Spring Semester, Odd-numbered Years

1. Give the legislative session a prominent place on the agenda of the first meeting of your faculty organization. Summarize the TCCTA legislative program, note any local goals pursued by your college, and review the meeting with local legislators held in the previous December.
2. Watch for legislative committee assignments which will be made early in the session, before the end of January. The key committees for community and technical colleges in the House of Representatives are Higher Education and Appropriations; the key Senate committees are Education and Finance. The members of these committees are in an excellent position to help the two-year colleges of the state.
3. Meet with your legislators in their local district offices sometime early in February and plan two follow-up visits for later in the session. It is often more effective to visit your legislators in their local offices when they return home for the weekend. Visits scheduled during these periods offer a more relaxed setting with less likelihood of interruption or distraction as you discuss the issues of concern to your colleagues.
4. Attend the annual TCCTA State Convention, held in February or early March. When the convention meets during a legislative session, special emphasis is given to legislative issues. During the convention, local faculty leaders have an excellent opportunity for discussion with their counterparts from two-year colleges all across the state.
5. Develop a system of communication at your college which will permit you to disseminate information quickly. During the legislative session, the TCCTA Legislative Committee will distribute periodically a Legislative Update, which will highlight issues of interest to two-year colleges. This information, along with emergency appeals for grassroots action, must be disseminated on your campus in a timely fashion.
6. Encourage your colleagues to write individual letters to their legislators on issues of interest to your college and to our profession. Provide colleagues with substantive information about the issues and encourage them to correspond with their legislators at least once or twice during the session.
7. Send letters of thanks to your legislators after the session ends and address specific ways in which their representation was appreciated.
8. Review and evaluate your legislative efforts at the final meeting of your faculty organization in the Spring. Begin making plans for the coming biennium.

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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