The legislature is in session.  This is when advocates turn their full attention to monitoring legislative developments, talking to legislators, learning what’s going on below the radar, and educating them to get support for our causes and proposals.  It means attending committee hearings, submitting written testimony, testifying in person on relevant bills, and issuing alerts to legislators and the bike ped community when appropriate.   

This is how we influence decision makers to change the culture of transportation so CT becomes a better place to bike and walk.

The more real advocacy work we do, the more seriously we’re taken at the state government level as a reputable thought leader that really does influence decision makers..  That means we can have more impact, get more media exposure and build more clout among the public.  It’s a virtuous cycle of research, communication, education, advocacy and impact.

What does my advocacy work entail at the task level? For those who haven’t been involved in government affairs, politics or public policy,  “advocacy” can be a vague concept.  There are no shortcuts.  Here’s a play-by-play on some of what I do to be an effective nonprofit active transportation advocate:

• Get leads from from news outlets like the CT Mirror, CT News Junkie, the Courant, and CT Capitol Report.
• Check the CT General Assembly website, bulletin, calendar and journals frequently.  Know who’s on the Transportation Committee and read committee meeting agendas and minutes.  Track bills.  Read emails from the Committee clerk.
• Check committee deadlines schedule. Know basic legislative procedure (see Citizens Guide).
• Know which Transportation Committee and other committee meetings to attend, and attend them. Be recognizable to legislators.
• Use the legislative information download.  Build the legislative distribution list and Transportation Committee distribution list so I can contact them quickly on our issues.  Use Legislator Alerts sparingly.  When we do speak up, our communications need to catch legislators’ attention and be high-quality in every respect.
• Be poised to seize opportunities. Be ready to rally the troops at a moment’s notice with Action Alerts. That’s grassroots lobbying.  (Did you know that grassroots lobbying needs to be reported on our IRS Form 990? Now you do!  I track my grassroots lobbying time.)
• Track time spent on legislative and administrative lobbying, and report the cost of that time in reports to the Office of State Ethics. This requires knowing what “lobbying” means for federal 501(c)(3) tax purposes vs. state ethics and elections purposes.
• Monitor developments for state trends and innovations that CT should adopt or adapt. I love the Sunlight Foundation's new Open States tool.

So here’s a little mission moment.  A CT Mirror article led me to their  tool on tracking bills by subject, a shortcoming of CGA’s otherwise strong legislative tracking tool.  CT Mirror used the Sunlight Foundation’s tool to compile CT legislative proposals by topic. How handy for this time-pressed nonprofit advocate.

I see 28 Transportation bills, including funding bills I need to watch:  SB 11, SB 12. HB 5046 and HB 5049.  SB is a Senate Bill; HB is House bill. It’s based on the bill’s origin.

Zing.  I also spot HB 5185, An act increasing the fines for failing to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.  Didn't know about that one. HB 5185 relates to undoing that bad 2007 amendment that changed the requirement for drivers to yield to pedestrians “in or at” a crosswalk, to only when they’re “in” a crosswalk.  It endangers pedestrians and is out of sync with other states.  The new rule isn’t being enforced.  Neither is the old one. That’s the culture we’re trying to change.

Who proposed HB 5185?  REP. ADAMS, 146th Dist did.  I don’t know him but need to connect. I look him up on the CGA website.   It’s Rep. Terry Adams, from Stamford.  Good! I’ll call and email him,  and connect our member and Bike Ped Advisory Board rep from Stamford , our Merritt Parkway group, and People Friendly Stamford.  This is how coalition building works.

I skim Adams’ headlines and read his bio.  Viola. He works for Pitney Bowes, who’s been active in Bike to Work Day (sponsor/member potential).  Adams emphasizes his “determination to keep the streets safe (keeping open communication between the residents and the Stamford Police Department, work with the city & state for pedestrian friendly thoroughfares.)” We like that.

Next, I’ll also mention Adams’ bill to some attorney friends who work for the legislature and our other bike ped legislators (Bye, Lemar, McCarthy Vahey and Bumgarder).  I’ll add Adams to the list of legislators I consider to be bike ped champions.  Slowly but surely, we’re building a true active transportation caucus that will help make CT a better place to bike and walk.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a small taste of what our advocacy mission work is all about.  

