Legislation and Public Policy
“All advocacy is, at its core, an exercise in empathy.” Samantha Power, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations 2013-2017 and currently serving as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
The goals of this Committee during this Administration include:
• Increasing participation in the Legislative Action Center.
• Educating members about GFWC’s legislative priorities.
• Promoting Legislative Advocacy as the natural extension of members’ volunteer work for each of the CSPs and Special Programs.
• Mobilizing our members to raise a united voice to advocate for GFWC and its legislative priorities.
• Building relationships with the local, regional, and national decision makers.
• Establishing the GFWC name as a brand that lawmakers and the community recognizes.
2024 – 2026 GFWC-NC Legislation and Public Policy Chairman: Julie Wolfe
2024 – 2026 GFWC-NC Resolutions Committee Chairman: Lois Nixon
Club Connection Initiative: Legislative Ladder
For the latest updates on Kayla’s Act, please log into the member portal.
What is Public Policy?
Examples of public policy are minimum wage laws, public assistance programs, safety in schools and domestic violence. The definition of public policy is the laws, priorities and governmental actions that reflect the attitudes and rules for the public.
What is a Resolution and Why we need them
A Resolution is a statement broken into sections for clarity. It should always have a title, usually the name of the bill if it pertains to a piece of legislation or the subject, if it is does not. The title is followed by a maximum of three “WHEREAS” statements, which contain the reasons why the legislation or subject is needed. The text of the bill will usually have a statement at the end providing the information needed. The “RESOLVED” statements provide the action desired. Adopted resolutions show an agreement by the membership on a viewpoint of an issue. Resolutions can be used as tools for advocating important issues at the local, state, and national levels.
What is Legislative Advocacy and why we need it
Legislative advocacy refers to efforts to influence the introduction, enactment, or modification of legislation. The most common means of legislative advocacy involves contacting a legislator, sharing your views on an issue, and asking him or her to vote a specific way on a bill. Get involved! Click here to learn more about what GFWC does in the area of Legislation and Public Policy! One of the most important aspects of our system of government is that it is representative—those who make our laws represent us, so we can and should remind leaders of their responsibilities and offer constructive ideas. If we do, we can bring about public policy changes.
To participate, Sign up for the GFWC Legislative Action Center.
Legislation and Public Policy Project Ideas
- Hold a legislative day for your club, during which you visit your state legislature or local council meeting to advocate for an issue or piece of legislation that is important to you and your community. Consider partnering with other groups.
- For example, if the issue is domestic violence, consider partnering with a state or local advocacy group whose focus is domestic violence awareness and prevention.
- Ask a GFWC member who works in the public sector to share the experiences that led her to her current position.
- Make an appointment with a state or national legislator in his or her home office to discuss GFWC’s top legislative priorities.
- If there is an issue before a legislative body that you want to advocate for or against, hold a letter-writing(email) campaign in your club.