Welcome Advocacy Corps! This year you will be working to organize your local communities to advocate for a strong safety net where families have access to healthcare and nutritional assistance so they can flourish. Below are some of the most important documents and forms you will need throughout your ten-month program.
In the following sections you can find policy resources and a step-by-step guide to making a lobby visit happen. Ten months is a long time, and it’s helpful to have a refresher on the basic skills we learned in our August training.
Background information on SNAP and Medicaid
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- SNAP Tracker: People Are Losing Food Assistance as the Republican Megabill Is Implemented | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Congressional Delay of SNAP Cost Shift Urgently Needed to Protect Food Assistance for Low-Income Families | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- How Recent Republican Budget Cuts Will Impact Hunger | Mazon
- Introduction to Medicaid | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- What Could We Do Instead of Spending Another $73 Billion for War? | National Priorities Project
Attribution
Sacramento State/Jessica Vernone
Students at Sacramento State shop in an on-campus food pantry.
State Fact Sheets:
California, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Texas
Congressional Staff Look Up
How do I prepare for a lobby visit?
1. Watch this 30 minute video training video!
2. Read over this leave-behind. This document has the basic information on our ask for Congress.
3. Write your story! You can use this storytelling worksheet as a guide.
Find an example story here. Although this example is for another issue, you can hear the general structure and framing of a story.
4. Find contact information for the staffer you’d like to meet with and send an email requesting a visit by telephone or video conference. (House staff, Senate staff)
5. Make sure you’re caught up on basic background information related to this issue (See resources above.)
6. Structure your lobby visit with this roadmap.
Watch an example lobby visit here. Although this example is for another issue, you can hear the general structure and flow of a visit.
What Should I Do After My Lobby Visit?
1. Fill out the lobby report-back form. You can watch this video for more information about how to fill out the form.
2. Send a follow-up email to the staffer you met with.
2. Have any constituents that lobbied for the first time fill out this form.
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