Navigating Through the

Legislative Process

On average there are 2,000 bills filed by the House and
Senate every year.

Your resources and time are limited.
Pick your battles-no more than 4-8 issues that we can
mobilize the most people.

Two types of battles
Offense (Passing good legislation)
Defense (Stopping bad legislation)
To Be Effective
Pick Your Battles

We need to be on the offense more, filing and working
good legislation to restore our liberty and freedom.

Stopping Common Core
Protecting Private Property Rights
Stopping the Federal Governments Unconstitutional mandates
Protecting our Gun rights
Banning Red Light Cameras and other right to privacy and due
process rights.
2014 Possible
Legislative Priorities

If you have a friendly legislator, they can
file a bill for you in bill drafting, even if
they may not sponsor. All you need is an
idea of legislation and bill drafting will
turn it into a bill. You then can shop the
bill for sponsors.
Did you know that we can file
bills?

House members are limited to six bills, not including
Memorials.

Memorial bills are non-binding resolutions sent to
Congress and the President.

Warning! Legislators will try to appease us by filing a
Memorial Bill.

Senators can file unlimited amount of bills.
Important Information

When trying to get a bill filed, secure
House sponsor first.

COMPANION BILL. A companion Senate
bill must be substantially similar in
wording, and identical as to specific intent
and purpose.

Initial Steps

Qualities of a good bill Sponsor:
Absolutely committed
Tough and focused on your issue
Knows procedure- Not Freshman
Good spokesman
Good staff
Bill Sponsor

RULE: Good sponsor does not guarantee
victory, but a bad sponsor guarantees defeat
RULE: It is better to not get a bill filed with a
bad sponsor, than is too just get it filed for the
sake of getting filed.
WARNING: Some legislators will sponsor a
bill for grandstanding with no intention of
fighting for the bill.

Bill Sponsor

Provide talking points for bill SPONSOR

Ask bill sponsor for their direction on strategy

Make sure they are pushing your bill-committee
schedule

Getting co-sponsors is nice, but not that
important.
Working with your Bill
Sponsor

Bill Sponsors have many other duties during the session, they serve on
several committees, have to review hundreds of other bills, they
have other bills they have sponsored. It can become difficult for the
bill sponsor to do what is necessary to keep our bill moving.

We have to assist the bill sponsor

Find Co-sponsors
Meet with Committee Staff
Promote bill to Leadership
Promote bill to Committee members
Daily management of bills during session and committee weeks
Assisting the Bill Sponsor

Knowing the political landscape is crucial. Knowing
who and when to communicate with will get results.
Knowing which elected or appointed official to
contact for specific issues.
Knowing people and personalities, party leaders,
committee chairpersons and their staff.
Know all the possible impediments, such as other
lobbying organizations opposing our bill,
objections by committee staff, leadership.
Know the Political
Landscape

Lobbying isnt just about contacting elected or non-elected
officials. It is about contacting the right people. Also,
knowing the right time to call about a bill is crucial.

IMPORTANT RULE During Session
If people call about a bill when it is not
scheduled for a vote is a
WASTE of your valuable time.
Timing is Everything!!!!!

Know the players (They can kill our bill):

Leadership, Speaker, President, Majority
Leader, Majority Whip, Committee
Chairs, Committee members, Legislative
staff, Committee Staff, Lobbyist/ Trade
org., Opposition
Know the Players

Each bill is referred to 2-4 committee stops
Chairs decide when and if a bill will be heard in committee
Chair decides bill schedule with influence of leadership
Chair can bury the bill to kill
RULE: Target and Utilize your activism to one committee at a
time
IMPORTANT: Get bill passed through at
least one committee-keeps it alive.
Bypassing committee references- chairs have to sign off.
Committee Process

We have to get our bill moving
That means putting pressure on the Committee
Chair, as well as leadership.
If leadership does not want a bill moved-
IT WILL NOT MOVE!
Although it takes the Leadership and the Committee Chair to
move a bill, it helps to gain support of other committee
members, they in effect can help you lobby Committee Chair
and leadership.

Time is of the essence

Many bills stall because committee
staff have a problem with some
part of the bill or language. Many
times this can be fixed without
hurting the integrity of the bill.
Lobby Committee Staff

UTILIZE YOUR TIME WITH
THE WEAKEST HOUSE FIRST
THIS USUALLY MEANS THE
SENATE
Utilize your time

How Good bills can go bad
Once a bill is filed, those opposed will begin to propose
amendments to the bill to water down the bill, as well as to
exempt themselves from parts of the bill they feel harm them.

