PIA District Lobbying Day…Capitol Hill in Your Backyard
Part of PIA’s Political Involvement and Advocacy Month
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PIA's August 6, 2008 District Lobbying Day has passed, but it's not too late to act:
To learn more about PIA's District Lobbying Day, please read on, noting that the dates and calls to actions have already passed. |
Welcome to the District Lobbying Day home page where you'll learn everything you need to know to participate in the District Lobbying Day and Political Involvement and Advocacy Month.
What exactly is District Lobbying Day?
While national legislation may be forged in the halls of Congress, the ideas that are brought to Capitol Hill — and that resonate the most with our lawmakers — come straight from constituents on their local Main Streets. Constituents like you.
That’s why, for one day each year, while Congress is on recess and our elected officials are back home in their district offices, PIA is asking each PIA member to make an effort to engage their elected officials and Congressional candidates, to promote the points of view of Professional Insurance Agents and to forge relationships with those who will serve them in Washington, DC.
District Lobbying Day will be the focal point of PIA members’ visits to their Members of Congress in their district offices. The goal is to get as many PIA members as possible to schedule appointments on or around a specific date to have a conversation with their elected officials or staff members in their offices. This is your chance to talk about a few issues that concern you as an independent agent and small businessperson. If you’re further inclined to get involved in a future reelection campaign, this is a great time to let the candidate know that you are a supporter and want to help.
Why is this so important?
With so many bread-and-butter insurance issues appearing before Congress now and in the near future, it is imperative that every PIA member becomes involved in the federal political process. We must educate Members of Congress, so they understand and appreciate the views of professional independent agents.
To highlight this effort and encourage a critical mass of involvement from members like you, we will designate a specific date as PIA District Lobbying Day and an entire month as Political Involvement and Advocacy Month.
What happens on District Lobbying Day?
To increase momentum and the critical mass of PIA member visits to their Members of Congress at one time, we are targeting one day as the PIA District Lobbying Day. On that day we hope each U.S. Representative and Senator is overwhelmed by visits (scheduled in advance) and online communications by PIA members. That way Members of Congress from coast-to-coast will get the message that PIA members are politically active and must be listened to.
What if I can't meet with my elected officials on District Lobbying Day?
We realize that some PIA members won't be able to meet with their elected officials on District Lobbying Day itself, but hope each will find a day near District Lobbying Day to make these very important visits. Additionally, the PIA Month web page describes a number of other activities you can engage in locally, to support and form relationships with your elected officials and federal candidates. If you are unable to participate in the DLD, but do take part in another advocacy activity, we want to know about it. Please submit your feedback using our online Feedback Form.
What if I can't meet with some or all of my elected officials in person?
If you are unable to meet with your Members of Congress in person, please send them a message via email, fax or U.S. Postal Service. It is imperative that every PIA member makes some outreach to their federally elected officials!
How do I participate in District Lobbying Day?
All of the information you need to register, to schedule visits with your Members of Congress, to learn about the issues, and to make your visits effective can be found below. First, a note about Political Involvement and Advocacy Month.
Political Involvement and Advocacy Month ("PIA" Month)
Political Involvement and Advocacy Month serves as an opportunity for each PIA member to become more active in the politics that shape their lives, and to continue that involvement into the future. PIA Month will consist of a series of suggested activities you can engage in locally, to support and form relationships with your elected officials and federal candidates. To learn more about PIA Month and to see suggested activities you might engage in, visit the Political Involvement and Advocacy Month web page.
Register for District Lobbying Day and Get Started
Below you will find all of the material you'll need to have a successful District Lobbying Day. PIA staff members are happy to assist you every step of the way should you need assistance (contact information below). Participating is as easy as 1-2-3.
Summary
Before Your Meetings:
(Please note: each of these steps is described in further detail below.)
- Contact your Congressperson and Senators to schedule a visit. Below you'll find contact information and tips for setting up an appointment.
- Register for the DLD after you've scheduled your visits so we know you're participating and can send you updates, personalized feedback forms & resources via email.
- Brush up on the issues.
- Prepare for your visit(s) by reading our tips for conducting successful congressional visits, viewing our short videos of those who are on the front lines of Capitol Hill, and downloading talking point note cards and position papers. Try to reference a real life story to add weight to your message.
