1. Advanced Advocacy Building Bipartisan Coalitions to Advance Policy Catherine Finley Thorn Run Partners

2. How to Prepare for an Effective Meeting
Know the Political Landscape
What is the Legislative Focus of Congress
Learn the Legislative Focus of the Member
Identify a Connection with the Member at the Local Level

3. Political Landscape
President Trump has been in office for approximately 15 months
There have been a lot of controversies
Health care reform failed, Tax reform passed
The House is controlled by Republicans:
Republicans have the majority with 23 seats – not a large margin in a divided caucus
A red seat in Pennsylvania was lost following an unexpected retirement
42 Republicans have announced their retirement, with five already resigning
Speaker Ryan resigned, and the battle to replace Speaker Ryan is underway
The Senate is controlled by Republicans
Republicans have 51 votes – no ability to pass bills under regular order – needs 60 votes
Republicans lost an open Senate Seat in Alabama – the reddest of states
An easy 2018 mid-term election for Republicans is shaping up to be a challenge

4. Legislative Focus of Congress
Senate
With only 51 Republican votes it is extremely difficult to pass legislation
Senate led bipartisan effort to pass a two-year budget deal
Leader McConnell is focused on advancing nominations and judges, he does not want to debate health care or other controversial issues
Senate Republicans want to talk about the tax reform bill
House
The House is working on a number of controversial issues in committee, including expanding work requirements for safety-net program eligibility
The pathway to floor consideration of the controversial issues remains questionable because moderate Republicans do not want to take controversial votes
Work weeks are shrinking because of limited number of bills ready for floor consideration

5. Legislative Focus of Members
Questions to ask yourself about the member
What issues are of interest to the member?
Check his webpage
Look for public statements
Look at press released/newspaper stories
On which committees does he/she sit?
Usually found on webpage
Does he/she have a leadership role in their party or on committee/subcommittee
What type of bills has he/she introduced or cosponsored?
Are they focused on health care
Are they focused on mental health or substance use

6. Connection at the Local Level
The best way to connect with a member or their staff is to connect with a local issue that matters.
Opioid addiction and overdoses is a focus on Congress
Explain what is happening in the state/district around mental health/substance use
What role does your organization play in prevention, treatment, recovery
Use this story to connect to the advocacy issues:
Pick the bills that matter most to you/your organization
Explain why these bills matter and what it would mean to the community
How can the member be helpful
Cosponsor the bill
Communicate his/her support to committee chairs/ranking members/leadership
Visit your organization or site