Monday, March 1st - Thursday, March 4th
Our world, our work, and our profession have changed dramatically over the last year, and for our organizations, advocacy is now more important than ever!
In lieu of our annual in-person Advocacy Day at the Capitol, LeadingAge Wisconsin has set aside the first week in March for members to host their very own virtual meetings with their legislators as part of LeadingAge Wisconsin’s 2021 Virtual Advocacy Days event. Your participation will not require a trip to the State’s capital, but instead, should only require an hour of your time to meet with your elected officials from your own workplace and with all the LeadingAge Wisconsin resources available to you!
This year’s virtual advocacy with state lawmakers will create greater opportunities for increased participation, as hosting online meetings will allow more members to join this critical advocacy effort. This is your opportunity to engage with your legislators on a grassroots level and invite your colleagues, staff, and interns from your facility and/or your board members to join you virtually.
2021 Virtual Advocacy Days Schedule:
Monday, March 1- Briefing & Participant Prep Session
Tuesday, March 2 – Member Legislative Meetings
Wednesday, March 3 – Member Legislative Meetings
Thursday, March 4 – Member Legislative Meetings
Briefing & Participant Prep Session
To kick-off our effort, LeadingAge Wisconsin staff will be hosting a webinar on Monday, March 1 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. to assist members in preparing for the meetings you have scheduled with your legislators. During this time, we will review the Governor’s biennial budget proposal as it relates to our issues, discuss the timeline for budget advocacy opportunities and the negotiations that will take place, and walk you through the advocacy materials that you will share in your meetings. A link to join this webinar will be sent out to members the week prior to the event and the webinar will be recorded for you to reference at any time for any of the three advocacy meeting days.
Designated Member Advocacy Days
Governor Evers will announce his State Biennial Budget proposal on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Although we do not know yet how the Governor’s proposal will impact long-term care providers, we encourage members to begin contacting their elected officials’ offices to request a meeting with their legislators and/or staff during LeadingAge Wisconsin’s designated advocacy days on March 2, 3, and 4.
*Special Note for LeadingAge Wisconsin Region Directors: In the past, some LeadingAge Wisconsin region members preferred to meet as a group with their area Representatives and Senators. We encourage Region Directors to reach out to other region members via email and/or discuss at your February region meeting if you are interested in coordinating your virtual meetings. We recommend an individual region member be identified as the point-of-contact for members and legislative offices to coordinate a set date, time, and meeting platform (Zoom, Teams, Skype for Business, etc.) for multiple legislators and staff to participate.
In addition, LeadingAge Wisconsin staff and lobbyists will begin meeting with members of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) shortly after the Governor’s budget announcement, and we are happy to join you for your legislative meetings if you would like us to be part of your discussions.
Once you have your meetings scheduled, please send the details to Annette Cruz at [email protected] so that we can track our joint efforts. Additionally, please contact Annette if you need assistance with setting up a virtual meeting with a legislator or if you should need to use a LeadingAge Wisconsin Teams or Zoom account.
Advocacy Day Resources and Materials
Guides on how to host your own virtual meeting and lobbying tips, as well as electronic versions of advocacy materials, handouts, and talking points will be posted on the LeadingAge Wisconsin website under the Policy & Advocacy tab as Advocacy in Action; and will be made available to all members in the days leading up to our scheduled advocacy days.
A step-by-step guide to find out who your legislators are, their contact information, and how to request a meeting are found in the Legislative Scheduling Guide, or you can click here and go directly to the site to enter your address to find your legislators and their contact information to begin scheduling your meetings.
If you have questions or need assistance connecting with your legislators, please contact Annette Cruz at [email protected].
Thank you in advance for your participation in advocacy during this critical time!