- If you've registered in advance of the DLD (see step 2 above), you'll be receiving a personalized DLD feedback form via email. If you did not receive that email or did not pre-register, you may either contact Sean Garcia at seanga@pianet.org. Please print your DLD feedback form to take notes during your meeting(s). After your meeting(s), return here to submit your feedback electronically using the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form. This is an important step in completing the circle, so PIA staff can pick up where you left off.
After Your Meetings:
(Please note: each of these steps is described in further detail below.)
- Let us know how your meetings went. Submit your feedback electronically using the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form.
- Send a thank-you note to each person you visited.
Before Your Meetings
Step 1: Scheduling Congressional Visits
The best way to contact your Member of Congress is to call their district office and ask to speak with the scheduler. The scheduler may ask the name of your group (PIA) and how many people will be in attendance. Explain that you are scheduling a visit for yourself as a constituent and an insurance agent, but other PIA member constituents may be calling as well. You may want to advise the scheduler that you will be ok with other PIA members joining your meeting, if the Member of Congress would prefer that.
Although a meeting with your elected official is optimum, meeting with one of their staff members is the next best thing and well worthwhile. This serves as an opportunity to discuss the issues and also learn how you can become more involved in the Member of Congress' reelection/fundraising efforts, if you are so inclined.
To prepare for the meeting, the Member of Congress may want to know what issues you want to speak about. See step 3 below for issue information.
Many offices may ask you to send a written request, especially if you want to meet with the Member, so be prepared to fax a letter requesting a meeting. Be sure to include all the information mentioned above.
Click here to find contact information for your Members of Congress' district office.
Step 2: Register
After you have arranged your meetings, please complete the Registration Form so we can support your efforts and be in contact with you. Should any important details change after you have registered, please let us know via email to seanga@pianet.org.
Step 3: Issues to Address
PIA is asking that you discuss 2-3 of the important issues below. For additional information, please visit the Issues of Focus section of this website.
- Federal Interference in the State-Based Insurance Regulatory System/Optional Federal Charter [PIA Position Paper*, PDF file]
- Natural Disaster Legislation [PIA Position Paper*, PDF file]
- National Flood Insurance Program [PIA Position Paper*, PDF file]
- Crop Insurance [PIA Position Paper*, PDF file]
*All position papers were last updated in February 2008.
Step 4: Prepare for Your Visit
Real Life Experiences Make a Difference: In addition to developing a basic understanding of an issue, including potential/pending legislation and the impact on agents/insureds in general, it's very important to try and drive an issue home by relating it to your specific business, your insureds, or someone in your community. Putting a face on an issue not only makes your message more powerful, it makes it easier to get your point across to Members of Congress in a way they can understand. After all, they want to protect their constituents, their voters.
PIA has gathered some real life stories and opinions from PIA members that you might share during your visit. Should you have a poignant story you'd like to share with your fellow PIA members on this web page, please send us an email at grassroots@pianet.org. All stories will be shared anonymously.
Helpful Videos:
Additional Resources to Assist You:
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Printed position papers: See Step 3 above for position papers you can print out to leave behind with your Congressman/Senators.
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Step 5: Download the District Lobbying Day Feedback Form (if necessary)
Provided you've registered in advance of the DLD (see step 2 above), you'll be receiving a personalized DLD feedback form via email. If you did not receive that email or did not pre-register, you may either contact Sean Garcia at seanga@pianet.org or you may download a generic District Lobbying Day Feedback Form. Please print your DLD feedback form to take notes during your meeting(s). After your meeting(s), return here to submit your feedback electronically using the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form. This is an important step in completing the circle, so PIA staff can pick up where you left off.
After Your Meetings
Step 1: Complete the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form
Let us know how your meetings went. Submit your feedback electronically using the online District Lobbying Day Feedback Form.
If you are unable to complete the Feedback Form online, please fax your completed form to (703) 836-1279. If you don't have a personalized feedback form, you may download a generic District Lobbying Day Feedback Form (PDF).
Step 2: Send Thank You Notes
Make sure everyone you visited has a second chance to reflect on your meeting and remembers you for future interactions by sending thank you notes.
Contact Us
Have a question? Please feel free to contact your PIA National staff at any time for assistance.
Sean Garcia, Political Affairs Coordinator
seanga@pianet.org
Ext. 364 or direct dial (703) 518-1364
Teresa Goddard, Administrative Assistant
Teresago@pianet.org
Ext. 381 or direct dial (703) 518-1381