Help Shape the Chapter’s 2020 Legislative Agenda
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. The legislative committee is asking chapter members to engage via a short (4 questions) comment form. The comment form will be open until September 27 (this is an extension), 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 Tacoma.
Deadline is September 27
To guide Washington APA’s advocacy programs on state legislative policies, laws and budgets, 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 like the upcoming one. 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 – three new policy guides were adopted following the national conference in San Francisco this year, addressing Planning for Equity, Surface Transportation, and Housing. 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.
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!
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