Meet Your Legislator Day

Meet Your Legislator Day is the perfect opportunity for you to make a difference for your homeschool freedom by building personal relationships with your elected officials — those who make decisions on your behalf at the Capitol. You’ll reinforce your commitment to stand for homeschool liberty!

• 8am — Legislator Visiting Hour: CHEC is providing coffee and donuts in the lobby of the Old Supreme Court Chambers. Invite your legislators to meet you and enjoy coffee and donuts together as you connect with them.
• 9am — Opening of the House and/or Senate
• 10am — Session

Registration & details for the January 2021 event coming this fall.

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Is this different from Homeschool Day at the Capitol?[/wptabtitle]
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Yes! Meet Your Legislator Day gives you the opportunity to connect personally with your elected officials early in the legislative session (which runs January-April), giving you the ability to have a greater impact on any homeschooling legislation that may come up. Homeschool Day at the Capitol is the annual event held in April for liberty-loving folks from around the state, featuring a huge rally for homeschool freedom, educational activities for all ages, and more. (Learn more here.) But by April, the legislative session is beginning to wrap up, and many legislators are unavailable to connect personally with families.

We’ve created Meet Your Legislator Day to give families another opportunity to make that connection!
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Why is it important to meet with my legislators?[/wptabtitle]
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As homeschool families in Colorado, we enjoy the fruit of many years of vigilant service by others who have fought for our freedom. We must guard that freedom carefully! But how?

That’s where CHEC’s Colorado Homeschool Freedom Team comes in. Led by homeschool mom and CHEC Legislative Liaison Carolyn Martin, the team works throughout the year keeping watch on legal issues, reviewing hundreds of proposed bills for their potential effect on home education, parental rights, and religious liberty. (Learn more about the team here.)

But one of the greatest tools for an effective impact on any legislation regarding homeschooling is YOU! Personally meeting your elected official will help you know first-hand who is making decisions on your behalf at the Capitol, and it will strengthen our stand for homeschool liberty in both the House and the Senate.

We understand it can be intimidating to know all the ins & outs, so we’ve created this one-day event to help make it simple. We’re looking forward to a great day!

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[wptabtitle]How do I invite my legislators to the Visiting Hour?[/wptabtitle]
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• Identify who your legislators are on this page
• Invite each one to meet you in the lobby of the Old Supreme Court Chambers on the 2nd floor of the Capitol at 8am. Be sure to both call and email.
• Optional: Ask one of your legislators (either your House Representative or your Senator) if they would bring you to the floor of their chamber and educate you and your family on how they do their job.
• Make sure to confirm your meeting with them a few days before the event.
• Talking points will be emailed to you prior to the event.
• If you have any questions, please email Carolyn Martin (carolyn@chec.org).

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[wptabtitle]I’m totally not sure what to say when I meet with my legislators! Help![/wptabtitle]
[wptabcontent]Carolyn Martin has put together a page of info to help you prepare well. Check out this page for Tips for Meeting with Legislators. Note: The tips are helpful whenever you are meeting with your legislator, but not all tips will apply to the format of Meet Your Legislator Day (with the visiting hour).

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[wptabtitle]Can I bring a home-baked treat for my legislators? (Yes!) [/wptabtitle]
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We suggest that you bring a homemade baked goodie (such as a pie, sweet bread, cookies, etc.) to leave with your legislator at their office and brighten their day!

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[wptabtitle]Should I bring my children? (Yes!) [/wptabtitle][wptabcontent]

It’s a great opportunity to bring your children to the Colorado State Capitol and show them how to connect personally with elected officials. Make it a fun field trip day!

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Planning for the day:

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[wptabtitle]Directions & Instructions for Visiting the Capitol
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The Colorado State Capitol is located at 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203.

• What to wear? Due to the formal business atmosphere at the Capitol, all attendees should dress in business or church attire  — first impressions are important. Dress nicely, speak kindly, and keep children quietly and respectfully by your side.
• Driving? There is plenty of paid parking (street or lot) near the Capitol, but please note that there is no public parking available at the Capitol.  Carpooling is encouraged – make the drive a fun one with other homeschool families!  Click here for a map of suggested parking areas.
• Light Rail? This could make for a fun add-on to your field trip! The light rail train comes within just a few blocks of the Capitol. For route, schedule, and price information click here.

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[wptabtitle]Opening of the House & Senate (9-10 am)[/wptabtitle]
[wptabcontent]Attend either the House or the Senate opening in the morning and see how the Colorado legislature opens the day.  Please arrive by 8:45 am; everyone must be seated by 9:00 am. Open seating is on the gallery level; if you’d like seating on the House/Senate Floor, you must pre-arrange with your legislator.
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[wptabtitle]Presentation with Bill Jack (10am-11am)[/wptabtitle]
[wptabcontent]Bill Jack of Worldview Academy will present a session in the Old Supreme Court Chambers titled, “So, you’ve had a donut with your legislator? Big deal! Now what?” Bill will cover five simple things to do after you meet your legislator to continue influencing them. Registration for this session is required (with your Meet Your Legislator Day registration) but free.
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