The Florida Legislature is the Legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution, adopted in 1968, defines the role of the Legislature and how it is to be constituted. This session is designed to walk the attendee through the legislative process and how a proposed bill becomes law.

One of the major roles of a legislature is representation – representing various constituencies, mainly people in each lawmaker's electoral district, but also organized groups and individuals elsewhere in the state. The question is, how well does the legislature perform its representational tasks? This session is designed for you to hear the perspective of the Legislator regarding the process and how to balance between personal and public opinion.

Explore the Florida State Capital Building and learn to navigate its many halls and stairways.

Legislators are like us, many times they only know about a topic by what they see in the paper or Google regarding our issues. By following some simple guidelines and a few helpful hints, you can develop a relationship with your elected official. While some dynamics may change at the federal or local level, the approach to elected officials applies at all levels of government.

This session is designed to give you confidence in your ability to educate the Legislator on the background of your organization and its latest issues. (Box Lunch Provided)

Legislative lobbying in Florida is any activity between a registered legislative branch lobbyist and an elected official or legislative staff that involves working to influence the outcome of a policy issue or position within the legislative branch. This session is designed to help the attendee understand the difference between lobbying and “grassroot” initiatives and what you can and cannot do in your discussions with Legislators and/or legislative staff.

Testifying before a legislative committee will be a positive experience for you if you follow some simple rules and prepare ahead of time. Effective testimony should not be a frightening or intimidating experience, but rather the use of common sense, personal relations and communication skills in a more formal setting.

This session will provide the attendee with the “rules of the road” relating to delivering an “expert” persuasive testimony before Legislative Committee.

So, the proposed bill passes…now it’s time for rule development. This process is guided by a set of core principles and begins with the Department or Agency that has been authorized to draft the proposed rule. This session will outline the rule development process and provide guidance on how to navigate the bureaucracy while presenting an effective message.

In this session, FFCA leadership will discuss the Association’s key legislative priorities for the upcoming session.