State Legislatures Magazine: January 1999

Editor's Note: These articles appeared in the January 1999 issue of NCSL's magazine, State Legislatures. To order copies or to subscribe, contact the marketing department at (303) 364-7700.

15 Tips for Being an Effective Legislator

Honor the Institution
Take the High Road
Master the Rules
Know Where to Get Help
Manage Your Time
Develop a Specialty
Vote Your Conscience
Don't Burn Bridges
Keep Your Word
Be Careful What You Agree To
Don't Hog the Mike
Stay in Touch with Your Constituents
Work with the Media
Stop and Smell the Roses

15 Tips for Being an Effective Legislator

Being a legislator is one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever have, the most frustrating and sometimes the most rewarding. A few hints from experts may help.

HONOR THE INSTITUTION
You don’t have to take yourself too seriously, but you should revere the Legislature as an institution.—Speaker Donna Sytek, New Hampshire

Thomas Jefferson did it, and so did James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and other builders of our governmental institutions. They worked tirelessly to make representative government work. Now, the well-being of your state legislature is in your hands. Preserve and protect it so it remains a strong, co-equal branch of government that citizens can respect. Legislative service is one of democracy’s worthiest pursuits. It is an important duty that deserves our time, attention and dedication.

To work well, government requires a bond of trust between citizens and their representatives. To tear down government diminishes your ability to solve problems in the legislature. When you demean the institution, you demean yourself.

Try to appeal to the best instincts in the electorate, talk about what you stand for, what you intend to do during your time in office and then work as hard as you can to fulfill those promises. Remember why you ran for office—to make a difference, a difference for the better.

TAKE THE HIGH ROAD
There’s one easy rule. If you have to ask if it’s ethical, it isn’t.—Senate President Richard Finan, Ohio

If it won’t "read good" tomorrow, don’t do it today. That’s the advice a veteran Tennessee legislator follows in judging those instances that are perfectly legal, but could look bad. Would you be embarrassed to see your actions reported in the newspaper? Make sure you understand your state’s ethics codes and adhere strictly to them. New legislators are rarely prepared for close scrutiny of their behavior. Nor do they recognize the impact of their behavior on the institution. It’s hard sometimes to find out "how to act," but start with your state’s statutes on conflict of interest, campaign contributions and dealing with lobbyists. Avoid even the appearance of impropriety—always take the high road. Understanding legislative etiquette and ethical responsibilities is vital, not only to the institution and your constituents but to yourself.

MASTER THE RULES
You have a distinct advantage over everyone else when you know the rules.—Betty King, secretary of the Senate, Texas

Play volleyball or tennis without knowing the rules? You know you’ll lose. The same goes for legislating. You need to know the rules. Unfortunately, you can’t curl up with the rules like you can a good novel. So it’s a good idea to carry them around with you to read as you see the process unfold. Soon they will start to make sense. Get to know experienced parliamentary experts (legislators and staff) and seek their advice routinely. And don’t ever fool yourself by presuming that you have conquered the rules—there’s always someone in your chamber who can challenge you.

KNOW WHERE TO GET HELP
Information is power. Learn how to acquire it; who has it; where to get it; how to use it. The more information you can process and learn to use, the more influence you can have.—Senator George Cunningham, Arizona

Get acquainted with staff members, not only legislative staff but key people in the governor’s office and cabinet offices. Look for expertise among members on both sides of the aisle. Other legislators have knowledge and experience—you can turn to them for advice and counsel, but you have to know who they are. Lobbyists also serve as resource people, but it’s important to ask for information on both sides of an issue. Remember, lobbyists are paid representatives whose job it is to sell a particular point of view.

Trust legislative staff. When you have the opportunity to hire staff, surround yourself with the most intelligent, dedicated staff you can find. Set aside 20 minutes or so before every committee meeting to review the bills on the agenda with legislative staff. Sometimes that 20 minutes may have to be two or three days before the meeting, but it will help you prepare.

MANAGE YOUR TIME
Put someone in charge of scheduling—a staffer or a volunteer. And don’t make appointments yourself unless you write them down and tell your scheduler or you’ll have to be in two places at once.—Jane Campbell, former representative, Ohio

It’s the effective legislator’s creed: Organize, prioritize, commit to those things you consider important. If you can do this, you’ll be ahead of the pack. An effective legislator is punctual: Get to the floor on time, get to your appointments on time, get to your committee meetings on time.

It’s the little things that trip you up—like deadlines. If you miss a bill filing, it could be a whole year before you can try again. If you’re late in filing campaign contributions (or don’t file at all), you might read about it in the paper or see it in your next opponent’s campaign brochure. So attend to the housekeeping chores.

DEVELOP A SPECIALTY
The only way to make a difference in the legislature is to narrow your focus and get involved in at least a couple of issues in depth.—Paul Hillegonds, former speaker of the House, Michigan

You can’t be an expert in all things. Choose your policy pursuits so you do a few tasks very well. Be selective in the bills you introduce.

Decide the issues you are going to specialize in and make a difference in two or three areas. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Pursue committee assignments in your areas of interest, get appointed to a task force and help negotiate an issue even if you aren’t the major sponsor of a bill. By being the point person on these issues, you will be the one members turn to for help and information. You will develop your negotiating skills and build your reputation as a serious lawmaker among your colleagues and outside the legislature.

VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE
Your constituents will understand and do not need to agree with you on every issue, especially if you tell them when you disagree.—Joe Mayo, clerk of the House and former legislator, Maine

Your constituents sent you to the legislature, and you must represent them. But you are also trustee of all the citizens of your state. And you want to sleep at night. Sometimes a hot issue presents nearly irreconcilable conflicts among these responsibilities. But you still have to come to a decision and vote. It may not please anybody, but remember that you are the only person you have to live with 24 hours a day, every day. The voters have already decided that they approve of your basic philosophies and have chosen to place their trust in you.

