State Resolutions Toolkit
- Research and planning (see below)
- Build a coalition
- Use a petition as an organizing tool
- Write your resolution
- Build support for passage
Research and Planning
Find out when your legislature is in session
here View the calendar of your state legislature.
Plan your campaign timeline accord to the legislative session. Moving your resolution through the state legislature may also be subject to a number of other factors that you will need to overcome, or to which you must adapt:
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Burning state issues that grip the public focus so hard that there is little or no room for activists in your state to consider the USA PATRIOT Act.
- Could legislators be hoping for some breath of fresh air like your resolution to end the constant thud of budget, budget, budget?
- Can your issue dovetail with the burning issue in a way that draws from activists championing both issues?
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Assess the current level of grassroots involvement throughout the state.
- Can it be increased?
- How can grassroots involvement be increased?
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Determine the amount of bi-partisan support currently in the legislature, and throughout the state.
Can this support be increased? A friendly experienced legislator, seasoned legislative-beat reporter, or sympathetic lobbyist might be able to give you some insights into who are your best potential allies.
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Measure the current level of public education and awareness throughout the state about the Patriot Act.
- Would a few rousing public rallies or public forums in various communities begin to agitate people to support a resolution?
- Do you have reliable contacts and experienced speakers in those locations?
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Take the pulse of your coalition's connectedness with the communities in your state
- Can you call for a rally and expect hundreds to show up?
- Can you ask for testimony at a legislative hearing and expect hundreds to attend?
- Can you make a call for an immediate rush of letters to the editor throughout the state?
- Can you make a call for an immediate rush of opinion editorials to be published throughout the state?
You may want to consider these variables in your planning, and contour the plan to fit the resources you have available.
Click here for links to State Legislature Web Sites for Research.
Become familiar with your state's process for passing a resolution or memorial.
Each legislature has its own list of possible measures that can be passed. From bills which create law, to resolutions, which commemorate the dead. In most states, a memorial is better suited to the Bill of Rights Defense work. A memorial is a way for a state legislature to communicate a message to Congress, the President, or both.
Memorial -- The method by which the legislature addresses or petitions Congress and other governments or governmental agencies; method by which the legislature congratulates or honors groups or individuals.
If your state legislature attempts to pass a memorial in both houses, it is a joint memorial. If it is intended for the House or Senate only, it is a memorial. In some cases, you may decide to focus the memorial in only one house of the legislature. For instance, if you know you don't have the votes in the other body, you might choose to focus your efforts on one arm of the legislature.
Other Methods for Taking Statewide Action
A. Initiative -- provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment, or ordinance. It is a form of direct democracy.
Another option for converting statewide grassroots energy into a
statewide sentiment about the Patriot Act, is to put an initiative
or referendum on the ballot.
How the initiative process works
Eight states (Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada,
Ohio, Utah, Washington) have what is called the "indirect initiative
process," which refers a bill to the legislature after a number of
signatures are gathered.
Different states have different petition circulation periods. Some give you as long as a year to circulate a petition. Florida allows 4 years; Arizona, Illinois, Oregon and Nebraska allow 2 years. Others limit you to a few months. Find the estimated time for your state.
Grassroots groups can also put initiatives on the ballot in their communities. Ask your City Recorder for more information on how many petition signatures are needed etc.
B. Executive Order -- A regulation by the President of the United States or the chief executive of a state, which has the effect of law.
No grassroots effort has yet succeeded in convincing the governor of a state to pass an Executive Order opposing provisions of the Patriot Act and post 9/11 anti-terrorism measures, but the Bill of Rights Defense groups in Oregon began testing the waters for such a move in 2003. At least two meetings were held with Governors' aides, hoping to convince the Governor to take a stand against these post 9/11 incursions into our civil liberties.
There is no map for this territory. It is nearly unexplored. It also has less of a grassroots effort feel to it, because instead of a vote, it's a decision by one person - similar in some respects to the decisions made through Executive Order by President Bush, to which the Bill of Rights Defense effort is opposed.
See Fundamentals of Building a State Resolution.
