Improvements on the way for the weekly legislative report

By Casey Fields, Manager for Municipal Advocacy

The second half of the 2015-2016 legislative session begins on January 12 with several new faces in the House and Senate, a couple of new committee appointments and new issues to consider. 

Something else new? We are making some upgrades to our weekly legislative report, From the Dome to your Home, and adding a podcast. Look for a Dome on December 18 to roll out the new look!

Because of the  Municipal Association’s new responsive design website, we’ve been able to update the look and feel of the weekly report: 

• Easier to access and read on your smart phone or tablet.
• More links to get you to much more in-depth information on individual bills and issues.
• Several ways to find out what’s happened each week in committees and on the floor. 
• Less time scrolling down and more time reading and taking action.

Here’s how it will look different. First, the whole text of the Dome will no longer be in the text of an email, so less scrolling on your device. On Fridays during the legislative session before noon, you will get an email with new graphics that gives you a broad summary and a link to the full Dome report on the website.

Click on the email link, and it will take you directly to the whole weekly report on Municipal Association’s new responsive design website. Here you will find what you always have enjoyed - a synopsis of the big issues of the week along with summaries of committee hearings.

It will be a much easier way to find what you are looking for!

A new way you can stay in the loop with legislative happenings is by listening to our new podcast, City Quick Connect. This “we promise it will always be less than six minutes” audio broadcast will be linked from the Dome.

Typically it will be a quick interview with one of our legislative staff about a committee hearing that week, a legislator with interest in one of our bills or someone who has expertise in legislative topics of interest to our members.

My girl needed a makeover – she’s had the same look for nine years now. It was time. Especially with our new responsive design website and its compatibility with smart phones and tablets, it made sense to incorporate the legislative report into a format that helps our members get more information in a more convenient way.

Take advantage of the changes in the Dome, especially those additional tools in our tracking system. Study bills, leave your comments and provide feedback. Always, if there is a bill that you need us to follow for your individual municipality, don’t hesitate to tell us.

Happy New Legislative Year! Keep your ringer on, your ears on the podcast, and your eyes on the email. We will be calling. If you have any questions or need help navigating the new look, email or call at 803.933.1256.