There are lots of ways to get involved in public policy!
- Sign up for Action Alerts and join us at our annual Advocacy Day.
- Find out who your elected officials are: State Federal
- Learn about the restrictions guiding non-profit advocacy around elections.
How to Get Involved in the Legislative Process
An Overview of the Legislature
The Washington State Legislature convenes every 2nd Monday in January. Please check out the links below to learn more about how you can participate in the legislative process!
- The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 49 legislative districts in Washington, and each district is represented by 1 Senator and 2 Representatives.
- The legislature’s website is leg.wa.gov and you can watch online tutorials on navigating the website from the Legislative Information Center. You can also call their hotline: 800-562-6000.
- Learn about the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law. Here’s a glossary of helpful terms to know.
- Every Washington state resident is a constituent of a district if they live or work in that district. Find out your district. Then, search this roster for your legislators and their contact information.
- During session, committee hearings and floor debates are televised and you can watch recordings on TVW.org.
An Overview of the Budget Process
Each legislative session, the Legislature writes the state budget for a biennium. You can review the current House and Senate proposals for the operating budget (where domestic violence services are funded) online here. By the end of session, the two chambers must reconcile the two budget proposals and pass one budget out of the Legislature.
2023 Legislative Session
- The 2023 legislative session runs from January 9th to April 24th. Here is the 2023 cutoff calendar.
- Check out A Citizen’s Guide to Effective Legislative Participation straight from the legislative website. We have also written up a 2023 Session Guide, with advocacy tips from a former legislative assistant!
- You can participate in the legislative process by contacting your legislators, “sign in” on a bill to indicate your position, submit written testimony, or testify in-person or remotely! Here are instructions for commenting on a bill and here is the list of legislative committees.
- Ready to take a position and testify? Here are the registration pages for House committees and Senate committees. If you’re testifying in person, learn about visiting the Legislature and accessibility information before you go.
- Curious which priority bills WSCADV is tracking? We list priority bills on our State Legislative Advocacy page. You can also sign up for our Policy Action Alerts!
Other questions? Please email our Policy Director, Emily, at emily@wscadv.org