Current Trends in Legislative Drafting

This seminar stresses learning by doing. Participants will convert specific legislative proposals into the drafting of bills. Instruction will include the basics in drafting common statutory provisions. The United States legislative process will be introduced as a case study.

CONTENT

Legislative Drafting Principles and Analysis

• Applying legislative drafting principles and analysis to proposals for new legislation

Elements of Legislative Drafting: Rules and Exercises

• Achieving the intended legal effect
• Drafting clear legislative sentences
• Structuring and organizing bills and other legislation
• Drafting amendments, repeals, and superseding language to existing law

Hands-On Drafting of Legislation

• Drafting bills from specific legislative proposals

Drafting Common Legislative Provisions

• Enforcement provisions
• "Power of the purse" funding provisions
• Grant programs
• Governmental commissions

Legislative Process

• Development of legislative policy
• Comparison of U.S. and foreign legislative processes
• Implementation of trade agreements through domestic legislation
• Role of legislative committees in developing legislation
• Role of professional legislative services and other legislative support services
• Statutory Interpretation

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

The training methodology combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result participant will go back to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned to their duties.