2014 Congressional Elections Advocacy 101 - Making a Difference in Congress | Page 10

The legislative process can be very complex, and it is important to distinguish between “authorizing legislation” and “appropriations bills.”
• Authorizing legislation establishes and renews programs, often
changing the program’s structure. These bills may outline a possible funding level.
• Yearly appropriations bills are what actually fund most programs
through the annual budget process.
For example, members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees wrote a farm bill that authorized $80 million for local and regional
purchase for international food aid. But the Appropriations Committees determine whether to allocate the full $80 million or less toward the program.
In recent years, “regular order” for legislation has been more of the
exception rather than the rule. Heightened partisanship and gridlock in
Congress has led to fewer and fewer bills making it through the legislative process. Instead, top congressional leaders often negotiate last-minute agreements behind the scenes. These big deals are then unveiled and
quickly ushered through passage with little opportunity for amendment.
Advocacy with your members of Congress is still very important in
this new way of operating. If your member of Congress is in a leadership role or heads a committee, he or she has a very powerful voice
in shaping legislation.
Congressional
leadResources and Tips on Effective Advocacy
ers constantly assess
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the collective stance of
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their parties, counting
supporting and opposing votes. If your senators and representative
have heard from you,
they can approach
the leadership in their
party or Congress and
push a particular priority before or during
these negotiations.
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