ABA Grassroots Action Center helps members connect with their representatives
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Question: Are legal professionals 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 submitted by ABA entities and individual members. If a resolution is adopted, it will become association policy on which we can advocate. That advocacy can take many forms, including ABA presidential statements, lobbying efforts, amicus briefs, testimony and letters to Congress or federal agencies. As the association’s spokesperson on policy matters, the ABA president approves all advocacy efforts on behalf of the association. ABA members often ask: How can I help?
Congress is listening to constituents like never before. ABA members now have new tools to better connect with elected officials and to help the ABA with its advocacy efforts in the process.
The ABA’s Governmental Affairs Office 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 Congressional Management Foundation, eight of the top 10 reasons congressional leaders and staff 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 advocacy, the Governmental Affairs Office 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 Affairs Office creates summaries, resources and predrafted email messages you can use to connect 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 priorities—preserving Public Service Loan Forgiveness and funding the Legal Services Corp.—to use during advocacy 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 officials. Emails can be personalized by ABA members to share their perspectives 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 offices by telephone with talking points. Our social media center has even more ways to reach out and includes images created 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 experienced advocates, the center has in-depth research, one-page issue summaries with specific ABA policy requests and more to take your advocacy efforts 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 minutes, 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/grassroots to learn more. For ongoing updates, follow us on Twitter at @ABAGrassroots.
This report is written by the ABA Governmental Affairs Office and discusses advocacy efforts by the ABA relating to issues being addressed by Congress and the executive branch of the federal government. Eric Storey is director of grassroots and digital advocacy for the American Bar Association. The article was published in the July-August 2019 ABA Journal magazine with the title "Advocacy Amplified."
