Let me start by saying I’m no lobbyist or legislative expert. But I recently helped get a bill passed in the 2023 Oregon legislature.

It was the first time I’ve ever worked on such a challenge.

Thanks to efforts by my outstanding state representative and a very supportive community, I was able to get my bill supporting Oregon benefit companies (benefit corporations) to the governor’s desk and her signing on July 31, 2023.

If you’re interested in doing something similar in your state, county or city, you might consider these 10 steps that guided me through this work:

1.       Clarify the reason why the bill warrants passage in your state

2.       Find an advocate (Senator/Representative) who supports your idea

3.       Seek out others who have done similar things in your state or other states

4.       Build a coalition of people ready to support your bill with written or verbal testimony

5.       Stand-by to call other senators and representatives (working with your own legislator’s chief-of-staff and office) to ask for their support or answer their questions

6.       Crystallize your verbal testimony (usually 2 minutes or less); find the key bullet points and be ready to communicate them succinctly

7.       Greet and respect the other legislators prior to presenting your testimony

8.       Keep a daily eye on what written testimony has been uploaded (both pro and con)

9.       Continue to support your Representative or their Chief-of-Staff  in asking how can support them

10.   Get feed-back from your own legislator. If your bill doesn’t get through the first time, try it again in the next legislative session possibly with some modifications.

Finally, if you’re interested in passing similar benefit corporation legislation in your state, please contact me as I’m more than happy to share some of the resources and assets we used. Just contact me at tom@benefitcorporationsforgood.com

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