Lobby Day 2014

We came, we saw, we conquered!

Lobby Day 2014, was a great success. I want to give a shout-out to a couple key people without whom Lobby Day would not have happened. First, Lynda Foster – thank you for all of your hard work, elected only a few short months ago you have stepped up and hit it out of the park. Senator Andy Billig and legislative assistance Paul Dillon, thank you for all of your help in scheduling rooms and speaking with our members.

Now on to our day.

We started bright and early in the morning, meeting-up at 7:30; luckily Lynda brought coffee and bagels! Later Chiho made good on a promise of 20 McDonalds breakfast burritos (thank you!). After everyone signed in, Senator Billig and Representative Riccelli were able to join us before floor action began. And yes – the good legislators talked about House of Cards.

After doing a short training we moved to breakout sessions. We heard from the folks at I-594, the State Labor Council, NARAL, and the Economic Opportunity Institute. Everyone was able to brush up on the details of our lobbying agenda and prepare for an afternoon of lobbying.

Following lunch we started our meetings with legislators, we met with legislative assistance and pulled members off the floor to ensure our legislative agenda made it into the hands of the guarded lawmakers.

We had over 30 scheduled meetings, and pulled many more members from the floor.

Our final event was a Q&A session with Congressman Denny Heck. I can speak for everyone when I say thank you Congressman, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us. Your insight, knowledge, and advice are invaluable.

Well, we made it – we came to Olympia, saw the proverbial sausage, and we conquered it. We contacted our legislators, made an impact, and we had a great time doing it! I hope you will join us again next year.

-Alex Clardy