From The Desk Down State

Most of us know the process of how a bill becomes a law. While that process directs the flow of bills that are filed, just how do thousands of policy ideas each year become bills in the first place?

As of this writing, just under 3,000 Senate and House bills have been filed this year alone. Generally, these policy ideas come from one of four places.

Many good bills are the result of a constituent who contacts their elected Senator or State Representative with an issue that cannot be resolved through existing systems. In those cases, a lawmaker writes a bill that provides a solution. The legisl...