Legislative Analyst

Summary

Description

Description of Job

The Policy and Legislative Affairs work unit

Advises offices and divisions developing the Department's legislative agenda and strategies by assuring alignment with the initiatives of the Governor's Office and approval from the Department's executive team.  Analyzes proposed legislation by other state departments, agencies, and stakeholder groups, and identifies potential impacts to CDHS programs.  Determines the approach to, and scripting for testimony (e.g. who, when).  Negotiates with constituents, stakeholder groups, agencies, state departments and legislators to ensure that statutory changes accurately reflect efficient administrative capability.  Manages constituent requests and legislative reports, processes, and responses. Responds to other duties as assigned.

Position Summary :

Actively keeps the Department aware and informed of legislative activities, maintains integrity at the Capitol and away from it by providing timely responses and representing the Department well. Keeps legislative calendars and hearing invites up to date. Coordinates the drafting, review, and submission of reports to the Governor’s Office and General Assembly. At the direction of the Legislative Liaison, expected to be at the State Capitol daily during the Legislative Session and covers relevant committee hearings, and other activities at the direction of the Legislative Liaison, including into the evening during session. Tracks all bills impacting the department throughout the legislative session. Works with the Legislative Liaison on daily coverage needs regarding meeting coverage and day-to-day delegation of duties.

Subject matter expert on developing legislative communication materials and legislative tracking as well as assisting the Legislative Liaison in communicating with members of the General Assembly and internal customers.  Relied upon by the Legislative Liaison and executive management to provide technical expertise on legislative process, written communication to legislators, and provide testimony training.  Conducts and compiles technical research and analysis on existing programs; proposals for new legislation; the impact of proposed legislation and/or action based on analyses and collaboration with program staff to the Legislative Liaison, the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Directors, and Department management.

Representative of the Department to members of the General Assembly and external partners and stakeholders.  Responsible for assisting the Legislative Liaison on lobbying legislators to approve Department legislation and budget proposals, including preparation of materials. 

Responsible for streamlining communication of complex public human services assistance programs administered by the Department, and all related policies and changes between the Department, and legislators and stakeholders. These high-level communication responsibilities include but are not limited to legislative and budget proposals; human services program eligibility expansion and other enhancements; designing, developing and distributing executive level communication materials such legislative analysis and legislative request fact sheets.  

Legislative Analysis

Establishes a process for assigning, tracking, and submitting internal analysis of proposed legislation for policy and fiscal impacts. Works with offices and subject matter experts to draft position request recommendations and potential amendments for proposed legislation for use by the Legislative Liaison and/or the Governor’s Office.  Develop written communication and presentations for legislators, Governor’s Office, stakeholders, and Department staff to provide increased awareness and understanding of the Department’s legislative activities. Assists the Legislative Liaison in lobbying and representing the Department to members of the General Assembly and external audiences. Provides verbal communications on Department legislative activities as needed in a variety of public settings such as Department meetings, county meetings, and internal and external stakeholder meetings. Assists the Legislative Liaison in deciding how to coordinate and synthesize technical communications from Department staff concerning legislative inquiries.  May also represent the Department and its position on policy in legislative hearings and in front of stakeholder groups on an as needed basis.

Researches and prepares talking points and presentations for the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, Office Directors, and Governor’s Office. Drafts correspondence for audiences including legislators, the media, stakeholders, and clients. Assists program staff with procedures for testifying before the General Assembly and preps staff prior to hearings. Drafts internal communication on relevant legislative updates on a weekly – and sometimes daily – basis

Legislative Process & Tracking

Establishes a process for assigning, tracking, and submitting internal analysis of proposed legislation for policy and fiscal impacts. Tracks internal and external legislative initiatives from inception to passage and implementation.  Listen to floor and committee work, caucus meetings, and other legislative engagements to help Legislative Affairs and other internal teams manage calendars, keep tabs on relevant bills, and generally understand the tone in the chamber. Coordinates with program staff on technical subject matters for legislative initiates and their implementation. Maintains subject matter expertise on the Colorado legislative process and communicates this to internal partners, including communicating on committee meetings and floor work.   Responsible for tracking and coordinating all legislative reports submitted to the General Assembly.

Legislative and Internal Relationships

Directly lobby members when needed at the direction of the Legislative Liaison, schedule legislative meetings, organize legislator tours, develop and reproduce materials for legislative events, track and manage the legislative reports calendar and process, prepare materials for committee hearings, and maintain the legislative tracking database. Manage regular legislative check-in meetings with programs throughout the legislative session. Assists with organizing legislative tours at relevant CDHS and contractor facilities for elected officials and Capitol staff.  Responsible for updating legislative coordinators with relevant information regarding bills and committees, including regular legislative check-ins and chat when bills are up in committee. Assists internal staff with testimony, including signing them up, getting talking points reviewed, and meeting them at the Capitol to help them navigate the committee process.

Other Duties as Assigned 

Develop guidance documents for activities at the Capitol or with members of the General Assembly.

