How to Lobby and What to Expect on Capitol HillBy: Danielle LeClair, LIUNA PEDMarch 19, 2013PED Federal Employee Lobby Day Training

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

What does lobbying look like?

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

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

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

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

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…

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

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

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

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

ConclusionMembers/staff are people, too!But busy people

◦Be prepared◦Be brief◦Be confident◦Follow up