I attended an excellent Lobbying Workshop sponsored by the League of Women’s Voters. The workshop covered how to be an effective advocate as citizens or as a member of a civic organization lobbying the NM State Legislature. Speakers were Senator Peter Wirth, Representative Jimmy Hall, and registered lobbyist, Linda Siegle.
State Senator, Peter Wirth & Irene Webb
I learned a lot and it was good to be guided by experts on how the system works here in New Mexico. It was a free form talk with Peter Wirth giving his “Ten Steps” to effectively engage the legislature and a real insider view of how it works.. Rep Jimmy Hall recommended getting the cell phone number and email address for your representatives and contacting them when you have something really important to discuss. Linda Siegle gave a nuts and bolts explanation of what lobbyists do. She seems like a very smart and thoughtful person — a lobbyist with heart, working with issues of education, human rights and more.
All three speakers recommended that anyone interested in working the system go to the website www.nmlegis.gov/ where you can learn about everything and everyone involved in the legislative process, including the history of bills submitted and passed or not passed over the years. www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/BillFinder.aspx. This is exciting!
More tomorrow, Best, Irene