Rep. Denny Coffman recommends this Workshop on HOW TO LEGISLATE.

This article is from West Hawaii Today 12/8/09

This is an excellent workshop for those interested in the legislative process and how laws are made and how to become involved. I recommend this. Denny,


Workshop offered on how to use legislative process
by Kim Eaton
West Hawaii Today
keaton@westhawaiitoday.com

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 8:44 AM HST

Big Island residents will have an opportunity to learn how they can contribute to the legislative process over the next two weeks.

During a series of free workshops entitled "We the Powerful," community members will learn different ways they can submit testimony from home, receive an overview of the legislative process and discover who the major players are at the Capitol, what they do and why.

The workshops are designed to provide neighbor island residents with the resources needed to participate in government processes from home, said Suzanne Marinelli, public access coordinator.

"People are so frustrated with a sense of powerlessness," she said. "But the Legislature needs citizens' input. The citizens are the authorities of what works and what doesn't work in their lives. We're trying to give (the citizens) better tools on how to communicate that information to the Legislature."

Conducted by the Public Access Room, a division of the state's nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau, the workshops will provide assistance in writing and delivering effective testimony either in person or via the Internet, help make sense of the latest innovations that can be found on the Legislature's Web site and understand the deadlines.

Last year, the Public Access Room conducted 23 neighbor island workshops with as few as one person to as many as 35 people in attendance, Marinelli said.

"Typically, the people who come are ones who have been involved in the government some way and just need some additional tools and resources," she said.

The 90-minute workshop includes a PowerPoint presentation, some handouts and a question-and-answer session. Marinelli encouraged people to ask questions as they come up, so the questions are not forgotten.

While the goal is to impart an understanding of how community members can be more involved in the legislative process, Marinelli said they "never, ever, ever empower anybody."

"The power was the citizens all along," she said. "The people just need to know how to use that power effectively."
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Public Access Room workshop schedule
5:30 p.m. Thursday at Honokaa Public Library
6 p.m. Monday at Naalehu School cafeteria
5:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at Hilo Public Library
5:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at Kailua-Kona Liquor Control conference room
For more information, call 974-4000, ext. 70478.