August Advocacy Awareness Month: Join ALTA’s Policymaker Liaison Program
August 5, 2014
August is officially Advocacy Awareness Month at ALTA because it is the best time to get more involved with your lawmakers since Congress is in recess. According to TIME Magazine, the first August recess began in 1971 after Congress enacted a mandatory five-week break as part of the Legislative Reorganization Act. At the time, many newly elected congressmen wanted a more reliable legislative and vacation schedule. More recently, Congress has often shortened or lengthened the August Recess schedule to accommodate the needs of lawmakers and their legislative priorities.
August is a great time to work your way up ALTA’s “advocacy ladder.” What’s the advocacy ladder? It’s is a tool to help title professionals become stronger advocates for the industry at the state and federal level. The first rung on the advocacy ladder is to join more than 7,500 industry professionals and become a member of the Title Action Network (TAN). TAN is the premier grassroots organization promoting the value of the land title industry to elected officials and regulators. It’s completely free, easy to join and allows anyone to advocate from anywhere with the click of a few buttons.
Other rungs of the advocacy ladder include taking action on TAN alerts, getting involved in your state land title association, planning a site visit for lawmakers, attending a state or federal lobby day, and much more.
One rung on the “advocacy ladder” is doing a better job at connecting with local and federal lawmakers. To do this, title professionals can visit their representatives’ websites and sign up for their newsletters and other electronic updates. Most elected officials announce town hall meetings, constituent coffees, local site visits, fundraisers and other events through regular emails. If you’re not sure where to start, call your elected official’s office and ask when their next public event in the district is scheduled. By attending these events, you can start to develop a relationship with your elected officials and their staff.
Don’t be afraid to attend events with the staff of your elected officials either. Staffers in Washington, D.C., and in district offices really “run the show.” They schedule meetings, go to meetings on behalf of the member, and so on. Whenever possible, reach out to them by introducing yourself (if you haven’t already), ask questions, offer to lend a hand and be their resource on land title in your district. This relationship will become invaluable and assist ALTA, through your connections and our staff, to better advocate on behalf of the industry.
ALTA members with relationships with elected officials are encouraged to join ALTA's Policymaker Liaison program. The liaison program is designed to help our members better identify opportunities to connect with their lawmakers on a more personal level as mentioned above.
Through trainings, webinars, lunches and other events, the Policymaker Liaison program is working to provide the tools needed for the industry to best advocate the value of the land title industry.
If you have a relationship with a lawmaker, please contact Madeleine Nagy or Wayne Stanley to join our Policymaker Liaison program today.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].