Iowa Legislature- www.legis.state.ia.us

How to…

• Track Legislation
• Contact Legislators
• Learn About the Legislative Process
• Stay Up to Date
• Get Involved

How to Track Legislation:

• http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Legislation.html
• Left hand tab labeled Track Legislation
  • Search by bill number (most direct method).
  • Search by subject (ex: pharmacy) 
• Bill Watch – Allows user to select specific bills of interest and receive email updates of information on those bills.  A free service.

How to Contact Legislators:

• http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/LegislatorInfo.aspx
• Left hand tab labeled Legislators
• Click on Find Your Legislator link if you do not know your legislators.  Input either your address or zip code and a list of Federal and State representatives will be provided.
  • Addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses are provided through this link.

• Click on List of Senators or Representatives – all legislators are listed on their corresponding lists in alphabetical order.  All their contact information is provided as well as their list of committees.
• The Committees tab is found also on the left hand side of the page.  This lists all the standing committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.  By selecting an individual committee, all committee member information appears.
  • Health care related bills are generally referred to the Human Resources committee initially.
• Committees do the research behind most bills presented to their chamber.  The fate of a bill is highly influenced by the action of a committee.  When a bill in committee is a crucial time to contact key legislators.           

How to Learn About the Legislative Process:

• http://www.legis.state.ia.us/Educational.html
• Left hand tab labeled Educational
• Resources available under this link include documents on:
  • A Guide to General Assembly
  • The Three Branches of Government
  • Organizational Chart of the General Assembly
  • How A Bill Becomes A Law
  • What is a Legislator
  • Legislative Information  
• The Guide to General Assembly is the most comprehensive and provides a complete overview of the entire structure and function of the Iowa Legislature.
• The other documents are brief overviews of specific parts of the legislative process.

How to Stay Up to Date:

• Both tabs Publications and In the Chambers have tools to keep you informed.
• Publications:
  • Publications are available at various time increments during the regular session.
• In the Chambers:
  • Provides daily updates and calendars of legislative activity as well as committee schedules.
• Email publication:
  • Available via email for daily legislative activity, interim calendar of events, notices of website updates, daily bill information, and the Administrative Rules Review committee.

How to Get Involved:

• Contact your legislators when key issues impacting pharmacy arise.  You can contact them via email, written letter, or by phone. 

o       Lobbying 101

o       Face-to-Face meeting tips

o       Phone Call tips

o       Letter Writing Tips

• Participate in Legislative Day hosted annually by IPA.
• Sign up for the IPA Legislative Alert System.
• Visit the capitol and meet with your legislators.
• Vote and encourage others to signup and vote.

o       Voter registration

o       Iowa Absentee Voting

• Volunteer for a campaign or with the party.

o      Iowa Democratic Party - Volunteer information under the Take Action! tab on left side bar

o      Iowa Republican Party - Volunteer tab located on the upper right side of the homepage