Indiana State Senator Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, recently presented a workshop to educate and empower the community on the legislative process titled, “Understanding the Legislative Process.”
A diverse group of more than 70 individuals from across northwest Indiana attended the event with guest speaker, Kate Bell, from the ACLU. Held on Dec. 9, 2017 in the Gary Teachers Union office, the time was well invested according to Senator Melton who said he heard, “…great questions and recommendations for future legislation” from the citizens. The goal was to help citizens first understand the legislative process—how a bill becomes law. Then, how the everyday citizen and community can organize locally to advocate for legislation on behalf of their community.
“I want to make sure that everyone in our community understands the legislative process and how to advocate and let their voice be heard in the Indiana General Assembly,” said Senator Eddie Melton.
Senator Melton asked several organizations to join him as event partners with each group bringing a unique set of resources and information to the event. Among the partners were Gary Teachers Union, NAACP, RiseNWI, and ACLU.