Legislative Outreach
Working Effectively with Policymakers
Our purpose at Georgia Family Connection is to inform decision-making at the local, regional, state, and federal level. To do that we must understand how decisions are made and know who is making those decisions.
Find your legislator
All Georgians are represented at the state level by one senator and one representative. It’s important to know who represents you and how they vote on the issues.
The Georgia General Assembly website is another resource with details about Georgia legislators and legislation.
Develop a relationship with your legislator
Here are a few basic ideas to keep in mind as you establish relationships with your public officials.
Constituent power: Elected officials are most responsive to voters in their own legislative districts. As campaigns become more sophisticated, elected officials and candidates running for office have lists of registered voters. They know whether or not individuals vote. Register to vote.
Personal relationships: Public officials, like everyone else, respond more positively to people they know.
Background knowledge: You can increase your credibility with public officials by knowing their background and their positions on issues.
Tell your story: It can override party loyalty, ideology, and even constituent opinion. For example, a legislator who has a mother, sister, or daughter dealing with breast cancer can be a valuable ally when working on funding for breast cancer treatment and research. A legislator who has been a foster parent or adopted a child is likely to have an interest in child welfare issues. It helps to know as much as possible about your legislators. Always support your personal stories with current, reliable data.
Establish good relationships with your public officials
It’s easier to get to know your legislators before the session begins in January.
Family Connection collaboratives across Georgia are doing essential work to improve conditions for children and families. It is crucial that you make sure your legislators know about—and understand—your work, so they can better articulate why they support, and invest in, your local collaborative.
As you reach out to your legislators, remember to thank them for their support during the 2011 session.
Share your expertise
Most legislators have limited staff support. Exceptions include House and Senate leadership, the governor’s floor leaders, and committee chairs. The majority of legislators share a secretary, and only a handful hire aides to help them during the session.
Hundreds of bills are dropped each session. Most legislators want to introduce and pass legislation, and get or keep funding in the state budget, however they cannot be an expert on all issues. At times they will need help in finding issues on which to focus. They need success stories and reliable data. You can help by becoming their trusted source of information on specific issues in your realm of influence.
Go to the Legislative Outreach Checklist.
