Intro to Legal Codes for Citizen Activists

In order to impact legal change at a local level, citizen activists need to understand and work within the processes used to create and change laws.

1. Definitions

   1. Amendment - change to existing law

   2. Bill - a proposed law

   3. Code - statutes or ordinances compiled and arranged by subject

   4. Title - the broad subject heading under which a law is classified

   5. Law

   6. Statutory - law based on current, written statue

   7. Common - law made by judges in cases based on precedent

   8. Ordinance - law passed by City or County

   9. Regulation - law passed by an agency

   10. Statute - law passed by Legislature

2. Know Your Jurisdictions You are subject to federal, state, county and probably city codes. (Many cities in Washington State do not have their own codes. Check your state Constitution and City Charter for more information, or call the city clerk). Collect the relevant code sections governing your area of interest, and bookmark them. Codes can change at any time. Stay up-to-date on amendments or new sections being added.

3. Focus on the Language You Want to Change Is it state law or city ordinance? Why does it need to change? Compare it to other city or state code sections on the same topic.

4. Formulate Amendments If it is a state law that you want to change, you must adhere to the Legislature’s bill drafting guide. This is usually available at the Legislature’s website. You can also ask the State Law Librarian’s office for help. If it is a City or County Code, look for the bill drafting guide on the Clerk’s website. You can bypass the City Council or the State Legislature by proposing an Initiative. See the City and State websites for details, but know that you will need to gather signatures, correctly formulate the proposed language and meet other requirements.

5. Sponsorship and Hearings You will need a sponsor for your bill. Ask your local representative if they are willing, or look for other legislative members that share your interest. Once the bill is submitted, has a sponsor, and is analyzed by the legal team, it will be assigned a number and begin its journey through the adoption process. Each jurisdiction’s process is unique, so visit the city or legislature’s website to see what happens next. A bill is usually assigned to a committee, and there may be hearings held. The public may be able to testify at these hearings.

6. Build a Coalition Add heft to your efforts by building a coalition that supports your efforts to make the changes you view as critical. Coalitions can help spread your message, increase your influence, and provide additional insight to your position. One fantastic example of a coalition is the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, which is one of very few in the nation and was established in 2000.

7. Once the Bill is Passed A bill becomes law at the time of the Mayor’s signature, or after the Governor’s signature and dismissal of the Legislative session. Check the code for the effective date.

8. Washington State Abbreviations

   1. RCW and RCWA - Revised Code of Washington (Annotated)

   2. KCC - King County Code

   3. SMC - Seattle Municipal Code

9. Additional Resources for Washington State Residents

   1. https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/Pages/bill_drafting_guide.aspx

   2. https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/Clerk/Guides/BillToLaw_brochure.pdf

   3. https://library.municode.com/wa

   4. https://mrsc.org/Home.aspx (While not really a public library, this website has a wealth of information about the government in Washington state)