District Meetings with Your Legislators
District meetings are the most critical part of Lobby Day. It is our day
to put a face on our issues, to meet face-to-face with the lawmakers,
and let them know how we are affected by the decisions they make.
District Meetings in Brief
We make it easy for those who have never "lobbied" before. Think of
it as building a relationship with those representatives elected to
serve you. We schedule your appointments, train you, and send you to
your meetings with a Lobby Coach.
District meetings with legislators are the heart and soul of OutFront
Minnesota’s justFair Lobby Day. Tentative
appointment times will be posted as available, but check again when
you arrive at the Capitol lawn.
Registration and Training for OutFront Minnesota’s justFair Lobby Day
will all take place on the front lawn of the State Capitol in a series
of tents. Both begin at 8:00 am, and volunteer Lobby Coaches will be
ready to assist you if you have an 8:30 am appointment.
Please try to arrive on the Capitol lawn at least one hour before
your first scheduled appointment. Check in at the registration table,
make a nametag, and verify your appointment times. You will then head to
the training area for a brief orientation. Some of the legislation we
are advocating for this year is new, so we encourage you to attend
training even if you’ve been to OutFront Minnesota’s justFair Lobby Day
before.
After attending the Training, you will meet up with your volunteer
Lobby Coach and others from your district at your district’s “corral” on
the lawn approximately 30 minutes before your appointment time.
(Volunteers will be able to point you in the right direction.) Your
Lobby Coach is there to help your group plan its meeting, to find your
meeting location, and to help record your legislator’s positions for our
policy staff.
After your planning meeting, your Lobby Coach will lead you to your
meeting. Depending on the day’s schedule, this meeting might be in a
legislator’s office or it might be in the hallway outside the House or
Senate chambers if they are currently “in session.”
After your meeting, your Lobby Coach will lead you to the Great Hall
of the Capitol so you can write a thank you note to your legislator (an
important step, which affords you one more contact with your elected
officials to discuss GLBT equality issues.)
When you’re done with your first appointment, plan on meeting back at
the “corral” for your second meeting, approximately 30 minutes before it
is scheduled to start.
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you exactly when your appointment will
be until the week of Lobby Day. Appointment times might be as early at 8
am or as late as 4:00 pm. Please understand that your legislators have
very few appointment times available and may not be able to schedule a
meeting until very close to the actual day of Lobby Day.
Please register
as early as possible so we can schedule meetings with your
Legislators!
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