Today I was working hard at the Capitol to get legislation I support started.
There are a couple of different ways that bills can be brought up in the legislature, which are useful for different types of legislation.
First, there is legislation that individual legislators or groups of legislators may introduce. In the odd-numbered years (like last year, 2007), these bills can be about any topic. In even numbered years (like this year, 2008), only certain budgetary bills can be introduced by individual legislators.
Second, there are bills that are introduced by a vote of a legislative committee. These can be about any topic, no matter whether it is and even or odd-numbered year.
I have introduced a few individual-legislator bills this year, and I am working to get committees to vote to introduce a number of other ones. When these bills actually come out with their bills numbers, I will describe them and why they are good ideas.
Now, already, three of the four legislative committees of which I am a member have met to "raise" bills. On opening day, Wednesday, the Public Health Committee met. Today, the Judiciary and Education committees met. Each voted to introduce a number of bills.
However, aside from the titles of these bills, there are few details worked out. The chairpersons of the committees will work with attorneys assigned to each committee to write the proposed legislation out in full, legal form. After that, the legislation is brought before the full committee for a public hearing, when the public can comment on it, and it can be amended and voted up or down by the full committee.
Another item to keep in mind is that when individual-legislator bills first come out officially, they are called "proposed bills". They are not written in official legal text, just a quick paragraph describing the intent of the legislation. Proposed bills are referred to legislative committees, and only continue through the legislative process if the committees they are referred to vote to "raise" them. Like bills introduced by the committee, itself, causes the legislative attorneys actually write them into legal form and for the bill to be presented at a public hearing and possibly considered by the committee for approval.
I hope this description of the some of early stages of the legislative process in informative.
There are a couple of different ways that bills can be brought up in the legislature, which are useful for different types of legislation.
First, there is legislation that individual legislators or groups of legislators may introduce. In the odd-numbered years (like last year, 2007), these bills can be about any topic. In even numbered years (like this year, 2008), only certain budgetary bills can be introduced by individual legislators.
Second, there are bills that are introduced by a vote of a legislative committee. These can be about any topic, no matter whether it is and even or odd-numbered year.
I have introduced a few individual-legislator bills this year, and I am working to get committees to vote to introduce a number of other ones. When these bills actually come out with their bills numbers, I will describe them and why they are good ideas.
Now, already, three of the four legislative committees of which I am a member have met to "raise" bills. On opening day, Wednesday, the Public Health Committee met. Today, the Judiciary and Education committees met. Each voted to introduce a number of bills.
However, aside from the titles of these bills, there are few details worked out. The chairpersons of the committees will work with attorneys assigned to each committee to write the proposed legislation out in full, legal form. After that, the legislation is brought before the full committee for a public hearing, when the public can comment on it, and it can be amended and voted up or down by the full committee.
Another item to keep in mind is that when individual-legislator bills first come out officially, they are called "proposed bills". They are not written in official legal text, just a quick paragraph describing the intent of the legislation. Proposed bills are referred to legislative committees, and only continue through the legislative process if the committees they are referred to vote to "raise" them. Like bills introduced by the committee, itself, causes the legislative attorneys actually write them into legal form and for the bill to be presented at a public hearing and possibly considered by the committee for approval.
I hope this description of the some of early stages of the legislative process in informative.
