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Courses >
Course Schedule
Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments
A hands-on how
to program
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This course helps anyone draft,
revise, and review bills and amendments, with lessons especially useful to those who
review legislation, prepare reports, or draft legislation and other
formal legislative documents. In this course
our expert faculty explain the role of the OMB, examine various formats and explore ways to choose the most appropriate one for your issue.
You will learn how to:
- Define your audience and
broaden your measure's appeal
- Assess existing law and
policy objectives before putting pen to paper
- Structure bills and
amendments to streamline the drafting process
- Comply with the U.S. Code rules of construction, style, grammar and punctuation guide
- Use drafting styles that work in your favor
- Apply drafting language to your ideas and goals via hands-on exercises
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Review legislation drafted by others
The leadership competencies for this course include:
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Strategic Thinking
- Written Communication
This is an elective course for the
Certificate
in Congressional Operations.
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Bring this course to your
site.
This course and any combination of its
topics are available as
custom on-site training for
your organization. We have tailored this course for
attorneys, paralegals, legislative counsel,
inspectors general, and
others in agencies, legislatures, and law and
lobbying firms. For
more information about how this training can help your
staff, please contact
our client liaison. |
Space is limited.
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please select
the next available date.
Click this link to add this program to your Google calendar (opens current month in new window or tab).
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Course materials include the
Training Edition of
"Legislative Drafter's Deskbook," by Tobias A. Dorsey.
"[A]n essential tool
for anyone who drafts legislation or interprets the law."
-- William K. Suter,
Clerk of the United States Supreme Court
"An essential and
indispensable book, both as a reference work and as a thorough
introduction to Federal legislative drafting."
-- Frank Burk,
Legislative
Counsel of the United States Senate 1991-1998
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Agenda |
| Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments |
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9:00 -
4:30 pm
(networking lunch at noon)
Preparing to Put Pen to Paper
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Analyze the problem, facts, and existing law
-Determine the policy to be drafted and the law to be addressed
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Decide which approach and drafting style to use
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Understand the differences between a positive and non-positive law
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Understand the amendment process: form and technique
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Use special provisions designed to clarify and simplify
Organization and Structural Guidelines
Drafting "Rules," Style and Practical Tips
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Learn punctuation rules, practical tips and suggestions on legislative style, grammar, and specific wording
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Gain awareness of general drafting problems
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Review basic rules of construction as outlined in the United States Code
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Discuss the NPR executive order on "writing in plain English" and legislative branch requirements
OMB Approval and
Transmittal Processes for Federal Agencies
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Understand the Office of Management and Budget legislative clearance process required before a Federal agency may submit legislation, testimony, or comments on pending bills to Congress
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Discuss the legislative proposal package used to transmit a federal agency’s approved legislation to the Hill; this package includes a "Speaker letter," draft bill, and section analysis
Mini-Practicum
Legislative Drafting
Practicum: Putting Your Skills to the Test
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Participants will draft legislation in order to build their drafting skills
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A suggested solution will be provided
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The instructor will be available for questions
Insights, Observations
and Suggestions
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For a printable course description, agenda with dates, and registration form, click here.
PDF 
This course is
also available
as
a custom program.
Do
you need a training
course we don't offer or coverage of
an additional topic in this course?
If you have suggestions for courses or topics you would like to see us offer, please contact us or complete our
online suggestion form.
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Suggested
Prerequisites |
Familiarity
with Congressional documents, operations and
procedures, or our
How to Find, Track, and Monitor Congressional Documents course.
If
you need help deciding which courses you should take based
on your work experience or training, please contact
us via email
or phone: 703-739-3790.
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Rave
Reviews |
"We have been on the fringe of legislative drafting. This will help us move
into this arena effectively."
-- Director of Federal Affairs, HIMSS
"Excellent! Really enjoyed the practical exercises. Very helpful, excellent
instruction."
-- Gatha Manns
"Will directly aid in
my legislative drafting skills."
-- Deputy
Director, Legislative Reference Service, DoD
"Have a much better
understanding of presenting alternatives to proposed
legislation. The materials are wonderful."
"Even for individuals
involved in legislation on a daily basis, this
program has something for everyone."
-- Associate
Director, American College of Cardiology
See
more testimonials about this course.
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Time
and Dates |
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
If you get a "Wait
List Only" message when registering, please select
the next available date.
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Location |
July 13, 2011:
Location in Washington, DC will be announced
before course.
Other dates:
Location
in Washington, DC will be announced
before course. Our courses are held at
these Washington, DC, locations.
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Course
Materials |
Materials
include
the Training Edition of
Legislative Drafter's Deskbook by Tobias A. Dorsey
and a course manual.
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Tuition |
$595
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please
select the next available date.
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Discounts |
When 4 people from the same
organization register and pay together, the 4th person is
free. When 8 people from the same organization register and
pay together, the 4th and 8th persons are both free. See complete
details here.
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Certificate of
Training
and
CEUs
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A Certificate of
Training is available for this
course.
To get a
Certificate of
Training,
your registration fee must be paid in full, and you
must attend the entire course.
 This course is
approved for .6
CEUs from George Mason University.
This is an
elective course for the
Certificate
in Congressional Operations. |
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Policies |
For this course, substitutions, cancellations, and transfers must be submitted in writing to us. Our transfer and cancellation fees are outlined below.
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Transfer and Cancellation Fee |
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Time Before Course |
Substitutions Allowed |
Transfer Fee |
Cancellation Fee |
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More than 4 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
None |
None |
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2 to 4 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
25% of tuition |
50% of tuition |
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3 days to 2 weeks |
Yes, in writing |
50% of tuition |
75% of tuition |
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1 to 2 days |
Yes, in writing |
75% of tuition |
100% of tuition |
day of program
(no refunds to no-shows) |
Yes, in writing |
100% of tuition |
100% of tuition |
No refunds for no shows. We reserve the right to
change this fee and time period.
TCN
reserves the right to cancel any course in the event of
insufficient registrations.
All statements and
discussion at all of our courses, workshops and seminars, public and custom,
are off the record and not for attribution, unless specified otherwise.
The resulting confidentiality ensures a frank and
free exchange of views.
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FAQs |
FAQs
about our training
including suggested attire.
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Register
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Payment methods we accept include checks, EFT/ACH, and Intuit Payment Network (IPN).
If you get a
"Wait List Only" message when registering, please
select the next available date.
For a printable course description, agenda with dates, and registration form, click here.
PDF
Fax or Mail: Print
out and complete the registration
form
(in Adobe pdf). The completed form should
include your method of payment.
Fax the completed form to us at
703-739-1195.
Mail the completed form to us at
TheCapitol.Net, Inc., PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA
22313-5706
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Related
Training |
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Related Resources |
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Educational Tracks |
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Available as custom, on-site training? |
Yes.
This
program can be tailored
for private on-site training.
Please call 703-739-3790 for information.
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Need
more information? |
Phone:
703-739-3790
Email: registrar -at- TheCapitol.Net
Complete our
online information request.
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Non-Partisan |
TheCapitol.Net is a
non-partisan firm, and the opinions of its faculty,
authors, clients and the owners and operators of its vendors are
their own and do not represent those of TheCapitol.Net.
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URLs: www.TheCapitol.Net/PublicPrograms/legisdrafting.html
www.DraftingLegislation.com
TCNDEFLA.com
TCNDF.com
TCNDL.com
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Last updated:
September 02, 2010
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