Spring 2010 NAGPS Legislative Action Days (LAD)
Date
Wed, 02/24/2010 (All day)Event Description
The upcoming Legislative Action Days are scheduled for February 24th to 26th. The majority of the lobbying activities will take place during 9:00 to 16:00 on the 25th and 26th with some training sessions by professional DC lobbyists during the late afternoon on the 24th. In addition, please leave open the option for some extended debriefing sections after the lobby visits. These debriefing sessions are especially important for feedback on what did and didn’t work so that the best talking points and techniques are used during future lobby visits. Below, the various components of the LAD are broken down and addressed in their own distinct sections. Please review the information and contact the Legislative Concerns Chair, Chad Foerster, if there are any questions.
Schedule
Wednesday February 24th
14:00 to 16:00 – Check-in to the hotel
16:00 to 17:30 – Training and packet preparation for LAD at SPARC Lobbying Consultant's office
17:30 to 18:00 – Mock lobby sessions for newcomers (same location)
Thursday February 25th
8:00 to 8:45 – Coffee/Snacks at SPARC's Dupont Circle office
8:45 to 9:30 – Lobby visits preparation (same location)
10:00 to 16:30 – Lobby visits
17:30 to 19:00 – Debrief session at SPARC's Dupont Circle office
Friday February 26th
8:00 to 8:45 – Coffee/Snacks at SPARC's Dupont Circle office
8:45 to 9:30 – Lobby visits preparation (same location)
10:00 to 16:30 – Lobby visits
17:30 to 19:00 – Debrief session at SPARC's Dupont Circle office
19:30 to 11:00 – Dinner with the LAD group in DC
Important Addresses
SPARC Lobbying Consultant's office (500 ft from the hotel)
1050 K St. NW Suite 400
Washington, DC 20001
SPARC's Dupont Circle office (0.9 miles from the hotel)
21 Dupont Cir NW #800,
Washington, DC 20036
Accommodation
The Four Points by Sheraton in downtown Washington D.C is the designated hotel for the event. There is a group rate $139+tax/night for the three night stay, from the 24th to 27th. Mention the group name NAGPS LAD when making the reservation by phone or use the special link below to access the dedicated webpage setup by the hotel. The hotels contact information is listed below or can be found on their website. People are encouraged to share rooms to reduce costs. In addition, please work with your schools to secure funding for your travel arrangements as NAGPS will not be able to cover these expenses. The Sheraton is conveniently located by the McPherson Square Station which has access to the DC Metro Orange Line. The Orange Line will be the main method of transport to and from Capitol Hill
Four Points by Sheraton
1201 K Street N.W.
Washington, District of Columbia 20005
Phone: (202) 289-7600
Click here to reserve a room at the hotel
Please make your hotel room reservations before February 1st, after that date the reduced rate is no longer guaranteed.
Current Lobbying Issues
Open Access to Research
Tax exempt status for Graduate Students
VISA Reform for US Educated Graduate Students
The list will be modified as needed in the coming weeks with suggestions from the Legislative Concerns Committee. To be a part of this committee please contact the Legislative Concerns Chair directly. The committee will have teleconferences periodically leading up the LAD in February and continue meeting after the event to coordinate advocacy efforts throughout the year.
Planning for LAD
Attendees are responsible for making the appointments with your local congressional delegation. Please try to do this scheduling in advance of LAD. A fax to their office is required sometimes but emails with a PDF attachment of the letter is a better method these days. Walk-ins while at the Capitol are possible but you are much less likely to be seen this way. Ask to speak to the Congressperson if possible or their education and immigration staffers depending on the issues you plan to discuss. Please plan on meeting with the Education Committee and Judiciary Committee members from your state, even if you are not in their district. A sample meeting request letter is provided on the NAGPS legislative action webpage for your reference. Call the legislators Capitol office directly and ask to speak to the meeting scheduler to expedite the process. They probably will end up giving you the scheduler's email address which you can then send your meeting request letter to.
Click here to access the sample letter directly
Meeting Preparation
The Legislative Concerns Committee will have both talking points sheets for the lobbyist and informational handouts for the legislator available before the LAD. The Legislative Concerns Chair will host a general call in session for the LAD participants on February 10th from 7-8 PM EST in order to answer any questions about the issues being covered. Details about the conference call will be send out to the registered attendees. In addition, the handouts should be ready at that time for the participants to look over prior to the call in period. For those attendees who are new to lobbying, checkout the lobbying 101 document on the NAGPS Legislative Action webpage to become familiar with the best practices for an effective lobby visit.
Meeting Pointers
Please look your best when conducting lobby visits on Capitol Hill. Traditional business attire is recommended which means men are in full suits with ties and women are in a skirted suits or tailored pantsuits. Lobbying is about looking confident and professional while being prepared to discuss in depth the issues that are of concern. The handouts will be sufficient to provide you with talking points for you visits but be prepared for more detailed discussions. Please look at the history of your legislator and see what parallels can be drawn upon in support of our efforts. Be polite but try to keep them on topic if they start sidetracking the conversation. Try to get a statement of support, "Would your congressperson support issue X? What could they support/what would it take?" Try to be a resource if you have information they aren't aware of. Gather information for NAGPS on the issues you discuss with the legislator or staffer and note any recommendations they might have which could help future lobby visits, this may include things such as information sources or points of contact. Please take copious notes during the lobby visits and share these with the NAGPS LAD group at the end of each lobbying day. These notes will help refine the advocacy efforts as they move forward. Don’t forget to send a personalized thank you card to everyone who met with you during your visits.
Registration
Please sign up for the LAD event on using the link below. Registration has been extended up until the week of the event. Feel free to contact the Legislative Concerns Chair if there are any further questions.
Click here to register for the event - Registration has closed
