Legislative Activities

Legislative Activities are a sub-program of the Conservation Program. The Legislative Program's mission is to ensure that persons formulating laws and regulations at all levels -- local, state and federal, legislative and administrative -- understand the importance of California's native flora and the serious threats facing the long-term survival of many species. The CNPS Mission Statement directs our programs to protect and preserve our native flora, and trying to influence legislative actions is sometimes necessary. We do this through understanding how government actions affect plants, whether through the county permit process, or by compliance of individual projects with federal law. A part-time staff legislative advocate helps coordinate state issues, while local chapter volunteers work closely with the Conservation Program.

Because state and federal Endangered Species Acts provide the most fundamental protection for plants in most instances, much of the work of CNPS relies on and invokes these laws. Challenging or changing them has been an important topic recently.

Current Legislation Topics

• Current Legislative Bills -- An interactive list of current legislation of interest to CNPS: get copies of bills, committee analyses, legislative votes, and more.
• CNPS Legislative Program Overview -- A handout to share with CNPS members.

Communication and Grassroots Action

• Words, Aren't They Awesome! -- An article summarizing (the negative) public opinion of the words we use to describe the environment.
• Writing to Your Legislator -- Some tips on effective letter writing to influence elected representatives. Now also available in PDF format. 
• Legislative Focus, Growing Native Grassroots -- An informative summary of a recent book on the California legislative process and grassroots activism.
• Ideas and Activities to Grow Our GRASSROOTS -- An ideas list to share with chapter board members and other CNPS activists. Plus a Chapter Grassroots Planning Worksheet for you to use.

Related CNPS Resources

• Native Plant Conservation Campaign -- A joint project between CNPS and the Center for Biological Diversity to elevate plant protection in the United States. 
• Equal Protection for Plants -- Did you know that plants are afforded almost no protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act?
• Endangered Species Acts Must Protect Plants - Plant conservation fact sheet (pdf)
• Why does the California Native Plant Society oppose the California Native Plant Protection Act? - Because it doesn't protect plants (pdf)
• Go Plants - Color brochure about native plant protection issues (pdf)
• Legislation Web Links