The ASBA Legislative Team
"The Leg Team" is active all year, every year. While the General Assembly supposedly only meets in session for 60 days every other year, there are many meetings held in the interim while the legislature is not in session. These meetings are held to examine issues that are: referred from the previous session; ongoing and needing continued discussion, and/or emerging on the education scene.

The discussions that take place at these interim meetings generally are less confrontational and of a more thorough nature than occur at committee meetings during the heat of a session. Often, the committees invite expert witnesses to testify and help the members of the committee understand some of the intricacies of the issues. Members of the ASBA Legislative Team attend these meetings so that we can stay on top of the issues and the mood of the legislature. It also allows us to discuss the issues and build relationships with legislators in a calmer environment than exists during a session.

Education is ever changing. Advocating for public education necessitates the ASBA Legislative Team members stay on top of emerging and continuing issues so that we can be a reliable source of accurate information when we talk to legislators. We do this through reading, researching, attending meetings and conferences, talking and listening to board members, educators, and legislators. The House and Senate Interim Education Committees (the committees that serve while the legislature is not in session) also have started requiring written testimony on specific topics of the committee’s choosing.

Legislative sessions are very hectic and change is the norm. Bills can go from stalled to awaiting the governor’s signature in a hurry and it can be very difficult to affect a bill once it has momentum. During a session, the team goes to the Capitol to listen and talk to legislators about concerns we have with specific bills and/or issues, attend committee meetings, and testify on bills brought before the committees. We also send out Legislative Updates on an as needed basis where we discuss hot topic bills that need your attention. If a bill is particularly urgent, we will send out an ASBA Call To Action. To learn more about how the legislature operates, click here.

Each morning during a legislative session, the leg team reads a summary of each bill to determine if it applies to K-12 education and is one we should follow. We then read those bills that meet this criterion and discuss what our position should be on it. The shear volume of bills (3,176 in the 2005 Session) makes this a challenge. Many bills also get amended during a session and it’s necessary to follow the amendments to determine how they have affected the bill.

Having read and analyzed a bill, we then post it on the Bill Tracker (click here to view the tracker). If there are specific issues of concern we will make a note to that effect on the Bill Tracker. If the bill is especially important and time sensitive, we will issue an ASBA Call To Action (click here to sign up to receive the alerts) and ask you to contact your legislator to voice your concerns or support and to give them localized information about how the bill would affect your district. This is a very important step you can make that greatly helps the leg team’s efforts. Together we really can make a difference.

Related Links:
Legislative Basics
What School Board Members Can Do
Get Involved
ASBA Staff

Related Downloads (pdf):
ASBA Beliefs & Resolutions
ASBA Bylaws