Evaluation Meeting – June
The Common Agenda is a cyclical process that includes an evaluation of the previous year. This evaluation takes place shortly after the General Session concludes, normally in late June.
This meeting is attended by the legislative representatives of the conservation community - lobbyists and lobbyists' principles. During this meeting, participants assesses successes and challenges of the previous session and prepare to move forward for the upcoming year.
Issue Group Meetings – July – August
In the fall of 2007, issue teams were formed to research and discuss potential Common Agenda priorities for the upcoming year. Each team examines issues within a particular Common Agenda theme: water, air, land/growth, and energy.
These teams perform much preliminary work in summarizing the views of the conservation community as a whole in response to many complicated issues and create a first draft of the "game plan" for the conservation community. Issue teams deliberate on a wide range of issues from July through August and present their findings at the Priority Setting Meeting in September.
The issue teams continue working together throughout the Legislative Session. To join a Common Agenda issue team, please email us at info@conservationvotersofsc.org.
Priority Setting Meeting - September
In September, the conservation community meets in Columbia to set legislative priorities for the next year. Issue teams give presentations on their respective topics and submit their findings to be considered for inclusion in the final list of Common Agenda priorities.
The full conservation community then determines which issues will appear as Common Agenda priorities through a consensus-based process.
Conservation Leaders' Summit - November
Members of the state's conservation community meet each November to discuss and learn about a wide array of pertinent conservation issues at the Conservation Leaders' Summit. This annual retreat, started by the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, is now a fixture in the Common Agenda process.