Make the commitment to communicate with your constituents about how you evaluate issues and arrive at decisions. That allows you not only to represent by listening, but to represent by leading, to help shape opinions. It will give you latitude with people who may not always agree with you, but who will respect you for thinking through issues.

DON’T BURN BRIDGES
Every issue has at least two points of view. The effective legislator is the one who can appreciate all sides and work with all factions to create a solution that everyone can support.—Representative Ann Torr, New Hampshire

It’s going to happen. You’re going to disagree and become upset and sometimes even dislike another legislator. But remember that today’s adversary may be tomorrow’s ally. If a person is not on your side of the fence today, you may both be there tomorrow. So learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. Don’t react emotionally or in anger on the floor to something someone has said. The things you say in these cases will come back to haunt you. You might create an unnecessary enemy, one thing you don’t need in the legislature.

People don’t have to like you, but if they respect you and know you are going to play it straight—you’ll be all right. If you get up and hit someone in the nose, even metaphorically, it will likely cost you down the road.

KEEP YOUR WORD
Credibility is everything in politics. Lose it and you lose your effectiveness.—David Helbach, former senator, Wisconsin

Ben Franklin was right. Honesty is the best policy in life and in the legislature. A legislator’s effectiveness and reputation are only as good as his or her word. Without truth there can be no trust. If you promise someone your vote, deliver. A good working relationship, whether with your fellow legislators or your constituents, depends on their ability to believe what you say. Sometimes after you have promised to vote a certain way, you will get additional information that changes your mind. When this happens, tell the people you need to that you’ve changed your mind. Remember, credibility is the coin of the realm around the legislature, and you can’t be effective if you are perceived as untrustworthy.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU AGREE TO
The good old boy and the good old girl process in the legislature can get you into a lot of trouble. I know people who have signed on to bills and when the bill came to committee they were absolutely opposed to it—but there they were, signed on as a sponsor.—Larry Campbell, former speaker of the House, Oregon

The casual co-sponsorship of bills promises minor rewards and major headaches. When in doubt—don’t. Be careful not to let socializing on the floor, friendship and trust come before scrutiny of a bill. Too often, you’ll end up having to vote against a bill that you’ve signed on to sponsor. One protection is a 24-hour waiting period. No matter how much you like a person and normally trust that person’s views, make sure you understand the bill. Take time to decide. If they really want you as one of the sponsors, they’ll wait a day.

DON’T HOG THE MIKE
Always do your homework before speaking on the floor. Be brief and to the point. Speaking on every bill or going to the microphone too often can diminish your effectiveness.—Senator Fred Risser, Wisconsin

When you make a speech on the floor, always prepare in advance and make sure that your topic is something that’s important to you. Don’t talk about everything. Even if you are an expert in everything, you risk wearing out your welcome everywhere if you feel the need to hold forth on every bill.

For some years in the Oregon House, the most effective legislator was a member who spoke at the mike only three or four times during the session. Yet when he rose to speak, all eyes were on him. When he spoke everyone listened.

STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS
Too often we get caught up in the antics of the Capitol and those who elect us seem far removed. When election time rolls around we find we’ve become political insiders, not representatives of our district.—Valerie Brown, former assemblywoman, California

Try to develop and maintain good contact with your constituents. This is an overwhelming task, but it’s critical. Return phone calls, answer letters, have town meetings or whatever it takes to let your constituents know who you are and that you are approachable and responsible to the people you represent. Besides, it makes the job a lot more interesting if you really know the people you represent.

Remember, it’s hard to build a bond with your constituents simply through press releases. A press release tends to put the best light on something you’ve done without really sharing how you arrived at the decision. If you have any writing skills at all and you care about policy, it’s well worth the time to write a weekly column for your constituents and the news media. It’s important to think through the issues before a decision and to explain to your constituents—either before or after you vote—how you got there yourself.

WORK WITH THE MEDIA
A good relationship with your local and statehouse press corps begins on your first day in office.—Senate President Donald DiFrancesco, New Jersey

Your relationship with the media doesn’t have to be adversarial. Recognize that reporters have a responsibility to keep the public informed and that they take that charge seriously. Be aggressive. Call reporters regularly to inform them about your position on issues and the work you are doing. Focus on the policy process and the issues, not just on partisan differences and conflict. Present information that is easy to understand and use. Know your local newspapers’ deadlines. Call writers back promptly.

When the media do a good job, acknowledge it. At the same time, don’t hesitate to ask for corrections of distortions in facts or other errors in stories.

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES
Voters want you to be a person. They want to know you aren’t neglecting your family, your business, your job.—Senator David Nething, North Dakota

In politics it’s a struggle to maintain a normal private life. Politicians can be tempted to take family members for granted, to treat them as appendages, decorations on campaign literature, free help when envelopes need to be licked. Sometimes it’s hard to resist self-importance. The thought flickers in the back of the politician’s mind: I shouldn’t have to carry out the trash, make the bed, mow the lawn. The grand responsibilities and acclaim that come with holding public office can be unhealthy substitutes for intimacy, ordinary friendships and meeting the simple responsibilities of life. Busyness can crowd out reflection. The attention of others can substitute for an interior life.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Eat right. Get some regular exercise. And make time for yourself. A Florida legislator has a set time to be home every night of the session: no more legislative activities after 9:30. This sometimes pays off in other ways. A Maryland legislator who stopped going to evening events because of a new baby at home found himself in "his most productive session ever." Time at home also translated into time for preparation and reflection.

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