Session 1 · The Legislative Advocacy Library
InfluenceA deep guide to state and federal lawmaking, including committees, hearings, testimony, and how to move votes in your favor.
The legislative process is how laws are made, whether at the state or federal level. Both processes share core similarities: bills are introduced, reviewed by committees, debated on the floor, and voted on. But they operate within different governing structures, at different speeds, and with different procedural rules.
At the state level, laws are created by state legislatures, which are typically bicameral (two chambers: a House and a Senate). After passing both chambers, bills are sent to the Governor for final approval. At the federal level, the U.S. Congress, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, is responsible for creating federal law. Once both chambers pass a bill, it goes to the President.
Most anti-TTI campaigns begin at the state level, where advocates can build direct relationships with their representatives and move legislation through a shorter, more accessible process. Understanding both processes gives you the full map, whether your campaign is local, statewide, or national in scope.
Here is an in-depth look at how laws are made in state legislatures, from the first draft of a bill to the Governor's signature.
A bill is a proposal for new legislation or an amendment to existing law. The process begins with a sponsor: a legislator from the House or Senate who introduces the bill. Other legislators can sign on as co-sponsors, signaling support and building early momentum.
Once introduced, the bill is referred to a committee that specializes in its subject matter. For child welfare or institutional care legislation, this is often a Health and Human Services, Children and Families, or Judiciary committee.
The full chamber debates the bill. Any member can propose floor amendments, which are debated and voted on before the final bill is put to a vote. A majority vote passes the bill to the second chamber.
The bill travels to the other chamber and undergoes the identical process: committee referral, hearings, markup, committee vote, floor debate, and a chamber vote. The second chamber may pass the bill as written, amend it, or let it die.
If the second chamber amends the bill, a conference committee of members from both chambers negotiates a unified final version. Both chambers must then approve the reconciled bill before it moves to the Governor.
The Governor can sign the bill into law, veto it (returning it to the legislature with objections), or take no action (which in most states allows the bill to become law automatically after a set number of days). A veto can be overridden by a supermajority vote in both chambers.
Committees are the engine of the legislative process. They are where most bills live or die, where language gets shaped, and where advocates have some of their most direct access to lawmakers. Understanding the different types of committees, and how they work, is essential to knowing where to focus your energy.
Permanent committees that focus on a specific policy area (Health, Education, Judiciary, Children and Families, Public Safety, etc.). They meet regularly and are where most bills begin their journey. For anti-TTI legislation, standing committees on Health and Human Services or Children and Families are the most common entry points.
Smaller working groups within a standing committee that focus on a narrower issue within the committee's jurisdiction. Subcommittees often conduct initial hearings and draft language before reporting back to the full committee. They are smaller, more intimate settings where advocates can have significant impact.
Temporary committees created to investigate a specific issue or emergency, such as an investigation into abuse in youth residential programs or a study of the Troubled Teen Industry. These committees can be powerful advocates for reform when their findings are made public and their recommendations are acted upon.
Committees with members from both the House and the Senate, often tasked with reviewing issues that require coordinated input from both chambers. Joint committees on children's welfare or juvenile justice can be key forums for raising the visibility of institutional abuse issues across the entire legislature simultaneously.
Committees are where bills are shaped. Showing up to a hearing is not just symbolic. It is strategic. Your presence, your testimony, and your relationships with committee members are the difference between a bill that gets a vote and one that disappears.
Chelsea Filer · ICAPA Network
Legislative hearings are one of the most direct opportunities for advocates to influence legislation. They are formal, public, and on the record. What you say at a hearing becomes part of the official legislative history of a bill and can inform how it is interpreted and enforced for years to come.
Open to the public. Testimony is taken from individuals, advocacy organizations, and experts. This is your primary opportunity to make your case directly to committee members. Sign up early: spots for public testimony are often limited and fill quickly.
Private sessions where committee members deliberate, propose amendments, and vote. Public testimony is typically not permitted. Influence here comes from relationships built before the session: phone calls, meetings, and written materials submitted in advance.
"Whipping" votes refers to the process of actively building and securing support among committee members to ensure your bill passes through committee and reaches the full chamber. It is one of the most skilled and relationship-intensive parts of advocacy work.
Even if a bill has broad public support, it can die in committee if the votes are not there. Whipping is about identifying who is persuadable, understanding what they need to vote yes, and delivering that information or pressure at the right moment.
Develop personal relationships with committee members before you need their vote. Attend events where lawmakers are present, hold meetings to introduce your issue, and stay in contact between sessions. Lawmakers vote for people they know and trust.
Supply committee members with research, expert testimony, letters of support from constituents, and data that supports your position. Stay in contact as new information emerges. A member who does not have the data they need to defend a yes vote may simply vote no.
Organize constituents from each committee member's district to contact their representative directly. Phone calls, emails, and personal visits from voters carry significant weight. A legislator who hears from fifty constituents in a week knows the issue is real and the pressure is real.
Request private meetings with committee members to address their specific questions and concerns. A direct conversation is often more effective than a public hearing when it comes to changing a vote. Listen to their objections and bring solutions, not just arguments.
Sometimes gaining support requires accepting targeted changes to your bill. Work with sympathetic members to identify amendments that address specific objections from fence-sitters while protecting the bill's core provisions. A narrower bill that passes is more valuable than a perfect bill that fails.
