OCR Text |
Show With Love... convinced that the mandatory road was the correct one and there was behind-the-scenes ridicule. At a closed meeting of the Special Education Advisory Council during a discussion of the education bill, the comment was made, "Don't worry about it. What can four Seattle housewives do?" Many were finding out. There were surprising allies, too. Among the highly-paid professional lobbyists were those who would tell EFA when the bill was in trouble and what meetings should be attended to help. Education bills had been presented in the House and Senate, but with time, the House bill (HB-90) appeared the stronger. EPA decided to concentrate on the House, then send the bill to the Senate for approval. A bill follows a complex trail during which it must fight its way through hearings and out of committee meetings three times for presentation to the full membership. The danger is that a few key opponents in committee can prevent the use of a large number of favorable votes on the floor of either House or Senate. Among the opponents were those who feared that the bill would take funds from their programs, others felt that current laws were sufficient for education, and there were some who did not understand the bill at first. When a roadblock developed, EPA called members of statewide organizations for the handicapped in the legislators home districts to join in the lobbying effort to express their interest in keeping the bill moving. |