Policy and Advocacy Division: Who We Are and What We Do
NMAC’s Policy and Advocacy division is responsible for advancing NMAC’s legislative and appropriations priorities on Capitol Hill while also fostering relations with the executive branch and advocating alongside partners within HIV and across movements.
Our responsibilities include educating Members of Congress on HIV Policy through advocacy such as consistent written communications, in-person lobby visits on Capitol Hill, Congressional briefings and webinars, and advocacy training across departments and for NMAC’s various cohorts.
Advocacy 101: Representation
- How do I find my congressional district?
This link will take you to the census bureau’s databases where you can enter your information to find your district. - How do I find/ look up my representative?
This link will take you to find your senators and members of Congress by district. - How can I contact my representative?
After you have found who your representative is, you can visit their personal website. Most will have a “contact me” section with the numbers, addresses, and emails of their D.C. and district offices. - How can I contact my senator?
This link will take you to look up your senator’s contact information.
Advocacy 101 – Legislation
How can I look up information about a bill such as cosponsors, summaries, committees, full text, and amendments?
You can find all of this information by searching for the bill on congress.gov. There, you can search by keyword, bill number, sponsor, committee, and the bill status in the legislative process.
How can I sign up for legislative alerts?
The best way to track legislative alerts is to create a govtrack.us account. Once your account is verified, you can subscribe to different email notifications based on your interests.
Being Prepared: What to Know Before Meeting Your Representative
When going into a congressional meeting, you will likely be meeting with an experienced staffer, or sometimes even the representative themselves- so it is important to come prepared. Things you can do to get ready for the big day include:
- Write down key questions, points, or “requests” as reminders during the meeting.
- Research current HIV policy that you would like to focus on for the meeting. For example, legislation surrounding Ryan White or PrEP would require researching the bills to understand the contents and its status in the legislative process (was it just introduced? Was it referred to or passed out of a committee?). This information allows you to make an informed request to the office.
- Research the voting history of this office you are visiting to see if this office is friendly or hostile to HIV or other healthcare/cross movement issues. This will inform how you advocate.
- Bring educational material such as fact sheets, talking points, data and most importantly, your personal stories. The most successful advocacy tools are lived experiences!
- Arrive early! Capitol Hill can be confusing to navigate even for the most experienced advocates so please arrive at least 15 minutes before your meeting is scheduled to begin.
- Dress to impress, but be comfortable! Business casual attire is the usual expectation for Capitol Hill meetings. However, a day on the Capitol Hill usually requires a lot of walking, so dress professionally– but comfortable shoes are a must!
I Met With My Representative! What’s Next?
To follow through on your meeting, you will want to send a note to the representative or staffer who you met with. Some great things to include are:
- Thanking them for meeting with you and taking an interest in your cause
- Reiterating the requests you advocated for during your meeting
- Following up on any supplemental materials/resources they are supposed to provide you with
- Including your contact information for them to reach out to you, and encouraging them to get in contact with questions or concerns
Terms to Know
Committee vs. Caucus
- Caucus: an informal organization of members of the House, Senate, or both, that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
- Committee: a subsidiary organization, established for the purpose of considering legislation, conducting hearings and investigations, or carrying out other assignments as instructed by the Senate.
Committee Types
- Standing Committees are permanent with specialized subject areas, and mainly focus on considering and marking up legislation.
- Joint Committees are permanent and include members from both the House and Senate. They usually focus more on conducting studies and administrative concerns rather than legislation.
- Special or Select Committees are temporary and established for specific tasks.
Bills
Types of Legislation
- Standing Committees are permanent with specialized subject areas, and mainly focus on considering and marking up legislation.
- Joint Committees are permanent and include members from both the House and Senate. They usually focus more on conducting studies and administrative concerns rather than legislation.
- Special or Select Committees are temporary and established for specific tasks.