April: Anatomy of a Bill

Creating laws is the most important job our legislators have. Laws begin as a simple idea and can come from anyone. However, how many of us have presented an idea for a bill that passed? This April, LWV Minneapolis units (small discussion groups) will discuss and demystify the legislative process and members will get ideas of how to be effective advocates for legislative issues about which they feel strongly.

As units, members will analyze the 2013 Election Law, Chapter 131, HF 894, to understand the concerns evaluated during the legislative process and the issues eventually addressed in the law that was adopted. We will also preview selected election proposals that are still under discussion and may be addressed in the 2014 session.

To effectively understand the process, units will examine the original bill and follow its progress through the legislative committees and reports to the final law. Selected interviews with some of the key players of the bill will be videotaped by the LWVMpls committee and made available to members. The LVW Minnesota Capitol Letter from May 31, 2013 regarding the election law will also be a key resource.

Further information including discussion questions are below and link to the video interviews .

Want to join one of the discussion groups? Call the LWVMpls office (612-333-6319) or email ([sf_email][email protected][/sf_email]) for date and time.

2014 LWVMN Capital Letter
2013_Capital_Letter.pdf
Omnibus Bill HF0894 April 2014 study
Discussion Guide