Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2021 legislative session is right around the corner and we’d like to get your input!

The best way to do our jobs representing your interests and values is by hearing from you, so we’d really appreciate your filling out this survey to let us know about your priorities:

A more focused session

Like much in our lives over the last year, session will be conducted virtually. Legislators and staff have spent many months working hard to ensure session runs smoothly and we conduct the people’s work efficiently in this new environment.

We will need to focus our efforts to meet the greatest needs in our community, and House Democrats have created thoughtful guidelines to do that. This year we will only consider urgent issues that cannot wait until the following session. To help us prioritize our work, before introducing legislation, we will ask ourselves if our bills:

Advance racial equity? Address response to the COVID-19 pandemic? Advance economic recovery? Address the global climate crisis? Save money or increase the efficacy of state spending? Help other levels of government do their job to respond to the pandemic or advance economic recovery?

Accessing your Legislature in the time of Covid

We will carry out all our legislative work remotely this session because, in the midst of this pandemic, we are not willing to put the general public, our constituents, our legislative staff or ourselves at risk of contracting the virus.

However, this does not mean there’ll be restricted access to state government activities, in fact, quite the opposite: working remotely will present more opportunities for people in our area to safely participate in the legislative process.

Here are five ways for you to stay connected to your legislature from the safety of your home:

LEARN—The whole legislative process from start to finish.

WATCH—Go to TVW for broadcasts of committee hearings, work sessions and Floor action. If you’re interested in a particular event, but were not able to watch it live, TVW has you covered with its extensive and easy to search archives.

RESEARCH—The Legislative website has an entire page with different ways to look up legislation.

TESTIFY—Holding a remote session does not mean you don’t get to have your say. We have a brand new system for you to submit testimony on any bill.

EXPLORE—Visit the main House Democratic Caucus Website to monitor what we’re doing, including our own web pages (Lillian’s site & Strom’s site) where you’ll find press releases, past newsletters, end-of-session reports and videos.

Thank you for reading our newsletter and responding to the survey. Our offices may be virtual at the moment, but we are still at your service, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Stay safe,