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ESAL Playbook: Advocate for a Policy with State Legislators or Legislative Staff

Purposes

  • Advocate for a new policy or demonstrate your support for an existing one through an in-person meeting with your state legislators or legislative staff.

Ideal Outcomes

  • Establish concrete actions a state legislative office can take to support your issue.
  • Develop long-term connections with a state legislative office and identify ways to serve as a resource for them.
  • Gain a better understanding of their legislative priorities and how you can support or influence them in the future.

Step-by-step Guide

  1. Time your visit properly.
    • The time of year determines government priorities. For example, brainstorming new bill ideas, drafting legislation, and searching for expert witnesses all take place at different times. This timeline (California example) varies at the local, state, and federal level, so time your visit to optimize the impact of your message.
  2. Do your background research.
    • Find out what issues the office you’re visiting is focused on.
    • If possible, research the background of the staffer or legislator you will meet with and identify their role and key responsibilities.

Tip: Look at the legislative directory or the personal websites of the elected officials to see what bills they've introduced or supported

  1. Plan your meeting.
    • Send an email to set up the meeting. If you’re scheduling multiple meetings, make sure to leave yourself time to travel between offices.
    • Create your one-pager. Summarize your key points and contact information, preferably in an accessible, easy to read format with graphics.
    • Make sure to have plenty of business cards on-hand, so that you can easily leave your contact information. If you don’t have any, get them made.
    • If possible, include a clear “ask” that provides concrete actions the legislator could take to further the issue. This may include things like a recommendation for how to vote on pending legislation, a request to make a public statement on a topic, or a request to send a staff member to an informational event.

Tip: Even if someone isn't available to meet with you, they might be able to suggest other staffers or legislators who would be a good fit

  1. Holding an effective meeting.
    • Be prepared for change – your meeting may start late or be cut short, or you may end up meeting with a different person in the office.
    • Leave behind your one-pager and business card for easy reference.
    • If you meet with a legislator directly, ask for the contact information of their staff to follow up afterward.
    • When possible, determine next steps during your meeting.

Tip: Meeting with staff is sometimes more effective than meeting with legislators since they will likely do the hands-on work of pitching ideas, drafting legislation and finding supporters.

  1. Follow up after the meeting.
    • After your visit, send a thank you message reminding them what you talked about and any next steps. By staying engaged over time, you let staff know that you are committed to seeing this issue resolved. Legislators and their staff meet with hundreds of people per week and may not always take action. You need to show them that this is an issue they should care about.

Examples

Event - December 4, 2024
AGU 2024 - Building Climate Resilience with Local Policy Action
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Share this with your networkTweetFrom raging wildfires, to flooding, to deadly heat waves and more, climate change is wreaking havoc on communities around the world. While climate change is inherently a global threat, the adverse impacts of climate change are manifested largely at the local level and vary from community to community, making local action […]

Article - November 25, 2024
Navigating Tribal Sovereignty: Legal Challenges and Governance in the US
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On September 27th, the Idaho Science & Technology Policy Fellowship program hosted a session on Tribal Sovereignty, Governance, and Law, providing an informational overview of the legal, cultural, and governance structures that define tribal nations within the United States.

Article - November 11, 2024
Redefining the Norm: Making Plant-Based Options the Default
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ESAL discusses the idea of using choice architecture to create more inclusive, sustainable food options in hospital, corporation and university settings with Katie Cantrell, CEO and co-Founder of Greener by Default.

Article - October 10, 2024
Crafting Policy to Regulate AI from the Virginia Senate
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ESAL recently interviewed Virginia Sen. Lashrecse Aird about her experience working at the state level to develop policy on artificial intelligence.

Event - October 3, 2024
oSTEM 2024 - Being a voice for policy change in your local community
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Share this with your networkTweetLocal governments need leaders with STEM training as they increasingly face challenges from new tools like artificial intelligence and try to address issues such as climate resilience and election security. However, there is often a gap between policymakers, who understand the unique needs of their communities, and STEM professionals, who are […]

Event - April 4, 2024
Issues in Science & Technology - "How Can Scientists Become Players in the Long Game of Policy Change?" 
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Share this with your networkTweet“Policy entrepreneurs” often fly under the radar, developing policy ideas to solve problems over decades and surfacing with solutions at just the right moment. Researchers, engineers, consumer advocates, clinicians, civil servants, or community organizers—policy entrepreneurs are innovators who pull together ideas and supporters to accomplish what they could not on their […]

Article - February 27, 2024
Advocating for Salmon Fishing Regulations
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Local Fish & Wildlife Commission member Kendra Zamzow shares how her care for the local habitat led her to testify to the National Marine Fisheries Service about double fishing time.

Article - September 10, 2023
Professor connecting science to legislation and students and research to civic engagement
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Michael Hendricks, an assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, is an advocate for civic engagement who particularly emphasizes integrating STEM into the legislative process. Learn about how he approaches research, teaching, and mentorship to center civic engagement.

Article - August 21, 2023
Connecting Science and Stakeholders in Georgia
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Amy Sharma, PhD is the executive director of Science for Georgia, an organization whose mission is to advocate for the responsible use of science in public policy, improve communication between scientists and the public, and increase public engagement with science. She chatted with ESAL about the value of factual scientific support to state legislators and interpersonal relationships between scientists and other community members.

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Last Updated: Oct 15, 2019
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