Visiting your legislator on Advocacy Day

Teams of 3-5 with a team leader are assigned by their arch/diocesan Advocacy Day Coordinator to visit a Texas legislators’ office. These teams present and discuss information on specific bills on the Texas bishops’ Legislative Session Priorities with the legislator or his/her staff.
This is an opportunity to educate, inform and be a witness to our Catholic faith.

Before you visit

Find your legislator at Who Represents Me?

Learn more about your House Representative and your Senator.

Research the bishops’ priorities and positions on bills.

Your arch/diocesan Advocacy Day Coordinator will inform you of the time to meet with your legislator on April 1, during Catholic Advocacy Day. Find the office using this directory.

Your arch/diocesan Advocacy Day Coordinator will provide you with talking points for your visit, as well as how to locate your legislator and how to report on the visit.

After your visit

Remind your legislators you are supporting the TCCB agenda and bill priorities.

Complete the TCCB visit form so we can follow up with any additional information your legislator may need.

When you visit

DO

• Sign their guest book
• Introduce yourself
• Review the list of Priority Bills in the packet
• Explain why each issue is important and ask for their support or opposition, using the talking points provided by your Advocacy Day Coordinator
• Find out where the legislator stands on the issue
• If the legislator supports the bill, ask if he/she will co-sponsor the bill
• Leave the TCCB packet with them
• Ask to be put on their mailing list
• Thank them before leaving
• Kindly let them know you will be paying attention to the legislation you discussed and their vote on it!
• Send a social media post (Twitter or Facebook) afterward, thanking them, using their Twitter handle and @TXCatholic, and the hashtags #TXLege and #TXCatholics. Sample post: “Thank you @_______ for talking with #TXCatholic today about [a specific bill or issue] at the #TXLege.”
• Ask for a photo with your legislator, both with your team and with other Catholics from your arch/diocese.
• Immediately let the TCCB and your Advocacy Day Coordinator know how the visit went by completing the online form.

DON’T

• Be angry, hostile or threaten
• Treat a legislator’s staff with anything less than respect
• Fail to listen to elected officials’ comments and concerns
• Overwhelm a legislator with too much information or paperwork
• Forget to thank someone who was helpful