how to lobby and what to expect on capitol hill
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How to Lobby and What to Expect on Capitol Hill. By: Danielle LeClair, LIUNA PED March 19, 2013 PED Federal Employee Lobby Day Training. Overview. What is lobbying – fact from fiction What to do before the meeting – preparation What to expect Who you’ll meet with - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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How to Lobby and What to Expect on Capitol HillBy: Danielle LeClair, LIUNA PEDMarch 19, 2013PED Federal Employee Lobby Day Training
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OverviewWhat is lobbying – fact from fictionWhat to do before the meeting –
preparationWhat to expect Who you’ll meet withWhat to do when you lobbyDo’s and Don’tsFollow up
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What does lobbying look like?
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Who is a Lobbyist?YOU ARE!Citizen lobbyists (aka regular
people)Anyone who tries to influence
legislation on behalf of a particular interest
Some professional lobbyists; some lobby for the first time
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Meeting – who?Maybe the CongresspersonOften the staffAsk if it’s ok to take a photo with
your group – especially if you meet with the Congressperson or Senator
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Congressional StaffHouse – 8 in DCSenate – 20-30 in DCCommittee vs. Personal StaffLarge # of issues to handleOften better informed than the
CongresspersonPositions – various ages/experience levels
◦ Chief of Staff/AA◦ LD◦ LA◦ LC◦ Staff Assistant
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Team Project – Flip ChartTeam 1 – What do you do before meeting
with your Congressperson? Locals 2132, 792, 29F, 117
Team 2 – What do you do during the meeting? Locals 2163, 1636
Team 3 – Lobbying Do’s – Locals1029, 1050
Team 4 – Lobbying Don’ts – Locals 1707, 2097, 1671
Team 5 – What do you do after the meeting? Locals 572, 1708, 1655
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Team 1 - What to do before the meeting with your Congressperson? Review your handouts/ Know your issues Practice lobbying Pick a “lead” spokesperson and a note-taker
◦ Have Lobby Day visit form ready to fill out Find out the Member’s position on the bill
◦ Cosponsor/supporter?◦ Opponent?
Have your ORANGE folders/handouts ready for the Member/staff
Know where the Members’ office is and get there early!◦ Give yourself 30 minutes to get into the building
(security, confusing buildings, etc)◦ But not TOO early…
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Team 2 - What to expect during the meeting Give the Member/staff the Orange packet and show them
what is in it – including reception invite Introduce LIUNA and yourself Tell them why you are there - Talk about how sequestration
affects you, your family, and your community Hold them accountable – ask their position on your issue Give them a reason to care about your issue
◦ i.e. Sequestration harms the whole community◦ Harms national security, health care, etc.
Be able to communicate your message in 5 minutes if needed (but probably have 30-60 minutes)
Stick to Federal Employee issues - Member/staff might want to talk about other issues – immigration, Davis-Bacon, etc.◦ Say someone will get back to them on other issue and note on
Lobby Visit Form
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Team 3 - Lobbying Do’s Give them the packet Tell them why you are there Hold them accountable Be patient Be flexible Be respectful but don’t let the Member/staffer run the
entire meeting Be brief – summarize the important points Give them a business card/your contact information Get the staffer’s business card – follow up Be on time!!! Or call if you’re running late Be polite – thank the Member/staff for their time Take notes on each meeting and report back to LIUNA for
follow up Say “I don’t know” if that’s the answer to the question Be accurate
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Team 4 - Lobbying Don’tsDON’T: be technical/use technical terms (or
abbreviations) – i.e. TAG, GS/WG, etc.DON’T: assume the Member/staffer knows
what your job is and what the laws areDON’T: lie/stretch the truthDON’T: read the fact sheets word for word –
summarize the highlightsDON’T: argue with the Member/staffer – EVERDON’T: discuss issues other than what you are
trained on today (i.e. immigration)DON’T: talk about campaign contributions/the
election
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Team 5 – What do you do after the meeting?Check back with the staffer about bill/issue
status when you get homeSend a thank-you note to the Member/staffer
for the meetingCheck the status of the bill:
◦ http://thomas.loc.gov Enter bill #Engage your Members at home
◦ Publicize your Lobby Day activities Union newsletter/website/Facebook/Twitter
◦ Have a Lobby Day in your district on the legislation this Spring/Summer
◦ Thank them publicly if they take the requested action
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ConclusionMembers/staff are people, too!But busy people
◦Be prepared◦Be brief◦Be confident◦Follow up