Q: I’ve never talked to a legislator or been to the Capitol before.  Is this event for me?

Yes!  You do not need any prior experience in order to be an effective grassroots advocate for small farmers and local foods!  We will provide all the information and materials you need, and be there with you every step of the way.

Q: What do I need to do to prepare?

Think about your story. Why do you care about sustainable agriculture and local food? The important thing is that you share why it’s important to you. 

Q: Do I need to bring anything with me?

Just you and any friends who also care about small farms and local food!  

It’s also useful to bring money for parking and food. 

Keep this map handy! capitol_visitors_guide.pdf (texas.gov)

Q: Where should I park?

The Capitol Visitors Parking Garage at 12th and Trinity is usually the closest and least expensive option.  You can find a map with all the parking in the area at Capitol_Complex_Parking_Map (texas.gov)

Q: What will happen during Lobby Day?

We start the day with a short “how to effectively meet with your legislators” session.  After, we will go over each of the bills, including the probable questions and how to respond to them.  

Attendees then split into groups of two to four people, based on their geography. Each group is given the names & offices of a few legislators. Typically, groups do a few meetings then come back to touch base, let us know how it went, tell us what follow up is needed, and then get assignments for more meetings. We will continue that cycle until about 3 pm (you can leave whenever you need to).

Q: Do I have to register ahead of time or can I just show up?

Registration is requested, but not required. It helps us to prepare, knowing how many people are coming and where they are coming from.

Q: What time does it start and where do we meet?

Start times and meeting places will be different for the different lobby days through the session. 

The April and May lobby days will start at noon. Plan to arrive at the Capitol by 11 am. It will take a few minutes to walk from the parking garage to the meeting room, where we will meet as a group to discuss the basics of how to do the meetings and the bills.  We will meet in the Agricultural Museum, Room 1W.14. 

You can get a map of the Capitol Complex at https://tspb.texas.gov/plan/maps/doc/capitol_visitors_guide.pdf.  

Q: How do I dress?

You can wear anything from nice regular-day clothes to business casual: clean jeans or pants/slacks, skirts, nice shirts.  You do NOT have to be fancy or look like a lawyer!  But also no shorts, tank tops, or t-shirts with messages (other than a local foods message).

Q: Do I have to stay the whole day?

You can leave whenever you need to. We find it works best if people are present in the morning so that you get all the information on how to meet with legislators and the bills. You will still have an important impact even if you have to leave early.

Q: What about lunch?

We are not allowed to serve food in the Capitol Auditorium, so you will need to either bring your own food or plan to eat in the Capitol cafeteria (which is on E1, right across the hall from the Auditorium where we’ll be).

Q: I need financial support to come.  How does that work?

When you register, one of the questions is whether you want to apply for the $150 travel stipend that has been funded by generous community members.  If you are coming from far away (such as the Valley, Panhandle, or West Texas), or have special circumstances, we may be able to provide more.  

We will review all the requests and notify you by email if yours is approved.  As of February 6, we have not sent out notifications, but will be doing so within a few days.