Responsibilities in this position include:

• Analyze all introduced bills to determine which (if any) CDHS programs are impacted by the proposed changes to law.
• Assign bills to CDHS programs for subject matter experts to draft a policy impact analysis and fiscal impact analysis.
• Analyze and summarize amendment requests submitted by CDHS’ subject matter experts through the policy impact analysis process. 
• Lead weekly, CDHS-wide meetings to brief staff on the upcoming schedule of bill hearings at the General Assembly. 
• Coordinate testimony for bill hearings at the General Assembly.
• Attend or listen to bill hearings at the General Assembly, as directed by CDHS’ Legislative Liaison.
• Communicate directly to members of the General Assembly concerning legislation, as directed by CDHS’ Legislative Liaison.
• Track all statutorily-mandated reports in a database. 
• Track all Joint Budget Committee requests for information in a database.
• Communicate timelines to CDHS subject matter experts for drafting and reviewing statutorily-mandated reports and Joint Budget Committee requests for information.
• Coordinate the internal review process of statutorily-mandated reports and Joint Budget Committee requests for information.
• Conduct a final review statutorily-mandated reports and Joint Budget Committee requests for information to ensure that the information meets the stated requirements.
• Write one-page summary documents, frequently asked questions documents for CDHS-authored legislation and bill summaries for all bills impacting CDHS following the legislative session. 
• Develop and communicate the process and deadlines for developing policy proposals to CDHS’ subject matter experts.
• Track policy proposals developed by CDHS’ subject matter experts.
• Assist CDHS’ subject matter experts in drafting policy proposals in accordance with the standards outlined by the Department’s Senior Executive Team. 

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications listed below to continue in the selection process for this position.  Work experience must be specifically documented on your application.   "See resume" or "see attached" statements in the work experience section will not be accepted in lieu of the official application form.

LIAISON III (H1Q3XX)  

Experience Only:
Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position specifically public sector or community based experience working with public policy analysis and implementation, and development and review of legislation.

OR

Education and Experience:
A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to six (6) years

AND

• Two years of recent professional public sector or community-based experience 

Substitutions

• Experience that provided the same kind, amount, and level of knowledge acquired in the required education, may be substituted on a year-for-year basis for the bachelor's degree.
• A master's or doctorate degree from an accredited college or university can substitute for the two years of experience.

Preferred Qualifications
The following supplemental experience, competencies and abilities are highly desirable for this position and will be considered in selecting the successful candidate:

• Proven expertise in the legislative and public policy process
• Demonstrated ability to establish collaborative partnerships and effective working relationships with a variety of internal and external customers and diverse stakeholders
• Outstanding skills and abilities in verbal and written communications; ability to adapt a style to fit audiences of varying technical levels, and at various levels within an organization, in large groups and individual settings
• Ability to navigate in a complex political environment; ability to inspire trust in others and use influence and social capital to drive initiatives
• Excellent skills in project management and facilitation, including establishing goals and timetables, tactical plans, securing and coordinating resources, monitoring progress, engaging and working with other personnel or teams, measuring results, developing contingencies, and reporting out
• Ability and motivation to develop creative solutions to complex, interpersonal, process, and systemic challenges
• Excellent judgment and decision making skills; makes decisions in accordance with upper management's philosophy, values and goals; perceives items and issues that are of great importance and initiates action proactively and within appropriate boundaries
• Ability to collect, organize, analyze, and interpret data and information, and to identify the impact information may have on seemingly unrelated areas
• Ability to adapt work behavior and methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles
• Years of State service

Conditions of Employment:

• Standard background Check, Reference Checks

• MOTOR VEHICLE RECORD CHECK: If this position will drive a state-owned vehicle, either in an on-going capacity while performing their normal day-to-day job duties OR on occasion for training/meetings/client visits/etc.

• Must possess a valid, non restricted Colorado Driver's license or an non-restricted U.S Drivers License for positions within 30 miles of the CO state border.

• this position requires State of Colorado residency at the time of application (unless otherwise identified in the posting), and residency within the state throughout the duration of employment in this position.

• Out of State Drivers License holders must obtain a valid, non restricted Colorado Drivers License within 30 days of employment start date

• Be a minimum of 21 years of age

• Travel – May need to travel to the post office or pick up supplies based on duties, and occasional travel to assigned training. 

• Former State employees who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination must:

  •  Disclose the information on the application

  • Explain why the prior termination or resignation should not disqualify you from the current position 

  • Provide your employee number from your prior State employment.  Absent extraordinary circumstances, prior disciplinary termination or resingnation in leiu of termination and failure to provide this information will disqualify the applicant from future State employment with CDHS

APPEAL RIGHTS:

You may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director if your application is eliminated.  You will find the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it on the State Personnel Board website.

• You or your representative must sign and submit the official appeal form for review.  

• You can find the official appeal form here (Download PDF reader). 

• You must deliver the official appeal form to the State Personnel Board:

  • By email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), or

  • Postmarked in US Mail to (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203, or 

  • Hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203), or

  • Faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.

Contact the State Personnel Board for assistance:

• At (303) 866-3300, or

•  Refer to the  Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules, and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, within the Rules webpage.

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
 
An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel