SALT LAKE CITY — It is inevitable.
Starting Tuesday, your elected lawmakers will meet for the 45-day session and they're going to consider some bills you either really like, or really hate. But weighing in and influencing legislation isn't as difficult as you'd think. FOX 13 News asked four longtime community activists, lobbyists and lawmakers for their tips and tricks to better engage with the Utah State Legislature.
"I'm a better legislator when I get more feedback," said Sen. Heidi Balderree, R-Saratoga Springs, who was an advocate with the group Americans for Prosperity before she became a state senator.
Whether you're worried about the Great Salt Lake, want to see more affordable housing, or dislike some policies being advanced, "it’s so important for people to engage with their government, maybe now more than ever," said Deeda Seed, a longtime environmental activist and former Salt Lake City Council member.
Elizabeth Converse worked as a staffer for the House of Representatives. She is now the CEO of Utah Tech Leads, which advocates for Silicon Slopes and Utah's tech industry.
"If there’s something that just fires you up that you absolutely have to weigh in on with your legislator? Do it. Do not stop yourself," she said.
The best way to tell your lawmaker how you feel is to come up to Capitol Hill and try to talk to them. But it won't be a long conversation. Lawmakers are racing from committee hearings to floor votes. You can send messages in to let them know you're waiting outside and some lawmakers rush out to speak to constituents for a couple of minutes between votes.
"We are fortunate they say 'Yes, please send us emails and text,'" said Katharine Biele, the president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, which is practically omnipresent in the legislature. "Don’t try to call because they are on the floor. They are very busy, they probably won’t answer your telephone call."
All four agreed that text messages and emails work the best when you can't be here in person. Start with your elected representative and senator before branching out to others. Include your address and phone number, so they know you're a real person and they really represent you.
"There’s so many bills we don’t know the number. We may not even remember the number of our own bills," Sen. Balderree added. "They don’t have to have the fancy legal title, but it could be the income tax bill."
While it's fine to include how a piece of legislation may impact you or your community, don't tell them your life story.
"Keep in mind these are busy, busy people so you want the message to be succinct," said Seed. "You want to make sure you have the facts as you understand them correct."
Converse said make your communications personal. Websites that auto-generate form emails will get ignored.
"I hate to tell everybody this, but it’s absolutely going to get dismissed if it was written by someone else. You can care about the same issue as your neighbor or as that person you’re in a group with. But make sure they’re different enough that they’re actually getting counted instead of just being brushed off as from an outside lobbying group," she said.
Some lawmakers are more engaged on social media platforms than others. Mean tweets don't work, said Sen. Balderree.
It's important to know how a bill becomes a law (think "School House Rock.") Just because a bill is introduced, doesn't mean it becomes law. Bills have to have at least one committee hearing and a floor vote in both chambers before going to the governor for a signature or veto.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utah State Legislature holds hearings where they take public comment in person and online. That has remained in place and Biele said it's effective.
"You can testify virtually," she said. "You don’t have to come up and deal with parking."
Seed said do some research and get involved with like-minded groups doing work on Utah's Capitol Hill.
"Frequently there are organizations that are working on issues associated with legislation and people can connect with those groups," she said.
Lawmakers will also hold town hall meetings on weekends when the legislature is in session. Sen. Balderree said you should also sign up for your lawmaker's email list from the le.Utah.gov website. That's also where you can find committee hearing agendas and the status of bills and their votes.
"For sure, civil dialogue goes a lot farther than the opposite. I’m definitely more likely to respond to someone who is speaking civilly, even in disagreement," Sen. Balderree said.
Biele said she has seen the power of a single constituent influencing a bill and lawmakers do listen.
"Oh yes, they do. In fact, many times I'll see it and these are not necessarily bills I like," she said. "A bill will pass based on one constituent who talks to one legislator saying, 'This is important to me.' Suddenly it’s on the floor and everyone says yeah, and votes for it. You can make a difference," she said.
But sometimes, the vote doesn't go your way. Each person FOX 13 News spoke with has chalked up wins and losses in a legislative session. It's not the end of the process, nor is it the end for you. No bill is truly dead until the end of the legislative session and once that's over, the process starts all over again.
"I've seen a lot of the not-nice emails come through. I've sent a couple myself, to be completely honest," Converse said. "They don’t do anything but make enemies. The best way to change policy in the state of Utah is to be kind and actively engaged."
Seed said you can't give up. Get to know your lawmakers when they're not in session, keep an eye on interim sessions and stay engaged.
"Persistence is really important. Not giving up," she said. "Once a bill passes, that isn’t the end of the story on the policy issue generally. So keep going."
