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Get Involved - Help Shape the Chapter's Agenda

By:Yorik Stevens-Wajda and Esther Larsen, Legislative Committee Co-Chairs

To guide Washington APA’s legislative advocacy efforts, the chapter develops and maintains an annual legislative agenda document that lists the chapter’s priorities for action in the upcoming state legislative session. The legislative agenda generally undergoes a full refresh prior to the start of each legislative biennium, which starts with a new long session (odd-numbered years), and a more limited update before each short legislative session (even-numbered years). The chapter may also occasionally take a lead role in running a bill, using its bill proposal process.

The chapter’s legislative committee takes the lead on developing the legislative agenda document with input from chapter membership and consideration of the policy direction set nationally through APA Policy Guides and APA Policy Principles. The chapter board of directors then considers the legislative agenda document for approval each year, and board or chapter president approval is also sought before the legislative committee engages in particularly important or contentious advocacy efforts.

It’s very important that the chapter’s legislative advocacy efforts represent the priorities of the chapter’s membership, and the only way that’s possible is through your input and involvement. The legislative committee is asking chapter members to engage via a short (three (3) questions) comment form. The comment form will be open until September 15, after which the legislative committee will gather the comments, develop a draft legislative agenda, and submit it to the board of directors for consideration at the board’s October meeting in Spokane.

2019 Legislative Agenda Comment Form

If you’re interested in doing more to help advocate for the tools to make great communities happen, email legislative committee co-chairs Esther Larsen or Yorik Stevens-Wajda, or even better… join the legislative committee!

Return to the July/August issue of The Washington Planner