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Legislative Day

Started by yolo, February 10, 2019, 12:11:24 AM

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yolo

Anyone hear applying for Legislative Day?? And if you have gone, what's it like?? I'm applying this year and I would love to know.

FW

If you are able to attend, I would highly recommend it.  Visiting with your Representatives in Congress, seeing our Capitol, socializing with other members of CAP from around the country is a great opportunity.  Of course attending a Command Council meeting is also an event worth experiencing...

Capmonkey

I'll be there this year! Super excited for that, and to be able to present to the National CC!

yolo

That's so cool! I'm going to get to see you there!! Which region are you from?

Capmonkey

Quote from: TheMeepMan on February 21, 2019, 10:32:19 PM
That's so cool! I'm going to get to see you there!! Which region are you from?

PM me!

ourpobox

I'll be there representing VAWG.  I've been there for the last ... umm ... 4-5 years? 

In general, the way it usually works is that your Government Relations Advisor sets up meetings with your Congressmen and Representatives.  Your meeting is usually with a staffer.  You have some materials with "talking points" that the team (usually two senior members and some cadets) needs to represent to the staffer and then you have a chance to talk with them about why CAP matters to America.  Cadets should have the chance to talk about their experience and why developing leaders for America is a worthwhile cause.  Before you leave, make sure you encourage the staffer to talk to the Legislator and other staff members about the benefits of membership in the Congressional Squadron. 

They are able to join the Congressional Squadron and participate in missions, become CAP pilots if they have their Private Certificate, become aircrew members...etc...  I meet a staffer last year who was already a member of the Congressional Squadron and had been to a Search and Rescue Exercise as a Mission Pilot!  Pretty cool to have a staffer who already knows who we are and has worked with us. 

In general, I hope you have someone with experience on your team.  If not, ask to see the materials early so you can familiarize yourself with budget terminology and such.  Get a clear picture of where the different office buildings are located and plan your schedule carefully.  If you have "downtime" make sure you see some sites!  I highly recommend the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.  If you can only see ONE site, I'd recommend going in to see that. 

Enjoy your time!  See you there! 
------------------------------------------------
Capt Greg Fletcher, CAP
Fredericksburg Composite Squadron - MAR-VA-108
http://fredericksburgcap.com
Director Public Affairs, Virginia Wing
http://vawg.cap.gov

dwb

Quote from: ourpobox on February 26, 2019, 02:10:01 PM
In general, the way it usually works is that your Government Relations Advisor sets up meetings with your Congressmen and Representatives.

Can't always trust those GRAs, though. Especially yours. :)

Legislative Day is my favorite CAP day of the year. I love walking around Capitol Hill, and in every hallway, in every building, you see people in CAP uniforms. It's so cool.

The Supreme Court is great, too. This time of year, they offer Courtroom lectures once every hour from 9:30-15:30. It's worth 30 minutes of your time.

yolo

What are those lecturers about?

dwb

Quote from: TheMeepMan on February 27, 2019, 01:40:53 PM
What are those lecturers about?

It's an oral history of the courthouse. They talk about the construction of the building, the architectural features of the court and some of the art/sculpture work, and have a brief Q&A. You have to silence your phone and you're not allowed to take pictures, but just sitting in the courtroom is awe-inspiring.

You can also do a self-guided tour any time around the hallways of the courthouse, look at the art, and if you're like me, visit the gift shop.

The Court and the Jefferson building of the Library of Congress are right next to each other. Both are really excellent attractions if your team has time to visit them in between appointments. I have a big time gap, so I plan on bringing my cadets to one or both locations.

ourpobox

Quote from: dwb on February 26, 2019, 03:20:06 PM
Quote from: ourpobox on February 26, 2019, 02:10:01 PM
In general, the way it usually works is that your Government Relations Advisor sets up meetings with your Congressmen and Representatives.

Can't always trust those GRAs, though. Especially yours. :)



Well....our new GRA is just that.  He's green.  New to the scene.  Thinks he's a lean clean fightin' machine.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not being mean....   Oops.  Got stuck in a loop there!  Maybe I should be a rapper??   (...or NOT....)

Anyway....he did OK this year.  He is new at the job, AND he comes from NYWG.  Whatcha gonna expect from a yankee? 

....for the record, after my comment about knowing locations in advance, the General wanted to walk, so we got off the Metro a stop early and ended up on the wrong side of the Hill!  Raeburn and Russell both start with "R" and our newbie GRA used abbreviations for building names.  I even asked the Capital Police where the building with those initials was and they pointed us in the wrong direction.  Instead of EARLY, we were on-time for our first appointment.  I was blushing and my C/Col ambassador made us walk like we were in a hurry or something!  :-)   It was a great day!  Hope you guys will endure me gain next year!
------------------------------------------------
Capt Greg Fletcher, CAP
Fredericksburg Composite Squadron - MAR-VA-108
http://fredericksburgcap.com
Director Public Affairs, Virginia Wing
http://vawg.cap.gov