January marks the beginning of the legislative session in South Carolina and Florida. We work with several legal organizations and nonprofits, making these first few months of the year extremely busy for the North team. During the legislative session, you can often find Allison and Megan spending their days at the Capitol and State House in Tallahassee and Columbia. This month, they co-authored a blog to explain what they do during session and how it impacts our clients. Read below to find out more!
Q: Which is it – Capitol or State House?
ANJ: Capitol for Florida.
MB: State House for South Carolina!
Q: What do you do when you are at the State House/Capitol during the legislative session?
ANJ: We work with clients who have complex issues before the Legislature, whether its budget issues, policy issues, proposing new laws, etc. We work with clients to help tell the story of why they are advocating the Legislature and educate lawmakers on how the laws they pass (or don’t) will impact their constituents. We also work with the media to ensure they understand the issues our clients are advocating for and secure media placement on a variety of issues.
MB: Listen to committee hearings, meet with legislators about bills we support or have concerns about, talk to colleagues who are working on policies that we might be interested in. A lot of being at the State House is about collecting information and making connections.
Q: Why does the legislative session have an impact on our clients?
MB: Policy decisions impact day-to-day work of our client organizations and the populations they serve. Being aware of the issues that our Senators and Representatives are discussing is critical to making sure the best decisions are made! Our job is to help clients inform legislators about the impact of potential legislation or need for new legislation to address issues that arise among the population and communities they serve.
ANJ: Many of our clients’ work is directly impacted by state and federal funding as well as the policies that guide or allow them to do the work that they do and the services they provide. In a state as large and diverse as Florida any number of issues, individuals and communities can be overlooked if they don’t have a voice in the Capitol. Working with clients to provide a voice for the various populations and communities they serve ensures that they are not overlooked and creates new avenues for funding. It’s also important for them to support good policies that help organizations, businesses, or the populations they serve. In other instances, they block bad policies that would not help communities and citizens.
Q: How long does session last in Florida and South Carolina?
ANJ: The annual session in Florida is 60 days. However, in preparation for the 60 day session and to ensure within that period of time they are able to pass a litany of bills and the state budget, lawmakers also meet for several weeks in the months preceding the session – about 6 to 8 weeks – in what they call interim committee weeks.
MB: In South Carolina, the session typically begins the 2nd Tuesday in January and ends on the 1st Thursday in May. We operate on a two year session, meaning bills that aren’t passed get carried over from the first year to the second year. But at the end of the two year, all bills that aren’t passed are “dead” and must be reintroduced at the start of the next two-year session.
Q: What happens on a day-to-day basis during session?
MB: The House and Senate usually meet on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in both committee hearings and in general session. Committee hearings focus on getting bills passed and out to their respective floors for passage and when on the floor (or in general session), the full body will vote on bills, make introductions of special guests and discuss other business of the state. Anytime the Senate and House are in session, you can watch live from scstatehouse.gov.
ANJ: During interim committee weeks and the early part of session, lawmakers in Florida spend most of their time in committee meetings where they begin reviewing legislation in committee meetings, amending bills and passing the bills out of committees and getting them ready for passage by the full House and Senate. At other times, they convene on the floor of the House and Senate to consider bills on Second Reading, during which bills are introduced, debated, amended and prepared for final passage by the Chamber, also known as 3rd Reading. Once a bill is up on the House or Senate floor on 3rd Reading, the bills are debated and amended for a final time and then all lawmakers vote on the bills. Bills that receive a majority vote pass and are then sent to the other chamber for a vote. Once an identical bill has passed both the House and Senate, it is an approved new law that is next sent to the Governor for his approval or veto. Throughout the session lawmakers also meet with constituents and other special interest groups who are seeking their support for legislation or funding for their organization or business.
