Legislation Writing 101: A Guide to Drafting Legislation

Steps in Drafting Legislation

  1. 1. Decide if your idea or plan of action is better as a bill or as a resolution.
    1. A. A Bill outlines specific policy actions that the BCSG can take.
    2. B. A Resolution offers an official position on an issue. Often used for matters outside the direct control of the BCSG.
  2. 2. Articulate exactly that which you want to accomplish through the legislation.
  3. 3. Gather any necessary background information to justify the action.
  4. 4. Fit the background and plan of action into the appropriate template linked at left.
  5. 5. PROOFREAD! Avoid looking stupid. Do it yourself or ask a friend.
  6. 5. Submit the word document to the RA Chair at least 36 hours before the next meeting. If submitted later, it can be discussed, but voting is defered to the meeting after.

Anatomy of Legislation

At the top of the piece of legislation are three items of interest: the legislation number, the legislation type (bill, resolution, executive appointment), and the bill title.

The legislation number is found in the top-right corner and is assigned by the Chair of the RA. The legislation type and legislation title are self-explanatory.

The body of a piece of legislation consists of two major parts: (1) Reasons why this legislation is necessary; and (2) Actions that should be taken due to those reasons.

The first part of the body consists of "whereas" clauses which outline the arguments, facts, and circumstances supporting the action to be taken. Each "whereas" clause except the last, ends in ";". The next-to-last clause ends in "; and".

The last "whereas" clause ends in ": Now, therefore, be it". This leads into the second part of the body, which begins with "Enacted," (for Bills and Executive Appointments) or "Resolved," (for Resolutions).

Following this phrase are sections which describe what is being enacted or resolved. Each section ends with ";". The next-to-last section ends with "; and", and the last ends with ".". Section numbers may be used, but are not always necessary.

The final part of a piece of legislation are the signers. This should be the author and class year (ex. Bob Bates '09) on one line followed by title on the next line (ex. Representative, Class of 2009). Cosponsors (if any) are listed after in the same fashion.