ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW: The purpose of this assignment is to develop your awareness and knowledge of different methods for engaging in the legislative process in Michigan to help you develop skills in finding, analyzing, and advocating for or against proposed legislation. You will develop strategies for influencing legislation at one or more steps of the legislative process. This assignment requires you to familiarize yourself with your representatives in the Michigan state legislature and those who hold positions on legislative committees that can affect the outcome of legislation. You will also learn about how advocacy groups, coalitions, and social welfare organizations work to influence the legislative process.
After doing this assignment, you will be able to:
Identify your representatives in the state legislature.
Locate and analyze pending legislation.
Develop at least one strategy for influencing social policy through the legislative process.
Draw upon self-awareness to assess your comfort level with participation in legislative advocacy.
Describe the potential impact of your legislative advocacy effort.
This assignment will allow you to practice a variety of research and communication skills needed when carrying out legislative advocacy and teach you about groups and organizations that work to influence social policy.
ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS/TASKS
Identify your representatives in the Michigan House and Senate and provide their names, party affiliation, committee memberships, link to website, and contact information.
Familiarize yourself with how to find pending legislation
Bill identification: Identify a bill that has been introduced that is related to social work practice. This can be a bill that would affect clients at your field agency or something that interests you. The bill can be introduced in either the Senate or the House. Clearly identify the bill and provide a link to the bill.
Legislative analysis: Once you have settled upon a bill, address the following:
Purpose of the legislation: Summarize the purpose of the legislation using the text of the bill.
Background: What are the circumstances that led to the bill’s introduction? Who introduced it and why? Who supports it and why?
Is this something that you – in your role as a social worker – would support or oppose and why?
Legislative process: Describe – as of the due date of the assignment – where the bill is in the legislative process.
Influencing the legislative process: Based on where your chosen bill is in the legislative process, what steps should you take, based on your position on the bill, to advance or “kill” the bill. What resources and/or skills would you need? Who would be your partners in this effort?
Reflection: Describe how this assignment helped you develop your competence as a social worker.
