Make Your Voice Heard! IAFSM Legislative Committee Update

Legislative

March 1, 2017

The work of the Legislative Committee primarily consists of monitoring legislation as it is drafted and introduced. After introduction, the committee will draft position papers or correspondence to be approved by the IAFSM Board and executed by the IAFSM President. As a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, IAFSM cannot lobby. Our role is to inform, explain and educate our legislators regarding the technical aspects of floodplain and stormwater management. With membership across the State of Illinois, IAFSM is in a unique position to understand technical issues from a number of perspectives.

One important aspect of success is the relationship of individual IAFSM members with their legislators. The most successful relationships build over a number of General Assembly and Congressional sessions and years. Elected officials appreciate learning how things work from their constituents. As a result, they get the most benefit when hearing about an issue from experts within their district.

The first step to implement this relationship-building and information-sharing aspect of the legislative outreach effort is for the Legislative Committee to have the home (voting) addresses for IAFSM members. IAFSM can provide willing members with the names of their legislators and tips for reaching out and forming a relationship, so that the constituent can share information directly. If you are willing to be a point of direct contact, please provide your home address to Sarah Harbaugh at iafsm@illinoisfloods.org.

At the 2017 meeting, a number of IAFSM members expressed interest in the committee. There are a number of roles to be filled and goals to be accomplished. Please contact Committee Chair, Kay Whitlock, at kwhitlock@cbbel.com if you are also interested in serving on the Legislative Committee.