Wednesday, February 28, was WDC Advocacy Day in Annapolis, hosted by Advocacy Committee co-chairs Emily Shetty and Ginger Macomber. We had a really engaged cadre of attendees, including a few Board members, and a very full schedule.
Participants attended the morning session of the Women Legislators’ Caucus and were welcomed by Caucus President, MoCo Delegate Arianna Kelly. Alice Wilkerson, a Public Policy Partners advocate and former Chief of Staff to State Senator Jamie Raskin, gave us tips in advocating for WDC priorities. Afterwards, participants visited the House and Senate galleries where they had the opportunity to observe the State legislature at work, and next met with their MoCo Delegates and Senators for scheduled meetings. During lunch we hosted a number of our MoCo State legislators who alerted us to what they were hoping to accomplish during the 2018 legislative session. The day ended with an opportunity to attend a Committee Bill Hearing and a wrap-up session. It was Gun Control Day so several members had the unique experience of hearing our legislators face off against an NRA lobbyist about a bill to prohibit rapid-fire trigger activators. For a first-person account of our day from Laura Stewart, one of our attendees, click here . Thank you to all who came to advocate for WDC’s priority State legislation. We hope to see more of you next year.
The three-month legislative session will end on April 9, and the Advocacy Committee has been very busy identifying bills that meet WDC’s legislative priorities and submitting supporting testimony. Twenty-three bills were identified, many of which had both Senate and House versions, resulting in 40 submissions to the bill sponsors for inclusion in the Committee Hearing packets. If you have not already done so, sign up for WDC’s Advocacy Alert Team here and take action when you get an alert! Our legislators take notice when we contact them! (For an example, click here for Del. Pam Queen’s appreciation of WDC’s support for her bill.)