Down Home Lobbying: It's All About Relationships

Introduction

"If once (the People) become inattentive to the public affairs... I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges and Governors shall all become wolves."   --   Thomas Jefferson

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. -- The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Most of us didn’t realize when we became librarians or trustees that advocacy or lobbying would become one of the most, if not THE most important aspect of our jobs.  So what is lobbying?  When you hear that word, what comes to mind for you?

ADVOCACY: The act of supporting or promoting a cause. Speaking out.

LOBBYING:  Active expression of a citizen’s right to influence government

          (from Guide to State Legislative Lobbying by Robert L. Guyer, Engineering THE LAW, Inc., 1999)

It is also fundamental to a democracy and to our rights as citizens.  Some of us may still be uncomfortable with this term associating it with backroom deals and unsavory influence peddling and bribes.  And early on in its history and even today, we know that sometimes occurs.

But that is not what real lobbying is about and it is essential for libraries and their ability to succeed and thrive.

Lobbying is about communicating and those of us who engage in it are teachers, negotiators and motivators, which should be familiar roles for us.  We play all those roles in our organizations and in our interactions with our customers.

Lobbying Overview

What Is Lobbying?

Lobbying is the art of influencing and informing an elected official on behalf of your special interest. Lobbying can be as simple as making a phone call to your legislator to persuade him or her to vote a particular way on a bill or as complex as preparing a detailed proposal for a bill or amendment.

Who Should You Lobby?

State legislators, county commissioners, city council members, school board members - anyone who makes a decision that affects your library. Your best bet is to keep informed about issues pertaining to your library and its needs.

Why Do Librarians Need To Lobby?

Our elected officials need to know about the issues that face libraries and the public we serve. When decisions are made concerning funding and laws affecting libraries, librarians must share their expertise with lawmakers to ensure informed decisions are made.

What Value Is There In Lobbying?

Lobbying helps convey your organization's positions to elected officials. A primary goal of a lobbyist is to provide current, factual information on an issue a lawmaker may be making a decision on. Legislators appreciate this effort since some information may be difficult and time-consuming for them to obtain.

Who Can Lobby?

Anyone can lobby their elected officials. You must register with the Wyoming Legislative Service Office if you represent an association, corporation, labor union or any other interest, other than personal during a legislative session.

Most effective, however, are grassroots efforts. Legislators are best persuaded by calls and letters from their constituents. Libraries with a strong base of public support offer ideal opportunities for grassroots lobbying efforts. Work with the public you serve throughout the year, compiling a list of supporters that you can call on at crucial times.

How To Lobby

Personal contact is best, whether it be through phone calls or letters. Her are some tips to help you get started:

• Personal contact at the local level is critical. Don't wait for the day of a crucial vote to get to know your legislator; let your support begin during his or her political campaign. Offer to volunteer for a candidate whose philosophy you share.
• Maintain contact throughout he year. One way of doing this is to send items of interest to the legislator. Newspaper articles about a legislator's family members, or stories relating to a hobby or special interest add a personal touch your legislator will remember.
• Invite your elected officials to take a tour of the library. Begin with a letter of invitation and, if need be, follow up with a phone call. Keep the tour brief but informative.
• Never provide a legislator with inaccurate information. If you are a question and are unsure of the answer, tell the legislator your will get back to him or her. Then follow up.
• Talk about library issues with other groups in your community. Take every opportunity to bring the library and issues facing it to the public eye.

When Lobbying Doesn't Work

If your lobbying effort fails, remember that there are two sides to every issue. Be willing to compromise, and don't take a loss personally. Most importantly, don't burn any bridges. Remember that issues, candidates and political climates all change. The old adage of "try, try again" is a good lobbyist's rule of thumb. The legislator who voted down one bill may be your best ally on the next issue.

Best Advise For Would-Be Lobbyists:

 BE INFORMED

 BE INVOLVED

Building a Grassroots Library Advocacy Community

"All politics are local" -- Tip O'Neill, former Speaker of the House

What do I mean by a grassroots library advocacy community?  It means that there is a group of people and/or organizations in your state that know and can tell the library story.  They have a common understanding, vision of and stake in the importance of libraries and the issues that are critical to their success.  And that they are willing to act on that vision by lobbying legislators and other decision-makers.

There is a logical place to start, depending on what level you’re lobbying at.

Here’s how it works in Iowa…..

1. What's the Story? 
   
   The Governmental Affairs Committee of the Iowa Library Association (ILA) facilitates the development of a legislative agenda each year.  The Chair meets with ILA’s lobbyist, the State Librarian, library leaders (both formal and informal) throughout the state to identify the key issues and concerns of libraries and their customers.
2. Sharing the Story 
   
   That agenda is of course submitted to the ILA Board and approved by its membership, but the important part is that it is distributed (along with by snail mail, a statewide library listserv (called Iowalib), the ILA newsletter and on the ILA website to every library in Iowa regardless of whether the institution or its employees or trustees are ILA members or not.
   
   These combined methods allow for interaction and flexibility – questions, comments, clarifications, changes if needed, issuing legislative alerts and generally keeping everyone in the loop as the session progresses.
   
   Two years ago --- stealing a great idea from the Nebraska Library Association --- we asked people to share their stories of the difference they make in their communities.  We collected those and printed them on postcards that each Iowa legislator received weekly throughout the session.  All of those stories were also published on the listserv.
3. There's Nothing Like Face-to-Face
   
   We schedule opportunities for librarians, trustees and patrons throughout the state to visit the Capitol during the legislative session.  This provides us with a consistent presence with the legislators, but perhaps even more importantly, it builds relationships between and among library advocates.

