How to Use the Center for People in Need’s

Legislative Website

Dear Volunteer and Supporter:

Thank you for your interest in our agency. We hope to provide you with a quick and easy way to advocate for issues you care about in your community, as well as on the state and nationwide levels.  In order to give you all the tools you need to speak out and voice your concerns about issues affecting those in need, we have established a comprehensive database set up in an easy-to-use format, specifically tailored to the needs of advocates.

The first step in accessing our database is using our web-site. On our homepage you will find several links across the top of the page about current issues and links on the right-hand side containing information about our agency. Feel free to browse around our site to learn more about the other programs our Center offers.

The easiest way to keep on top of Legislation is to use our website to sign up as a volunteer. By clicking on the Volunteer Action tab at the top of any page in the Web site, you’ll be taken to our Volunteer Sign-up form. Here, you will be asked to fill out information about how we can contact you, as well as some issue areas of your interest.  After clicking on the “Continue to the next step” button, you’ll be taken to a page that tells us what kind of specific action you’d like to take on of the issues you are interested in.  By submitting the form after you’ve filled it out, we’ll let you know when action is needed on those issues – essentially keeping track of them for you.  When action is needed, we’ll send you an e-mail containing information on an item of interest, a sample letter and the names and contact information of who you need to talk to about it. It takes no time at all to be an advocate and to make a difference!

If you’d like to see what issues the Center for People in Need is currently tracking, use Current Legislation tab on the top of any page in the database and will be taken to a list of bills the Center for People in Need is currently “tracking.” These issues have been chosen because they were identified by other agencies and volunteers have identified as important issues.  The list is quite lengthy because we serve many different agencies in the community who all have varied interests, as well as volunteers who have all identified different issues they would like to advocate about.  In order to find an issue that might affect your directly or is of interest to you, use the Issues Quick Link at the top right-hand side of the Web site.  You can choose form a list of 20 issues. If you don’t find it in one area, please look in another.  If you know the number of the bill you are tracking, for instance, LB 1083, you can search for this in our Bill Quick link at the top left-hand side of the site and you’ll be directed to the appropriate bill.

Each bill will first be listed with an abbreviated set of information including a brief description, an Action Alert icon if it has one, a link to the actual bill text if it has one and a Details icon. Once you find a bill you’d like to know more about, click on its Details icon and this will take you to a page with various pieces of information about the bill. You’ll find a link to look at the actual bill, amendments to the bill, names of Legislative committee members, quick links to e-mail any of them, bill sponsors and the status of the bill, and an Action Alert message if it has one. Along the bottom you will also find more web-sites containing any information of interest to that particular issue area and links to agencies that have identified that bill as a “Very Important” issue.

For many of our bills and issues, we frequently have “Action Alerts.”  Not only do we want those interested in that particular issue to address their representative about it, but we’ll ask all of our grassroots volunteers to do so as well. On this Legislative Page, you’ll see a message if an Action Alert is needed. It will also give you the names of who you need to talk to, and what to say.  If you would like to see all of our issues that need Action Alerts, go to our Action Alerts page to see a list by clicking on the Action Alerts tab at the top of each page.  As a volunteer you will be contacted for Action Alerts for your areas of interest.

Thank you for your time and for your interest in the Center for People in Need.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about signing up to volunteer through our website.

Sincerely

Beatty Brasch

Executive Director