Fall Semester, Odd-numbered Years

1. Provide your faculty colleagues with information concerning their legislators. At the first meeting of the faculty organization, report on the actions of the recent session of the Legislature with regard to two-year colleges and professional concerns. The TCCTA Messenger and Legislative Update will be useful in presenting summaries of important legislative action. Provide your colleagues with a roster of legislators who represent your college district containing the addresses and phone numbers of their local legislative offices.
2. Participate in the Faculty Leaders Conference sponsored by TCCTA in late September or early October. The conference program traditionally includes information about legislative sessions, past and future.
3. Contact other two-year colleges in your area and coordinate your activities. It is not unusual, particularly in sparsely populated areas, for several colleges to be represented by the same state legis­lators. The exchange of information between faculty organizations is helpful. In urban areas, several colleges might coordinate their efforts and approach an entire urban legislative delegation as a unified group.
4. Invite legislators to classes on your campus. Traditionally, legislators have been invited to government classes to talk about the Texas Legislature and the political process. Invitations should not be limited to classes in the social sciences; guest speakers ought to be invited to speak to classes in areas which relate to the legislators’ committee assignments or areas of personal expertise. For example, nursing students would benefit from a presentation by a member of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services; criminal justice students would learn from a member of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence or the House Committee on Corrections; or court reporting students might enjoy talking with a member of the House Committee on Judicial Affairs. Do not limit your consideration to official committee assign­ments. A legislator who has sponsored a drug-abuse bill would be a valuable resource for a social problems class. Or, a legislator who supported changes in licensing requirements for Realtors would offer interesting insights to a real estate class.The primary reason for inviting a guest speaker is to offer students a valuable and unique learning experience. However, such invitations also provide visibility and good will for your college and our profession. Not only does the legislator have the chance to address constituents, but also you have the opportunity to demonstrate that state funds are invested in a worthwhile enter­prise. (Obtain lists of legislators and their House or Senate committee assignments)
5. Your legislators usually have fewer distractions and more time during the fall semester in odd-numbered years than during any other period. Legislators have just completed a regular session and are not yet preoccupied with campaigns for reelection. Thus, contacts during this period may prove beneficial for the coming legislative session.

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Political Participation Tips

Plan of Action for Grassroots Leaders:

• Fall Semester, Even-numbered Years
• Spring Semester, Odd-numbered Years
• Fall Semester, Odd-numbered Years
• Spring Semester, Even-numbered Years

Plan of Action for Every Educator:

• Meeting with Your Legislator
• Writing to Your Legislator
• Voter Registration
• Sponsoring a Candidate’s Forum
• Facts/Reminders to Legislators