REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON A COORDINATED SYSTEM

TOMMY BLACKMON AND JEANIE WILLIAMSON

The Committee on a Coordinated System met by telephone conference call on February 15^th.

There is a need to help individual programs better understand and embrace the role of legislative and administrative advocacy in resolving clients= legal problems;

There is a need to improve communications between Tallahassee advocates at FLS and individual programs - in both directions - about issues which need or are receiving legislative/administrative advocacy treatment

The goal of promoting energetic and affirmative legislative and administrative advocacy across the state could be achieved. By using a system patterned after the clearinghouse model used by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV). [Attorneys from around the state who are involved in FCADV's program of legal assistance for residents of domestic violence shelters meet every quarter to share information about developments in the work of representing victims of domestic violence, and for training. Participants in that clearinghouse have given it high marks for effective use of time and results achieved.

The Florida Clearinghouse for Legislative and Administrative Advocacy:

Would be made up of one advocate from each legal service and legal aid program and the companion programs (and maybe from natural allies, as well),

Selected because he or she has an interest in this approach.
And a willingness to serve as a liaison between the Clearinghouse and the individual program=s advocates.

The liaison would be the focal point in the individual program

For information that needs to be communicated to someone on the staff of Florida Legal Services

Who has been designated as the point person for legislative and administrative advocacy activities statewide.

Gather information from their individual field program advocates, both proactively and passively, about clients= legal problems needing legislative or administrative remedies;

Pass information along in a timely fashion to the statewide point person in the FLS office in Tallahassee

Communicate with its program advocates the need to identify clients related to issues selected in Tallahassee as appropriate for legislative and administrative advocacy

Attend periodic statewide meetings (two or three per year?) for the purposes described below

Convey information from statewide point person to individual program advocates about action taken on issues referred from individual program to Tallahassee, and about legislative and administrative agency developments that Tallahassee is aware of.

Meetings of the Florida Clearinghouse for Legislative and Administrative Advocacy:

Would take place at a central location two or three times per year;

Would be an opportunity for liaisons to learn how to work with the advocates in their individual programs to help them develop their ability to identify issues which could be addressed through legislative or administrative advocacy;

Would be a forum where individual program liaisons and the statewide point person (and perhaps representatives of natural allies) could work together to design an effective statewide communications system that meets the needs of individual program for relaying information about legislative and administrative advocacy both to and from Tallahassee (should coordinate with the Statewide Technology and the Training and Technical Assistance Committees);

Would be an opportunity to share effective approaches to working with natural allies on a community level around legislative and administrative advocacy issues (e.g. to educate the community and to help identify clients for administrative and legislative efforts).

How this system would address the barriers the group identified (N/A means either Anot applicable@ or Anot answered@!). Refer minutes of Committee meeting on 2/11/00 for list of barriers:

1.    LSC Restrictions:

a.    N/A

b.   N/A

c.   N/A

d.   This systems helps smooth out the kinks

e.   N/A

f.   The statewide meetings would have a special focus on training as to what is permitted and what is not under LSC, for those programs affected

g.   N/A

h.   Same as f.

i.   N/A

1.   N/A

2.   One liaison to handle bulk of the work and make communication simpler and more effective for individual program advocates

3.   Opportunity at statewide meetings to make plans to identify local bar to help; educate local bar; contact local legislators

4.   N/A

5.   N/A

6.   N/A

7.   N/A

8.   Public Interest Law Section of Florida Bar could be included in statewide meetings; partner with them to sponsor training for private attorneys re: l/a advocacy

9.  Opportunity to brainstorm on this issue at statewide meetings

10.   This model reduces the number of seams

11.   Clearinghouse would be more effective than workgroups for this approach

12.   Training would be done at statewide meetings of liaisons; bring in friendly legislators of administrative agency counsel to help with training and get advocates enthused about the possibilities of solving clients problems in this way.

13.   N/A

14.   See notes in discussion above re: working with community allies

15.   Opportunity to share and brainstorm more effective methods at statewide meetings

16.   Same as 16

17.   N/A

18.   Same as 16

19.   Clearinghouse overcomes fragmentation

20.   Same as 16

21.   Clearinghouse model directly addresses this issue

22.   Same as 22; maybe use Listserve

23.   Not a problem

24.   Same as 22

25.   Same as 22