Warning: READ THE BILL and all amendments
(Titles can sound nice, until you read the bill)

Watch out for amendments they can totally change the intent
of the bill.

Amendment Process

Either prior to a committee meeting or during the
presentation of a bill, members of the committee may
submit amendments to the bill for consideration.

Generally, there are three ways to amend a bill:
1. Adding language
2. Deleting language
3. Striking and inserting language
Amendments in
Committee

Amendment to the Amendment
In the event a member desires to make
a change to an amendment, he or she
may propose the change by filing an
amendment to the amendment.

Amendments

A bad amendment added in one committee can be
removed in the next committee stop.

We need to alert amendment sponsor that we have a
problem with the language. Paul Henry was able to
have the RFID Chip amendment removed by just
explaining the danger to the sponsor of the
amendment.
We Can Remove a Bad
Amendment

IMPORTANT: A strike-all or
strike-everything amendment. The
purpose of such an amendment is to
remove all language in the bill and
replace it with new language.

Amendments

There can be several bills filed dealing
with a specific issue, ie; immigration,
pensions, Medicaid, septic tanks.

Train/Bandwagon Bills

Important Information on
Bills

2nd Reading on the Floor is by consideration of the
Special Order Calendar
Once a bill is on the House Calendar, that does not
mean that the bill will be heard on the floor. the
Rules & Calendar Committee will determine when
and if a bill will be sent to the floor for 2nd Reading.
These bills are placed on a recommended Special
Order Calendar.
Heading to the Floor

3rd Reading on the House Floor by consideration of the
Third Reading Calendar

After a bill has been read a second time on the Special
Order Calendar, it is rolled over on 3rd Reading,
generally, on a subsequent legislative day. This is the
final reading of the bill prior to being voted on.

NOTE: It is difficult to add amendments on 3
rd
Reading.

Final Votes

The House of Representatives and the Senate consider legislation
that addresses similar subjects. However, it is not unusual that
the specific proposals and goals of the chambers will be
different. Once one chamber has passed legislation, it must
send the legislation to the other chamber for concurrence. A
chamber may send a bill back to its chamber of origin with
amendments, in an effort to ensure the bill addresses the
needs and concerns of its members. In the event this process
does not produce a result that is satisfactory to both chambers,
the bill dies. In rare circumstances, a conference committee of
the House may meet with a Senate conference committee in
an effort to resolve differences and pass identical legislation so
it may be signed by the Governor and become law.

Conference Committees

Once the House and the Senate have passed the same bill, the bill is
enrolled. The enrolled bill is then engrossed in its final form.

The enrolled bill is then presented to the Governor for consideration. The
Governor has three choices when considering legislation: sign the legislation
agreeing to the enactment, not sign the legislation, or veto the legislation.

EFFECT OF THE GOVERNORS SIGNATURE ON LEGISLATION. If the
Governor approves and signs the bill, the bill is filed with the Secretary of State
and becomes effective law pursuant to its terms.

IMPACT OF THE GOVERNORS FAILURE TO SIGN LEGISLATION. If
during the course of the legislative session, the Governor fails to sign a bill and
does not veto it within the period allowed, the bill becomes law.

The Governors Role

VETO. During session, the Governor has 7 days
to veto a bill. If session is adjourned, the
Governor has 15 days to veto a bill.

VETO OVERRIDE. If the Governor has vetoed
a bill, each chamber of the Legislature may by a
two-thirds vote override the Governors veto.
The Governors Role Cont.

If the Governor vetoes a bill, it is available for
consideration/override until the end of the
current session or, if the legislature is not in
session when the bill is received, until the end of
the next regular session. If two-thirds of the
members of each house vote to override (set
aside) the Governor's veto, the bill becomes a
law.
The Governors Role Cont.

Myfloridahouse.gov
Flsenate.gov
Sign up for legislative
bill tracking
Links for Tracking Bills

Referred Committees and Committee Actions
House Referrals

Civil Justice Subcommittee
Justice Appropriations Subcommittee
Judiciary Committee
Appropriations Committee
Tracking Bills

Related Bills

Bill # Subject Relationship
CS/CS/SB 1666 Mortgage Foreclosures Compare
Tracking Bills

Related Bills
SIMILAR
IDENTICAL
COMPARABLE
NOTE: Watch similar and comparable
bills- bad language from a dead bill can be
added to these bills.

