By: Blake Andonov, Government Affairs Assistant
For many of us, it’s been a few years since high school, or even middle school, civics. At IEC, our job is to work with government—from the executive to the legislative branches—to strengthen environmental protections that benefit all Illinoisans. That’s why for the past several years we’ve made civics for Illinois environmentalists trainings a priority.
Our movement is successful because you’ve shown up to help pass landmark legislation like the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. It’s important that you have the power to advocate for the issues you care about! We love that Illinoisans are enthusiastic about helping us and their communities build power for people and the environment. That’s why we created our wildly popular Civics for Environmentalists training.
Here’s a list of the top 6 things you need to know to get your advocacy journey started!
The Legislative Process and Calendar
The Illinois General Assembly regular legislative session typically runs from Jan-May each year. During that time, bills are introduced in either the Senate or House chamber, followed by committee, and then to the floor for a vote. Then it goes to the next chamber and repeats the process. Each chamber has internal deadlines for each step of the process. These deadlines can help you as an advocate determine whether your lawmaker is in their district or in Springfield and whether a bill is moving forward or not. At IEC, these deadlines inform how we notify you to keep the pressure on to move environmental bills forward. We’ll get into all the nitty-gritty details of the process during our upcoming Civics for Environmentalists!
Grassroots Lobbying
You don’t need to be an expert on a bill. As constituents, you just need to share your story with your legislator. This is one of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard. Some good examples of grassroots efforts include social media, calling their office, setting up meetings with legislators, postal letters, and more. One great way to do this is by joining IEC Lobby Days! We’ve made it easy and have multiple opportunities to get involved during the legislative session.
Action Alerts
A meaningful and effective way to help move bills through the legislative process is through digital action! IEC regularly creates customizable action alerts that make it easy for your legislators to hear directly from you via email. We send them out through email, social media and can be found on our website. As more folks take this action, our efforts during the legislative session grow more effective.
You Can Watch Committee Hearings Live
Committee hearings are broadcast live at ilga.gov. Our team often watches these hearings to learn more about the status of bills or to support our staff or partners who are testifying. Tune in to see if you spot us!
Witness Slips
Every once in a while, we ask our community to submit witness slips. At IEC, we utilize witness slips sparingly for critical bills where we want to show organizational support or opposition and to demonstrate broad support or opposition to a bill. Witness slips can be helpful to our movement, but it’s more impactful to make sure your legislators hear from you directly!
Tip: If you file a witness slip, make sure to follow up with your legislator on issues that are important to you.
Watch Civics for Environmentalists
You can watch previous Civics for Environmentalists trainings on our YouTube channel! Here, you’ll find various versions of this training, as well as our Chicago-focused civics training.
Join us in thanking David McEllis of ELPC for his years of partnership on this event!
About the Author
Blake Andonov joined the Illinois Environmental Council in the Spring of 2023 as the Government Affairs Assistant. Prior to joining IEC, Blake worked in the Clerk’s Office for the Illinois House of Representatives as the Information Resource Clerk, gaining key experience interfacing with legislators directly on the House Floor and in committees. He joined IEC so he could work directly with legislators to influence environmental legislation.