We are so excited that you are joining us for Lobby Day in Frankfort on February 12, 2020. Below is information on what to expect.
Thank you for signing up to attend lobby day! We have used the info you provided in your registration to look up your state senator and your state representative. Volunteers have called legislator offices to set up meetings with these legislators. If there are multiple supporters who live in the same district and have the same legislators, we will group you together for meetings. All meetings are subject to the availability and schedules of the legislators, but we do our best to make sure that meeting times coincide with the times you told us that you would be in Frankfort. If you cannot be in Frankfort at the time of your meeting, let us know ASAP at info@kentuckbirth.org.
We have sent out an e-mail to all registrants with a link to view the scheduled meeting times. If you see other legislators on the list who are near your area, but you aren’t in their district, you are welcome to join in on those meetings. Please e-mail us to let us know if you want to join other meetings.
Information on Parking and Entering the Capitol Annex
All meetings will take place in the Capitol Annex Building. Be prepared with your ID when you enter. Everyone at the Annex is very helpful in directing you to where you need to be.
NOTE: A new visitor sign-in procedure has been implemented this year at the annex, whereby you scan your drivers license and are given a nametag. This has led to especially LONG entrance times on most days. Wear a warm coat, and you may want to bring an umbrella that can fold up and be put into your bag once you enter.
That means you need to plan to be in the parking lot at least ONE HOUR before your scheduled meeting time.
Gathering Location In past years, we have been able to reserve a room at the annex. We have not been able to get a room this year. Our current plan is to have volunteers stationed just inside the cafeteria entrance in the basement of the annex. There you can pick up your folder with meeting info and cookies to take to your legislators. Feel free to hang out in the cafeteria between meetings. It will get very busy closer to lunch time.
Do I Need to Be There the Whole Time? No, you do not need to be present the entire time from 8:30am until 1:00pm. Once we have meeting times scheduled, you can plan to arrive about an hour prior to your first meeting and leave after your final meeting. You are also welcome to stay the entire time and attend additional meetings or help out in other ways.
Childcare– Because we will not have a dedicated room, we cannot offer childcare as we have done in past years. For those who are bringing small children and who may need assistance/distraction during meetings, we have a small team of trusted volunteers who can accompany you to your meeting. This MUST be arranged with us in advance. Please contact us ASAP if you will need assistance. We have contacted everyone who indicated on their registration that they may need childcare assistance.
You know your children best, and you know whether or not they will do well in meetings. Infants and school-age children usually do great. Toddlers and preschoolers are not usually quite so impressed with meetings π
Baby Needs– There are no changing stations in any of the restrooms in the Annex. There is a changing and lactation room in the Capitol building, which is connected to the annex via a tunnel. You can usually find an empty committee meeting room on the first floor to utilize for a few minutes for a quick change. There is also a quiet library in the basement of the annex. You are welcome to nurse your baby anywhere you are comfortable. Most of us are very comfortable nursing in public and we know our legal rights when it comes to nursing in public. However, keep in mind that some legislators may not be as comfortable as we are, and we are trying to win them over π Above all, we trust your judgment!
We recommend wearing your baby when possible. If you bring a stroller, you will need to enter via the handicap entrance on level two from the parking garage, or be able to lift your stroller up stairs at the main visitor entrance of the annex.
What to Wear– There is no dress code for lobby day, but we do have suggestions. Most folks at the Capitol (legislators and lobbyists, staff) dress in business casual attire. Dress clothes are appropriate, such as business attire or business casual, “church clothes,” or something you might wear to a fancy dinner with family. Think conservative and not risque. That being said, jeans and a t-shirt are just fine, too. What you wear is far less important than simply showing up.
Pro tip: wear flats and not heels if you have several meetings!
Before Meetings– Please look at the meeting schedule that will be e-mailed and know the times of your planned meetings. Contact us at info@kentuckybirth.org if you need to review the schedule or have questions.
A new visitor sign-in procedure has been implemented this year at the annex, whereby you scan your drivers license and are given a nametag. This has led to especially LONG entrance times on most days. Wear a warm coat, and you may want to bring an umbrella that can fold up and be put into your bag once you enter.
That means you need to plan to be in the parking lot at least ONE HOUR before your scheduled meeting time.
Senate offices are on the 2nd floor. House offices are on the 3rd and 4th floors. To get to the upper floors, use the elevators and stairs in the CENTER of the building. You cannot get into the upper floors from any other stairways. For Senate offices, you will go with your group to the office suite of the legislator you are meeting with. For House meetings, there is a lobby on each floor where the KBC volunteer leader from your group will check-in, and you must wait in the lobby to be called back. Please do not check-in yourself! That leads to confusion and gets us scolded by the front desk staff!
Every meeting will have a KBC volunteer or lobbyist to accompany you. The volunteers/lobbyists will be doing back to back meetings and will NOT have time to come to downstairs to get you and walk with you. They will meet you 1) at the office suite of your meeting if on the 2nd floor, or 2) in the lobby if on the 3rd of 4th floor.
Cookies– We will have a box of cookies to deliver to each legislator that we meet with. One member of the group should check in at the cafeteria (or first floor meeting room, if we are able to secure one) and pick up the box of cookies prior to each meeting.
During Meetings– Everyone will introduce themselves. Your job is to let your legislator know that you live in their district and that you care about access to birth centers. You can mention more specifically where you live and any community ties you might have (where you go to church, where you went/your kids go to school, where you work, etc), and mention if you have any personal connections to the legislator.
The KBC volunteer/lobbyist with you can address the bill more specifically and answer specific questions about the legislation. If there are any questions to which no one knows the answer, just say that you don’t know, but that someone will get the answer and get back to them.
If the legislator has strong feelings on any point, don’t argue with them, but do calmly state your position. If meeting with a Republican House Member who seems favorable, finish the meeting by asking them to co-sponsor the bill. Ask Senate members to support the bill when it reaches the Senate. Be sure to thank them for the meeting before you leave. Most meetings will last 10-20 minutes.
If you have back-to-back meetings, be aware of where your next meeting will take place.
Stay on Topic– While you are speaking with legislators on behalf of KBC, please stay on topic. At any given time there are always many subject matters being considered by the General Assembly, and you may have strong feelings about many of those other topics. However, we ask that you do not discuss your views on other topics while in legislator meetings set up by KBC. Our supporters range from very liberal to very conservative, and all points in between. Our topic is special in that it crosses all political barriers and unites people for a common cause.
Other ways to help– While you are not in meetings, you can help by watching and playing with kids, or by helping deliver cookies to all legislators. There will be a “room boss” who can give you an assignment if you want to help out.
Food– There is a cafeteria in the basement of the annex where you can have lunch. There is also a snack shop in the basement. Food is not allowed in the first floor meeting rooms.
Sightseeing– You can also tour the Capitol building. Get info on visiting the Capitol here and more information on visiting Frankfort here.
