LAW 562 - Legislative Advocacy Seminar

This course will provide students with a comprehensive insight into state legislative process from the perspective of the advocate. The course will examine the legislative process from the conceptual stage (“there ought to be a law”), through drafting and filing of a bill, coalition building (“nose counting” and “horse trading”), grass roots advocacy and direct lobbying (“arm twisting”), and culminating in presentation of the bill before a committee (“the shad treatment”). Students will gain insight into how political and public policy concerns, the vested interests of various constituencies, as well as the personalities of the lobbyists, staffers and legislators themselves, combine to influence the legislative process. The course will include a series of exercises in which students will practice the skills necessary to effective legislative advocacy.