Legislative Editor Job Description

General Job Description

A subject matter team (business team, government team, or law team) legislative editor in the Office of Legislative Legal Services (Office) supports the Office's core legislative drafting, legal services, and publications functions by:

• Reviewing, editing, and proofreading legislation, amendments to legislation, legal memorandums, and other written Office work product;
• Drafting legislative resolutions and memorials;
• Conducting policy and legal research;
• Reviewing executive branch agency rules to determine whether they are within the rule-making authority of the promulgating agency;
• Supporting the publications team in preparing the Colorado Revised Statutes and the Session Laws of Colorado for publication; and
• Completing special projects and other tasks, which may include administrative tasks, assigned by his or her team leader or head legislative editor or by a member of the Office management team.

Essential Job Functions

A subject matter team legislative editor:

• Edits legislation, amendments to legislation, legal memorandums, and other written office work product, including graphical presentation materials, for grammar, spelling, punctuation, comprehensibility, and adherence to all other Office style and format requirements;
• Proofreads legislation and, as appropriate, "strike below" amendments to legislation or other written Office work product by reading aloud with another legislative editor;
• Inputs handwritten attorney edits and revisions into electronic documents;
• Verifies and updates existing editorial content and writes new editorial content for the Colorado Revised Statutes;
• Drafts resolutions and memorials and amendments to resolutions and memorials;
• Works with other legislative editors on his or her team and, when necessary, throughout the Office, to help the publications team complete spring publications work and fall title review within deadlines so that the Office can publish the Colorado Revised Statutes and the Session Laws of Colorado accurately and in a timely manner;
• Under the supervision of an attorney, reviews executive branch agency rules to determine whether they are within the rule-making authority of the promulgating agency; and
• Otherwise generally supports the attorneys on his or her team in the completion of their duties.

Other Job Functions

The Office may ask a subject matter team legislative editor to:

• Assist legislative editors or attorneys on other teams in completing their duties as necessitated by workload demands;
• Perform general administrative tasks such as making copies of and delivering legislation, amendments to legislation, and other written Office work product for Office staff, legislators, lobbyists, other legislative staff, or the public;
• Annotate Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases that apply or interpret the Colorado constitution, the Colorado Revised Statutes, or Colorado Court Rules;
• Prepare charts, tables, and other graphical presentation and research materials;
• Attend meetings of, monitor the activity of, and support the Office's work related to the activities of legislative interim committees; and
• Develop and prepare or assist team attorneys or other Office staff in developing and preparing presentation materials for new member orientation, Office training programs, or training programs for other legislative or executive agency staff.

The extent to which a subject matter team legislative editor assumes and successfully executes "other" job functions is a factor that the Office will consider in evaluating the subject matter team legislative editor's job performance on an ongoing basis and when conducting his or her annual performance review.

Job Expectations

The Office expects a subject matter team legislative editor to know and meet the requirements and standards set forth in the Office's "General Job Qualifications/Skills and Professionalism Standards" and to:

• Avail himself or herself sufficiently of Office resources and pay sufficient attention to detail to accurately, thoroughly, and efficiently complete work assignments;
• Know and follow applicable Office procedures and processes;
• Possess sufficient expertise regarding general rules of grammar, punctuation, and style and all other Office style and format requirements to accurately edit legislation, amendments to legislation, memorandums, and other written Office work product and prepare accurate, concise, and comprehensible written documents;
• Over time, develop sufficient working familiarity with team subject matter and Colorado law generally to be able to spot possible substantive legal issues with draft legislation and amendments to legislation, ask team attorneys relevant questions regarding such issues, and efficiently conduct relevant legal and policy research; and
• Possess a sufficient working knowledge of the Office's publications functions, including the creation of editorial content for the Colorado Revised Statutes, to efficiently and effectively support the publications team in its execution of those functions.

 

Note:  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the job.

[last updated 10/2011]