Identify the committee members who are genuinely undecided. Your base supporters need to be kept engaged, and your firm opponents may not be worth extensive resources. Swing votes are where elections and committee votes are actually won. Know who they are and tailor your outreach accordingly.
The legislative process is long. Follow up after every hearing, every meeting, and every vote. Thank lawmakers who support you and keep communication open with those who do not. Maintaining a professional, respectful tone at every stage builds the long-term trust that moves legislation over multiple sessions.
The federal process mirrors the state process in structure, but adds layers of complexity: a larger and more ideologically divided Congress, the Senate filibuster, and the President's expanded veto options. Here is how it works.
Only members of Congress can formally introduce a bill. A bill in the House is designated H.R. and a Senate bill S. Multiple co-sponsors signal momentum. Advocates work with champions in both chambers to introduce companion bills simultaneously, giving the legislation two simultaneous paths forward.
The bill is referred to the relevant committee in whichever chamber introduced it. For child welfare, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce or the Senate Judiciary Committee are common. Committees hold hearings, run markup sessions, and vote on whether to report the bill out. The same opportunities for testimony and relationship-building that exist at the state level apply here.
In the House, debate is controlled by the Rules Committee, which sets time limits and amendment rules. In the Senate, debate can be extended indefinitely through a filibuster, blocking a final vote unless 60 senators vote to invoke cloture. This threshold often requires bipartisan support, making broad coalition-building essential for Senate passage.
The second chamber repeats the full committee and floor vote process. If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee negotiates a unified final text that both must then approve. Advocates monitor both chambers simultaneously, ensuring that amendments in the second chamber do not weaken the bill's core protections.
The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, allow it to become law without a signature (if Congress remains in session for 10 days), or pocket veto it (if Congress adjourns within those 10 days). A presidential veto can be overridden with a two-thirds vote in both chambers, though this is rare.
Advocates and lobbyists are not passive observers of the legislative process. At every stage, from a bill's first draft to the governor's signature, there is a meaningful role for you to play.
Everything in this guide is only as useful as the actions it produces. The legislative process is detailed and sometimes intimidating, but at its core it is a series of decision points made by specific people who are accountable to their constituents. Your job is to be present, informed, and organized at each of those decision points. Here is how to put this knowledge to work.
Before your campaign begins, research your state's specific legislative calendar, committee structure, and bill introduction deadlines. Identify which standing committee handles your issue and who chairs it. Know the session start and end dates and the key deadlines for bill introduction and committee referral. This map becomes the scaffolding for your entire campaign timeline.
Once your bill is referred to committee, research every member: their past votes on related issues, their public statements, their campaign donors, and their district demographics. Identify which members are likely supporters, firm opponents, and persuadable swing votes. Concentrate your testimony, constituent outreach, and one-on-one meetings on the swing votes. The chair deserves the most sustained attention of all.
Attend every committee hearing on your bill. Sign up to testify during the public comment period. Prepare a short, clear, personal statement that explains who you are, why this issue matters to you, and exactly what you are asking the committee to do. Bring others with you. A room full of organized advocates sends a message that no written brief can replicate. If you cannot attend in person, submit written testimony and follow up to confirm it was received.
Call the district offices of committee members who represent your area or whose votes are in play. Send personalized emails that connect the issue to their constituents. Coordinate call-in days across your network to generate volume. Request in-person meetings with members or their legislative staff to discuss the bill directly. Persistence and consistency over the course of a session build the familiarity that moves votes.
Use your state's bill tracking tools or platforms like OpenStates.org to follow your bill in real time. Every stage transition is a moment to act: a committee assignment is a prompt to research the members, a hearing date is a prompt to mobilize testimony, a floor vote is a prompt to organize constituent calls. Bills can move quickly in the final days of a session, and advocates who are not paying attention miss the window to act when it matters most.
Do not wait for the final text to be set before engaging with amendments. During markup and floor debate, amendments can strengthen or gut a bill. Work with your legislative champion and sympathetic committee staff to propose and defend protective language. When opposition amendments are filed, respond quickly with written counterarguments and constituent pressure on the members proposing them.
Most significant legislation does not pass the first time it is introduced. If your bill stalls or fails in one session, treat it as groundwork for the next. Use the session to identify your supporters and opponents, test your messaging, and build your coalition. Reintroduce the bill in the next session with a stronger sponsor, more co-sponsors, and a wider constituent base. Every session you engage in builds the political will that eventually produces a win.
When your bill passes, stop and celebrate it fully. Recognize every advocate, survivor, legislator, and coalition partner who made it possible. A public celebration builds community, honors the work, and shows others what is possible. Then take a breath and return to work. Passing a law is the beginning of its impact, not the end of your responsibility. Monitor how agencies implement the law, whether funding is allocated, and whether enforcement is happening as intended. The advocacy that passes a law is also the advocacy that gives it teeth.
The legislative process is complex, but it is not mysterious. It is a series of decisions made by human beings who are responsive to information, relationships, and constituent pressure. Advocates who understand the process, show up consistently, and engage strategically at each stage are the people who move legislation forward. This guide is your foundation. The next steps are in your state, with your representatives, and with the communities you are fighting for.