There oughta be a law

Think there oughta be a law? Want state money for a public project? Tired of a stupid law?

The people who write the laws – state legislators – work for you. You pay their salaries ($34,227), pay for their phone lines, their staff, their health insurance and their pensions.

So if you want them to change a law, you just call them up, right?

Well, not quite. Sure, they work for you, but they also work for the other 120,287 or so people in their legislative district. And they have a lot of conflicting demands.

So getting things done in Olympia is a bit of a sales job. You need to find the right lawmakers, make your pitch, answer their questions, and try to rally as much support as possible from other citizens or groups. People who do this for a living – and there are hundreds of them – are called lobbyists.

Here are some tips:

• Become an expert: Know what you want to do, why, what it will cost, and be ready to counter arguments against it. Find people who’d be affected by your proposal, and get them to help. More is better.

•Find out who your local lawmakers are: Everyone has three – two representatives and one senator. Who they are depends on which legislative district you live in. To find out, go to www.leg.wa.gov and click on “find your legislator.” Your local lawmakers are a lot more likely to listen to you, since most want to get re-elected.

•Make contact: Write letters, send e-mails or leave messages at 1-800-562-6000, the state’s toll-free legislative hotline. (Addresses and e-mails can be found at the Web site above, or on our legislative page, which runs weekly in the Region section.) Briefly sketch out your proposal, be specific, and make your pitch.

•If you’re really serious, or if your proposal gets far enough to earn a legislative hearing, consider a trip to Olympia to meet key lawmakers or testify. Call first to get an appointment, be polite, and try not to get flustered by challenging questions.

•Don’t be discouraged if your proposal doesn’t survive on the first try. Former House Speaker Clyde Ballard used to tell frustrated legislative freshmen that the key to success in Olympia was not to try for the whole loaf of bread at once, but to get it a few slices at a time.

If you want to weigh in on what lawmakers are considering, check the legislative Web site: www.leg.wa.gov. Click on “Agendas, Schedules and Calendars.”

Want to know how your lawmaker is voting on key issues, or how many bills came up last year that would affect dogs, cigarettes or seat belts? See www.washingtonvotes.org, which explains legislation in plain language.