The Legislative Process

Understanding and navigating the legislative process can be challenging. Don’t worry, Just Zero is here to help! This guide focuses on the state level because, although every state’s legislative process is unique, most states tend to follow a similar structure. At the city or town level, there can be many differences – even among communities in the same state! This guide is still helpful to read, but please scroll to the bottom of this page for more information about pushing Zero Waste policies in your town or city.

DRAFTING THE BILL

A bill is a written document that outlines a new law, resolution, or amendments to existing laws. Our model legislative toolkits are designed to help with the drafting process so that you can develop a bill you can use in your state.

INTRODUCTION

Although your bill can be proposed by anyone, in most states only a member of the legislature can formally introduce it. So, it is necessary to find a legislative champion or champions to sponsor your bill. This should be a legislator that is passionate about the goal you’re trying to achieve and is committed to advocating for the bill in the legislature.

The legislator introduces your bill in their respective chamber (in most states, either the House of Representatives or Senate). The legislator presents it, and the bill is assigned a unique identifying number. Often, a bill can be supported by multiple legislators who are called cosponsors. The lead sponsor often is responsible for helping make sure your bill moves through the legislature during the legislative session.

Not sure who to contact to sponsor your legislation? Check out the State Leads for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.

COMMITTEE REVIEW

Once introduced, your bill is usually referred to a legislative committee that focuses on the bill’s subject matter. Most Zero Waste bills are referred to committees that handle bills related to the environment and/or natural resources. But this isn’t always the case. And in some states, bills will be referred to multiple committees.

The committee then examines and evaluates your bill. This step often includes holding a public hearing to gather information and perspective on the bill. The public hearing is very important to this process (but it doesn’t always happen). The hearing is where community members can have the most direct impact on the legislative process by arguing why they support or oppose the bill. After the public hearing, the committee votes on whether your bill is recommend to move forward through the legislative process. If the committee doesn’t move your bill forward, that is typically the end of the bill’s journey in the current legislative session (but not always).

If your bill must be evaluated by multiple committees, it will usually go to the next committee that has jurisdiction over it. A bill must be moved forward by all relevant committees before it is brought to the House or Senate floor for a vote by the entire chamber.

FLOOR DEBATE IN THE FIRST CHAMBER

If approved by all relevant committees, your bill may be scheduled for a floor vote. During this process, the bill is debated on the floor of the chamber it was introduced in (either the House of Representatives or Senate in most states). Legislators can discuss, amend, and debate the merits of the bill. After debate, the chamber votes on the bill. If it passes, it moves to the other chamber (House to Senate, or Senate to House).

THE OTHER CHAMBER

After your bill passes the first chamber, it goes through a similar process – committee review, debate, voting – in the next legislative chamber. If the bill started in the House, it then goes to the Senate. If the bill started in the Senate, it then goes to the House.

RECONCILIATION

Reconciliation means aligning the versions of the bill that passed the House and the Senate.

If the version of your bill that passed the Senate and the House are different, the legislature creates a conference committee. The committee is made up of members from both the House and the Senate who are responsible for reconciling the differences.

Once reconciled, the bill is sent back to both chambers for a final vote. If adopted, the bill heads to the governor.

REVIEW BY THE GOVERNOR

Once the same version of your bill passes both the House and the Senate, it is sent to the governor. The governor can either sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or take no action on the bill.

If the governor chooses to take no action on the bill, the bill becomes law after a certain period of time (usually between five and thirty days, depending on state law).

If the governor chooses to veto the bill, it is sent back to the legislature, which may choose to vote to override the veto. Most states require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers. If the legislature can successfully override the governor’s veto, your bill becomes law.

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Influencing the Legislature

Once you’ve gotten your bill introduced, it can be hard to find out the best ways to help support the bill during the legislative session. There are several things you can do to support your bill once it has been introduced.

The path forward is different in every state, and please keep in mind that it can take multiple attempts over several years to build sufficient support for your bill. Assembling a broad coalition and leaning on the knowledge and experience of residents and advocates in your community can be key to navigating this multi-year process.

Testify In Support of the Bill

When the bill is scheduled for a public hearing in a legislative committee, the public is given an opportunity to provide testimony (written, verbal, or both). This testimony can help influence members of the committee to support the bill. Most states limit oral testimony to a few minutes (generally 3-5). So, it’s important to stay organized and on-topic.

Meet with Key Decision-Makers

Another great way to stay involved is to set up meetings with elected officials to urge them to support the bill. Key targets can include the elected officials that represent your community, members of the committee that will be hearing the bill, and leaders of the legislature such as the Senate president and speaker of the House. It can also be helpful to meet with representatives from your state environmental agency.

How do you set up a meeting? There are a few ways to go about this. And we have some tips! But first, you’ll need to find contact information. You can use this database to get started.

Legislative Toolkits

Check out our model legislative toolkits and build a Zero Waste bill that addresses a waste issue you care about!

Toolkits

Infographic with six icons and blurbs highlighting the best ways for setting up meetings with state legislators.

Infographic with three icons and blurbs highlighting how to strategize for meetings with state legislators.

Infographic with four icons and blurbs highlighting what to do during meetings with state legislators.

Infographic with five icons and blurbs highlighting what to do for follow-up after meetings with state legislators.

Publicize the Bill

Another great way to support the bill you’re working on is to draft a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed.

Letter to the Editor (LTE)

A brief piece – usually less than 300 words – that anyone can write and submit to a newspaper or magazine. An LTE can take a position for or against an issue, or simply inform readers about the issue. Using a few carefully placed letters, you can generate plenty of community discussion. You can also keep an issue going by preventing it from disappearing from the public eye.

Opinion Piece (Op-ed)

A longer piece – usually around 650-750 words – that anyone can write and submit to a newspaper or magazine. An op-ed expresses a clear thought or opinion about a specific topic. The goal is to explain your perspective and opinion on a matter.

Interested in Pushing for Zero Waste Policies in Your Town or City?

Several of the Zero Waste policies in Just Zero’s legislative toolkits can also work in your town or city. For example, local communities throughout the U.S. have led the way when it comes to banning certain single use plastics. Some have banned trash burning facilities within their borders. While others have banned the disposal of food waste at landfills and incinerators.

In some ways, working with your town or city government to implement local Zero Waste solutions can offer a more clear path forward. But the structure of local government – and the processes for introducing, reviewing, and passing local laws (usually referred to as ordinances) – can vary widely from state to state and town to town.

Most communities in the U.S. rely on a town or city council to enact ordinances. Identifying and reaching out to your town or city councilor to talk about Zero Waste policies is usually a great place to start. Our suggestions for meeting with key decision-makers can help when it comes to setting up that meeting or building support for Zero Waste policies on your town or city council.

Need Help?

If you need any assistance navigating your state or local lawmaking process, please reach out to us for help!