Legislative Advocacy

This course will introduce students to the legislative process and the Legislative Branch of government, and develop practical skills associated with advocacy in the legislative arena. Course work and areas of emphasis include: the basic principles and processes of legislative lawmaking (including constitutional parameters of the legislative process and different forms of legislation), public policy considerations that impact the legislative process and legislative lawmaking, legislative bill drafting; parliamentary procedure; legislative ethics; and advocacy skills such as oral presentation and debate, and written argument and defense of a position. It will stimulate the student's critical analysis of public policy issues through researching an issue, developing proposed changes to existing law or establishing new law to address the issue, and implementing those changes through the drafting, introduction, presentation, defense, and debate of legislation in mock legislative sessions.