======Legislative Wrap-Up======----

====Avoid Partisan Language====

While we do want the Wrap Up to have a narrative and be a more enjoyable reading than one of our summaries, you will need to place a lot of emphasis on the voice that you have in your piece.  Lets take the following example: ---
<<Illinois’ 97th legislature was an outlier in the 2012 legislative session, due to having a busy schedule debating controversial social issues like gun laws, immigration, environment, education and gambling all within the same session. Scandal even hit the Illinois legislature when Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) was dismissed due to criminal allegations of bribery, decreasing Democratic representation to 71 in the House.<< --- --- --- ---

We would not want to use any word as strong as "scandal" to describe the actions of someone (even if it fits the occasion).  Lets take one more example: ---
<<The legislature tackled the controversial issue of abortion by passing the following 5 bills<< --- ---

Here, the phrase "tackled the controversial issue" sounds as though PVS has a stance on the issues addressed in that legislature by deeming one as controversial. Instead, to express the same notion, we will let quotes from lawmakers, a strong issue position, and a close vote demonstrate how "controversial" something is, without having to say the word.


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