This post will contain all of the information you will need as you prepare for Capitol Day.
First things first, please wear your red “We The People” shirt from our November Capitol Day so members can quickly find you.
Captains Schedule
When you arrive, each captain will be given 1 or 2 packets and a sign for each senate district that you will be representing. (Some captains will have 2 districts to lead!) Use the Capitol Day assignments button to view your assignments. Same assignments may shift slightly if other captains have to cancel.
Please arrive at the Capitol by 9 AM. We will pass out assignments and take a picture at 9:15.
Your packet will have the legislator’s names and office numbers so you can visit them. Inside your packet you will have:
- A bill list for each legislator (button below to view this)
- A “who we are” sheet for each legislator
- A copy of the basic talking points for your reference (do not give this to legislators, it is also linked below so you can read through it ahead of time)
- A QR code to provide OKHPR with feedback about your legislator visits.
For the rally we will be sitting in senate districts so it’s easier to eat lunch and find each other. Senate districts 1-24 will sit to the left of stage and 25-48 to the right. Before you dismiss to meet with legislators, make sure to leave your signs on the stage! It is expensive for us to reprint signs so we ask that you return them so we can reuse them next year! Also, be careful not to bend or tear them.
Use your assignments to try and make appointments with each legislator that you are assigned. Preferably, make assignments in the afternoon, but if a legislator’s schedule is busy, you may make an appointment with them at any time. It is okay to combine meetings. For example, if you have an appointment set for 2 PM with your senator, you can ask your representatives to join you in the Senators office at the same time.
If your legislators do not return your request for a meeting or do not have available time you have a few options.
- Call them off of the floor during session (1:30 PM) using the request sheets at the desk outside of the Senate or House chambers on the 4th floor. On the sheet write your name and “group of constituents” so they know there are members from their district hoping to meet them. For the reason you are calling them off of the floor write “Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights”. Return this sheet to a person at the desk and they will take it to the legislator. Make sure you know what the legislator looks like so you can wave them down when they step off of the floor. Be patient, they come out of session in between votes and announcements so it may take them a few minutes. Keep your conversation brief because they may need to run back to the floor to vote.
- Alternatively, you can leave the bill list and who we are sheet with your legislator’s aide inside their office. Have each constituent from your group sign their name in the legislators visitor book so they know how many members they missed.
When speaking with legislators you can say something like
” Hi Senator/ Representative __________. We are at the Capitol with Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights and I have some constituents I wanted to introduce you to” Let your members introduce themselves.
Then you will hand them the bill list and say “These are the bills OKHPR is supporting for 2022, we hope that you will support these measures. Many of them address employee vaccine mandates or other health choice and parental rights issues. ”
You can then let your members ask questions, tell them about how mandates have affected their lives, or other concerns that they have. If your legislator asks a question that you do not know how to answer don’t stress! Just tell them that you aren’t sure, but you will ask the OKHPR Board Members to follow up on that question. You can include this question on your feedback form at the end of Capitol Day by scanning your QR code that is included in the packet.
Please be ready to step in if a member gets upset or angry at a legislator or starts going down a rabbit hole. We want to stick to our approved talking points!
Make sure to take lots of pictures, get new members in chats and invite to our official FB page, social media and sign up for text alerts.
The next two links are available for you to give to members. Please ask them to register by 2/10 so we can include them in our lunch count!
The final button includes the schedule, speakers, and some FAQ about Capitol Days.