Equality Federation’s Legislative Action Center (LAC) is a proactive state legislative tracking and assistance program that will serve Federation partners, coalition members, and movement leadership and staff.

The LAC has 3 objectives. First, to hold our ground on bills that are harmful to the LGBTQ community. Second, to make gains on policies that protect the LGBTQ community. Third, to improve the efficacy of government affairs advocacy at state Capitols in all 50 states.

The work will unfold through the Federation’s unprecedented 50 state legislative tracking system – from conversion therapy bans to religious exemptions to preemption bills  and beyond – all legislation potentially impacting the LGBTQ community will be monitored from introduction to the Governor’s desk. When a bill is introduced that warrants monitoring, Federation staff will provide resources, training, and assistance to state leaders in real-time. We will reach out to partners and advocates with appropriate resources, such as talking points, constituent support modeling, sample press releases, and planning assistance. We will also be ready to connect you to resources outside of the Federation, such as legal analysis or digital advocacy assistance. During session, our Fairness Project Website will serve as a private, password protected repository for written resources to help advocates plan, communicate, and act.

To develop knowledge about bills and wisdom on best practices, the Federation will convene periodic phone calls and establish an email working group. These meetings will serve as opportunities to network, share information, and get experience-based suggestions from other states. Policy areas spanning many states may result in issue-based task forces to tackle policy areas of high concern.

By providing exceptional and proactive support to Federation members, LGBTQ coalitions, and other partners working in the states, we can defeat anti-LGBTQ legislation and pass pro-active legislation—all while being flexible to the changing conditions on the ground.

For more information about the Federation’s Legislative Action Center, please contact Amanda McLain-Snipes at amanda@equalityfederation.org.

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