Rural Communities Matter

1. Rural Communities Matter • Advocacy and Representation • Clearly identify your goal and translate it into your scope/plan • Positioning yourself as an effective strategist - Bipartisan Linkages • Engaging the right players • Fiscal Impact Analysis

2. Advocacy and Representation • Most legislative bodies function full time, quarterly, or once or twice a year, no matter what your state does they all have sub-committees or interim committees. • Make yourself known to every member of the specific committees you will be presenting to. Down the road they will remember you and recall a meeting or two that you had with them to address their questions. ALWAYS do this on a bipartisan manner. • Build your brand in every meeting you have whether it’s staff or a legislator, make sure they remember who you represent every time you meet or present to them. Take the time to explain how you help their communities every time you meet with them. • Make sure you study the legislative district map and know each and every legislators district as related to the region or statewide. Not an easy task but extremely effective when your talking to legislators. • Bring up an issue in their district so they “know you know” all about their district, this will get their full attention and they feel that you’re assisting them. Make an attempt to repeat this for everyone if possible • Talk about a successful project you worked on, or working on, in their district if applicable • Advocate for their support on your legislation as it relates to projects or assistance within their district and spell out how it helps. A one or two pager with graphs and charts are a great tool as a hand-out.

3. Identify your goal, translate it into your plan • Whether it’s new legislation, a change to existing legislation, adding to this or decreasing that, you have to have an effective plan. • Ask yourself, your team, stakeholders and others; Does this work….. Do we all agree ….. How will it work….. What’s the “real” effect, does this really accomplish what we need or is this just busy work • Study the statute/law that is effected and ensure it flows properly. Many times new legislation ends up in a statute or law that doesn’t relate the way YOU think it should, so be sure. Engage legislative counsel. • Be prepared, do your homework as a team, write your report and then translate it into English and a one or two pager with pretty graphs and charts. • Find your sponsor, bring the issue in early to a chair or vice-chair of a committee that relates to your goal. Chances are they will carry a bill or assign it to another legislator within their committee, then you’re on your way and have your sponsor. • It is always your responsibility to lobby the sub-committee or full committee in advance of your hearing, here’s where “Advocacy and Representation” come into play. Don’t do this to far in advance as legislators are pulled in a 1,000 directions and have a full plate, leaving very little room upstairs. • Put your team into play and “Engage the Right Players” to help you get this accomplished.

4. Positioning yourself as an effective strategist - Bipartisan Linkages • Experienced and successful advocates/lobbyists thoroughly understand the legislative process; they have the ability to strategically plan and ensure close follow-up. Learn the process, ask questions, follow committees, and seek assistance from staffers if you’re not sure. Don’t go it alone if you’re not sure. • Know your subject thoroughly, anticipate questions from committee members and think way out-of-the-box when preparing for a committee hearing. • Make sure to advocate your legislation on an bipartisan basis and provide key staff with all the same documents you provide to legislators. • In many cases you will have proponents and opposition. Attempt to gain proponents support and assistance. Similarly, attempt to address issues that the opposition may have by meeting with them and educating them on your legislation. This may help you head off any political opposition and be better prepared in a public hearing. • Engage the stakeholders to assist you with these efforts and meet with you as the process moves forward to gain any other in-sight you may have missed.

5. Engaging the right players • From the onset, identify the stakeholders that will be clearly impacted by your legislation. • Engage the Council of Governments/Development Districts or Planning Districts. These folks are usually the go-to staff that are engaged with legislators year-round. • Engage local and state-wide elected officials that will be impacted, they also have a direct relationship with their local legislators. Municipalities and counties usually have a greater impact in assisting the lobbying efforts for a particular piece of legislation. • Wherever and whenever possible, if applicable, gain the support of the Governors Office andthier respective Administration. • Utilize your internal staff that may have a good working relationship with a committee member or legislative staff

6. Fiscal Impact Analysis • It is vital that your team prepare a strong fiscal impact analysis and provide this to legislative staff and the legislative council service unit for their review and use in the official analysis. This gives legislative staff your insight and contact information. More often than not, the staff doe not fully understand the legislation and this give you opportunity to weigh-in on the official analysis. • Have in hand your additional information like statistics, graphs, charts, projects identified, etc. anything applicable to your legislation so that you may be fully prepared in a legislative hearing. • Have key staff and expert witnesses at the hearing so you don’t leave any questions unanswered • Make certain to provide your legislative sponsor and their key legislative analysts any additional information you may have prepared for the hearing, this is your music sheet. • Make certain to provide the administration with all the documentation you provide legislative staff and sponsors • Have your ducks in-a-row from start to finish…… become a great strategist, Advocate, Lobbyist.

7. Questions Rick Martinez, CEO 68B Nancy’s Trail Santa Fe, NM. 87507 (505) 660-7067 rick@theapricottree.com