and transition to adulthood; lifespan issues; and protecting and enhancing safety.
Limited technical assistance
This guide is intended to provide tools for your individual advocacy on autism-related topics. We recognize that there may be the need for you to ask periodic technical assistance type questions, and we will do our very best to respond, within limited staff capacity. Please email any such questions to: advocacy@autismspeaks.org. We are unable to directly support efforts in all states at this time, and we may not be able to answer all questions in a quick manner.