Dear friends and neighbors,
Today is the official first day of the 60-day 2024 legislative session. Each year on opening day, TVW interviews legislative leaders to highlight priorities for the upcoming session. You can watch my interview from this morning here.
Baseball and the Legislature
I often remark about how the Opening Days of my two jobs (baseball and the legislature) are so similar. Of course, the legislature is not a game, but both opening days share a sense of optimism, as all the teams and bills are still alive. Both professions also like to celebrate with pomp and circumstance to kick things off.
I recently came across an excerpt from a book that a friend sent me just before my first Legislative Opening Day 14 years ago. This is from The Art of Legislative Politics by Tom Loftus, the former Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
“A legislature is like a baseball team… Each season the job is about the same. There are some rookies and some veterans, some stars and some utility players. A manager and coaches make hundreds of decisions on strategy every day in an effort to win, but mostly they are not in control of the outcome of the game. The rules remain the same each season, and there is an off-season when trades are made.
“The teams are different in different states. Some teams have a history of spitters and bean balls; some teams have a history of fair play. It depends on the culture of the state.
“The players all vary in talent and play different positions, but they have one thing in common – they are all in the big leagues. The manager works with what he’s got. It is his job to win if possible, and if not, to be gracious about losing. Sometimes the fans are enthusiastic and loyal, sometimes they are sullen and want change. There is not much mystery to the game once you know the rules.”
How to Engage This Session
Your input is vital to the Legislative process. During session, there are lots of ways that you can engage with the legislature. I have listed just a few below.
Testify in Committee – Each bill that is moved out of committee receives a public hearing. This is an opportunity for the public to comment directly on proposed legislation. This year, both House and Senate committees will allow in person and remote testimony. For more information, click here.
Track Bills – If there are bills that you are especially passionate about, you can track them on the legislative website. For longer term bill tracking, click here, and click on “Selected Bill Tracking.” From there, you can create an account and the system will keep track of the bills you are interested in and update you when their status changes.
Attend our Tele-Townhall – The 3rd LD legislators will be holding a tele-town hall on January 16th at 7pm. This will be an opportunity to hear more about what we are up to in Olympia and ask us questions about the things that matter to you. More details to come.
Email Your Legislators – Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Andy.Billig@leg.wa.gov. I read every constituent email that comes in. Additionally, you can contact other legislators here.
Onward!
Andy
