Advocacy Amplified

• Author: Eric Storey
• Pages: 70-70

Question: Are legal profession-

als the most influential group in

Washington?

Answer: They could be.

During the ABA Annual Meeting in

August, the House of Delegates will

consider dozens of resolutions sub-

mitted by ABA entities and individual

members. If a resolution is adopted,

it will become association policy on

which we can advocate. That advo-

cacy can take many forms, includ-

ing ABA presidential statements,

lobbying eorts, amicus briefs, tes-

timony and letters to Congress or

federal agencies. As the association’s

spokesperson on policy matters, the

ABA president approves all advocacy

eorts on behalf of the association.

ABA members often ask: How can I

help?

Congress is listening to constitu-

ents like never before. ABA members

now have new tools to better connect

with elected ocials and to help the

ABA with its advocacy eorts in the

process.

The ABA’s Governmental Aairs

Oce regularly coordinates with

members of Congress on legislation

of interest to the legal profession.

But lawmakers want to hear from

constituents rather than lobbyists

when deciding how to vote.

In a 2015 survey by the Congres-

sional Management Foundation,

eight of the top 10 reasons congres-

sional leaders and sta cited for their

votes involved hearing directly from a

constituent on an issue. A visit from a

lobbyist was not even in the top five.

Recognizing the importance of

member involvement in ABA advo-

cacy, the Governmental Aairs Oce

has created an ABA Grassroots

Action Center, which allows ABA

members to enter their home

address to quickly connect to their

lawmakers.

When an ABA priority issue

starts moving in Congress, the

Governmental Aairs Oce creates

summaries, resources and predrafted

email messages you can use to con-

nect directly with your congressional

representatives.

TOOLS TO ADVOCATE

During this year’s annual ABA Day

lobbying event, ABA members found

information in the Grassroots Action

Center on the importance of two of

the ABA’s current legislative priori-

ties—preserving Public Service Loan

Forgiveness and funding the Legal

Services Corp.—to use during advo-

cacy visits in Washington and in their

home districts. ABA members also

used the center to send more than

200 emails and 400 social media

messages directly to their elected o-

cials. Emails can be personalized by

ABA members to share their per-

spectives and experiences for an even

greater impact.

Don’t want to communicate in

writing? The Grassroots Action

Center has an option to connect to

your congressional oces by tele-

phone with talking points. Our social

media center has even more ways to

reach out and includes images cre-

ated for ABA members to use.

Never advocated before? We’ve

got you covered. The ABA Grassroots

Action Center includes tutorials, tips

and best practices to help you every

step of the way. For the more expe-

rienced advocates, the center has

in-depth research, one-page issue

summaries with specific ABA pol-

icy requests and more to take your

advocacy eorts to the next level.

Regardless of the method used,

the Grassroots Action Center can

help members stay abreast of the

ABA’s priorities on Capitol Hill and

empower them to add their voices to

the conversation in under five min-

utes, while also amplifying the ABA’s

message in the process.

Want to get more involved? Sign

up to join our Grassroots Action

Team and let us know what issues

interest you most so we will be aware

of the issues you care about. By

becoming an active member of our

Grassroots Action Team, you will

have the opportunity to magnify ABA

advocacy by adding your voice to ours

in Congress when it is needed most.

Go to ambar.org/grasroots to learn

more. For ongoing updates, follow us

on Twitter at @ABAGrassroots. Q

Advocacy Amplified

ABA Grassroots Action Center helps members

connect with their representatives

By Eric Storey

This report is writ ten by the ABA

Governmental Affai rs Office and discu sses

advocacy effor ts by the ABA relating

to issues being addresse d by Congress

and the executive branc h of the federal

government. Eric Sto rey is director of

grassroots and digit al advocacy for the

American Bar Association.

Your ABA

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REPORT FROM GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS

SHUTTERSTOCK

70 || ABA JOURNAL JULY-AUGUST 2019