Using this method of creating an advocacy community, in the past five years we’ve passed two key pieces of legislation (direct state aid and the Iowa Library Systems bill, fought off an Internet filtering initiative and fought off multiple attempts to eliminate our Library Services Areas, the agencies that serve local libraries with continuing education and consulting services.

Building a Relationship with Your Legislator

Telling the story.

Once the story is out there, widely shared and distributed, we encourage folks to practice telling the story, i.e. contact their legislators before the Iowa General Assembly begins its session.  Invite them to their library for coffee, cookies and an informal talk about the upcoming session, ask them to attend a program, offer a tour --- show them the impact that state funding has on library services.

Beyond developing the relationships with local libraries and their legislators, it is also critical to identify key players in the state legislature that can make the difference, pro or con, for libraries.  Let’s face it --- very few legislators are in the leadership of the majority or minority parties.

And as much as we would like to think library issues are nonpartisan (who doesn’t like libraries?) and try to keep library issues non-partisan, the fact is most issues, especially funding issues, quickly become so.

One quick example….

Since 1998, Iowa has had a Democratic governor and a legislature with a Republican majority.  Our First Lady, Christie Vilsack, has been a strong, visible, very vocal advocate for libraries as has the Governor himself.  We had been attempting for the past several years to get legislation passed that established direct state aid for public libraries.  Iowa was one of only 8 states that had no direct state funding for local libraries.  We decided that if there was any time when we could get this funding it was now with our First Lady and Governor speaking about the importance of libraries in his plan to establish a “world class education system in Iowa”.

For the first time Iowa libraries had unprecedented visibility and political clout.  That’s the good news; the bad news is that for the first time, libraries had unprecedented visibility and political clout.

There’s a price to be paid when you’re out there that way.  That’s the way our political system works.  If one party is for you; one may be against you.  Not because they don’t like libraries, but because if you’re a cause celebre for one party, you can’t be that for the other one.  In fact, you become an opportunity for the other party to use as a wedge or a bargaining chip.

So, what did we do?  We identified a veteran Republican Senator who served as education appropriations committee chair and approached her about helping us.  She is a huge library supporter and in fact had been working to establish a public library in her small hometown.  She was the key to getting the our funding included in the education appropriations bill and working with her counterpart in the House to keep it there.

That relationship has continued to pay off – she was also the primary sponsor for the Iowa Library Systems bill that we lobbied for last year.  It passed in its first session as well.

General Tips for Working With Legislators

Your legislator's time is valuable, but he or she appreciates constituent contacts. Here are some ideas for how to most effectively develop on ongoing relationship with your legislator while advocating on behalf of libraries. By the way, these tips work for meeting with any elected official.

Do Your Homework

• Know the issues and the particular interests of your legislator. Keep a background file on your legislators, including special interests and personal profiles. You won't agree on all of the issues all of the time, but a legislator needs to know what constituents are thinking.

 Keep in Touch

• Write, call, or visit your legislators and their staff members to introduce yourself. Let them know who you represent and volunteer to keep them informed about your issues, their impact on your community and on the legislator's district.
•  Add the legislator's name to your mailing list and ask to have your name added to the legislator's mailing list.
• Make sure the legislator receives notice of and invitations to special events held at your library. This serves as a reminder of your library's role in the community. Remind your legislator that attending these functions is an excellent way to meet with constituents.
• Invite legislators and perhaps their spouses to tour your library. Show them exactly what your library does and how it contributes to the quality of life in your community.

Be Consistent and Reliable

• Remember that official policy is set by the ILA Executive Board. Remember that ILA must be viewed as a credible source of information in order to be successful on behalf of libraries.
• It is also not effective to mix discussion of your personal issues with discussion of library issues, or you will dilute your message and confuse the legislator as to your priorities.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

• Give public recognition to deserving legislators through awards or at library functions to which your legislator has been invited. Always say "THANK YOU" for support of your issues. A personal thank you note is also very effective.

Be a Player

• Attend events, social and other types, at which legislators will be present -- not to lobby overtly, but to get acquainted and make them aware of you as an active member of the community. Even if you can afford to give only a small amount of money, attending fund raisers is an important part of our current political process.  If you choose to do this, giving to both candidates avoids the appearance of partisanship.

Building Relationships with Friends and Foes

Identifying potential allies and opponents, both within and without your association, is a critical part of grassroots lobbying.  Robert Guyer in his book, Guide to State Legislative Lobbying, discusses the importance of negotiating with these interest groups.  He says:

“You will start negotiating as soon as you try to gain consensus among your association members in the earliest stages of the proposed lobbying project.  Negotiating skills will also be used when working with interest groups that support or oppose you.  Throughout the lobbying campaign, you will negotiate repeatedly within your association and with interest groups.”

I think this is a weak area for many organizations who lobby, including library organizations.  We tend to treat our issues as discrete and unique to us rather than being of interest and having impact on other special interests.

Here’s an example of a legislative failure in Iowa.

Several years ago the requirement for the presence of certified school librarian in Iowa schools was “inadvertently” removed from the code of Iowa.  Even though we’ve been told that it was a mistake, the Iowa Library Association has not been successful in having that language reinstated.  Why?  Because we’ve dealt with it strictly as an Iowa Library Association and library community issue.

What should we do?  Contact and discuss this issue with a number of organizations including the Iowa Educational Media Association, the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa Reading Association, the School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education.  And that’s the definitive list in terms of who has a stake in this issue.  And we won’t reach consensus on this issue, but contacts must be made and some understandings must be reached before we contact legislators about this issue again.