Kelly Rago and Kelly Kennedy attended the HFPG's 10/16/14 workshop on - Nonprofit Lobbying: The Benefits, the Costs, and the Rules. The program was designed for Executive Directors, Board Members, and Policy Staff.

Particularly useful is the presentation by Alliance for Justice, a leading source in explaining the ins and outs of lobbying and advocacy for nonprofits and why it's such a powerful tool for expanding a nonprofit's impact.  See AFJ material in Handouts 1, 2, and 3 and their companion site, Bolder Advocacy.

Workshop Description:  Lobbying can be an effective means of advancing your organization's mission.  But what are the issues you should consider in deciding to enter the lobbying arena?  This workshop will explore the "why" of lobbying as well as the rules for lobbying at the State and federal levels.  Presenters: Isaiah Castilla, Alliance for Justice; Nancy Nicolescu, Office of State Ethics; Elysa Gordon, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Handout 1 - PowerPoint Slides Nonprofit Lobbying
Handout 2 - PowerPoint Slides Lobbying and Advocacy Rules for Nonprofits
Handout 3 - What is Lobbying Under the 501(h) Election?
Handout 4 - PowerPoint Slides CT Office of State Ethics Lobbyist Training
Handout 5 - How to Request Legal Advice
Handout 6 - Lobbyist Forms and Filing Deadlines
Handout 7 - CT Office of State Ethics About Us

***See also the AFJ's The Rules of the Game: A Guide to Election-Related Activities for 501(c)(3) Organizations.

We have just ONE week left in the 2014 legislative session to get our Vulnerable User bill passed.  The Senate has pulled its weight, now it's time for the House to get moving. 

This is the fifth year the Vulnerable User bill has been  proposed.  Wedon't want to hear that the House "ran out of time" yet again to vote on this important safety measure for cyclists and pedestrians.  And not having a VU bill, year after year, is hurting our bike friendly state ranking.   

Please email or call your State Representative and House Leadership--Reps. Brendan Sharkey and Joe Aresimowicz-- today to call the Vulnerable User bill, SB 336, for a vote.

We need safer streets this year.  From 2006 to 2012, more than 10,000 pedestrians and cyclists were injured or killed on Connecticut roads. 

• Click here for a starter message to personalize. Be sure to add your name and town at the end.
• Call or Email House Leadership:
• Rep. Brendan Sharkey, Speaker of the House (Hamden - Dist. 88) at 860-240-8500 or Brendan.Sharkey@cga.ct.gov
• Rep. Joe ARESIMOWICZ , Majority Leader (Berlin, Southington - Dist. 30),860-240-8489 or Joe.Aresimowicz@cga.ct.gov 
• Copy your state rep too. Find Your STATE Rep here. (Since this is a state bill, not a federal bill, contact just your state rep and not your US Senator or Congressperson. ) 
  
• Scroll down for background on the bill. 

Stay tuned!  Effective advocacy requires tenacity and dogged persistence, so it may be necessary to keep calling and emailing every day until the bill is voted on. 

Speaking up makes all the difference, and the more of us who do, the stronger our bike ped community is.  This is no time to sit on the sidelines!

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About the VU Bill, SB 336

• The need:  Careless drivers injure hundreds of people every year in Connecticut.  Federal and state data report that 10,793 pedestrians and cyclists were injured or killed in Connecticut from 2006 through 2012.   Unless there is evidence of drug or alcohol use, or a hit and run, careless drivers are rarely held accountable for their devastating, preventable, actions. 
• What would the bill do?  The VU bill would establish a fine of up to $1,000 for infliction of serious physical injury or death to a vulnerable user when a person fails to operate due care when using a motor vehicle.    The fine is not equivalent to the harm reckless drivers can cause, but it's a step in the right direction. 
• Who's a vulnerable user?  Vulnerable users are pedestrians, highway workers, wheelchair users, people riding or driving an animal, blind people and their service animals, and people who operate farm tractors, bicycles, scooters, roller or inline skates, and skateboards.   
• Progress to date:  The VU bill made it through the Transportation and Judiciary Committees and the Senate has passed it. The next step is for the HOUSE leadership to call the bill for a vote so the House can vote on it and pass it.  (CORRECTION:  We regret that we were given inaccurate information when we indicated that the bill was already on a consent calendar in the House. That is not the case as of April 30.)
• This is the fifth year the bill has been proposed.  It's time to pass it.