Legislative and Regulatory Process

State legislation and regulations can dramatically change how we live and how entire industries operate. Knowledge of these processes is fundamental to understanding the history and enactment of the statutes, regulations and decisions that have formed environmental policy for the last 40 years. This course will examine the state budget, the role of annual budgetary hearings, the legislature’s unique issue development process, bill analysis, parliamentary procedure, constitutional authority, majority and minority party politics, and more. The context of the course will be New York State legislation and regulations as a microcosm of local, state and federal practices. A premium will be placed on tracking and analyzing active bills, writing and researching legislative and regulatory comments, as well as student participation during legislative case studies from elected officials, legislative staff, and issue advocates and stakeholders.