Tracking Bills

Bill Text
Enrolled
Committee Substitute 2
A 102561 , Fasano Date Filed: 04/25/13, Line#: 166
House: Failed 4/26/2013 2:43:54 PM
A 321434 , Soto Date Filed: 05/01/13, Line#: 166
Senate: Withdrawn 5/2/2013 2:24:06 PM Committee
Substitute 1 Laid on the Table
Tracking Bills

Staff Analysis

Chamber Committee
House Final Bill Analysis 6/13/2013 1:26:06 PM
House Final Bill Analysis 5/16/2013 12:49:27 PM
House Appropriations Committee 4/18/2013 2:46:43 PM
Tracking Bills

Committees publish objective bill analysis, which professional
staff research and prepare. A bill analysis gives background
information regarding the current statutes. It documents the
changes the bill proposes and summarizes the possible effects
the bill would have if it became law. A bill analysis also
includes a very cursory summary analysis on its first page.

RULE: You must read the bill analysis to
understand the true intent of a bill.

Committee Staff Bill Analysis

Vote History

Chamber Date Yeas/Nays Action Action 2 Vote Detail Barcode
House 04/26/2013 34-74 Vote [Seq# 299] 102561

Tracking Bills

Bill History
Event Time Member Committee
Ordered enrolled Tuesday, May 28, 2013
In Messages Friday, May 03, 2013
Committee Wednesday, April 03, 2013 Appropriations
Filed Thursday, January 03, 2013 Passidomo
Tracking Bills

Statutes (Citations)
You have to look at the statutes or citations a bill is changing. For instance, SB1666 covered the following
statutes:

Citations Statutes
25.073 - Retired justices or judges assigned to temporary duty; additional compensation; appropriation.
95.11 - Limitations other than for the recovery of real property.
121.021 - Definitions.
121.091 - Benefits payable under the system.
121.591 - Payment of benefits.
121.71 - Uniform rates; process; calculations; levy.
702.015
702.036
702.06 - Deficiency decree; common-law suit to recover deficiency.
702.10 - Order to show cause; entry of final judgment of foreclosure; payment during foreclosure.
702.11
Tracking Bills

WARNING: Track all bills because innocuous bill can
have a bad amendment added. (RFID Chip)
RULE: Lobbyist track all bills, all amendments-WE
SHOULD TOO!
Staying on top of Amendments: amendments can
destroy a good bill, and amendments are filed
sometimes within hours of the committee hearing.
Amendments- we can use the amendment process for
our cause.

IMPORTANT
INFORMATION

Example: HB 736 in 2011
Teacher Merit Pay

BEWARE of Trojan Horse
Bill

Because of the time constraints of a 60-day legislative session, if a
bill and its companion bill are not making their way through the
committee process of both the House and the Senate at
approximately the same pace, it is highly unlikely that the bill
will become law.

Has more than 4 Committee References
Does not have a companion bill
Has not been heard in committee
Does not have a committee staff analysis
Bill is not a committee substitute (CS/CS/SB2)
Knowing a Dead Bill

All bills must be filed by the 1
st
day of session
Bill Drafting deadline is more important
Committees must give 48 hour notice of
meeting during the first 45 days of regular
session. 24 hour notice last 15 days.
Timely filed Amendments- 6:00 PM the day
before.
Know Deadlines

Parliamentary Authorities
The rulings of the Speaker are
first
Masons Manual of legislative
procedure
Rules and Procedures

2/3 and 3/5 rules and procedures
80 seats needed for 2/3 in House
72 seats needed for 3/5 in House
27 seats need for 2/3 in Senate
24 seats needed for 3/5 in Senate
Rules and Procedures

With a two-thirds vote, lawmakers can sidestep
their own rules for strategies such as:

Considering bills not on the calendar
Pulling a bill that has been sitting in a committee
immediately to the full floor,
Taking up amendments technically filed after a deadline.
2/3 to override veto
Rules and Procedures

Republicans still hold the three-fifths majorities
required to do so, but getting 24 votes in the
Senate and 72 votes in the House requires
stricter party-line adherence.

3/5 needed for constitutional amendments
Rules and Procedures

IMPORTANT: To be effective during the Session, we
must have started our efforts early. Actually after one
session is over, we need to start our work for the next
session IMMEDIATELY

In an off-election year, bills are being filed in June.

The earlier a bill is filed has a better chance

EFFECTIVE LOBBYING IS DONE 365 DAYS A YEAR!

NO REST FOR THE WEARY
REMEMBER