The meeting is far from the only way for city and town officials to keep up with what’s happening at the State House. Here are numerous channels of information that officials can follow along with as the legislative session progresses:
- Subscribe to the From the Dome to Your Home weekly legislative report. The report is delivered by email every Friday during the session. It looks at what’s happening with all legislation that could impact cities and towns, with a close focus on any bills that would help achieve the 2023 – 24 Advocacy Initiatives developed by the Municipal Association, such as a ban on “squat trucks,” statewide hate crimes legislation and stronger penalties for illegal fentanyl tracking.
- Listen to the From the Dome to Your Home podcast. This weekly podcast takes a deeper dive into legislative action as it happens. The first couple of episodes this season include an overall preview of the legislative session as well as a review of the earliest action on fentanyl trafficking, squat truck prohibitions and the effort to regulate municipal election dates.
- Review the Municipal Association’s advocacy handbook. The handbook, Raising Hometown Voices to a New Level of Influence, outlines the basics of communicating successfully with the legislators representing a city or town. The most important takeaway is the importance of establishing a relationship with the local legislative delegation before asking for something. The Association also maintains a directory of which municipalities are represented by each member of the House and member of the Senate to make sure that local officials know with whom in the General Assembly they should be communicating.