On Thursday, May 9, approximately 80 SCI members gathered together for a breakfast briefing in Arlington, Virginia before attending MORE THAN 100 meetings on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress and their LEGISLATIVE staff—part of SCI’s Lobby Day 2019.
Congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona and SCI’s 2018 Federal Legislator of the Year fired up the troops and reminded attendees of the importance and value of America’s hunting heritage. Gosar is a life-long hunter, member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and stands at the forefront of protecting our hunting heritage and Second Amendment rights in Congress. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congressman Gosar has sponsored or cosponsored countless legislative bills to benefit America’s hunting conservation community.
The breakfast briefing attendees also heard from SCI staff member Bill Greene regarding issues on which the SCI members would be lobbying Members of Congress. Greene walked the ‘lobbyists-for-a-day’ through what they could expect as they met with their federal legislators and their staff members.
Buses then took the group to Capitol Hill as they prepared to meet with more than 100 House and Senate offices. In addition to the scheduled meetings, several SCI members landed impromptu meetings with Congressional staff. The meetings were scheduled throughout the day from 9:30 am through 4:30 pm.
A debriefing was scheduled for 3:30 pm. As the lobbyists drifted back in from their meetings, several were anxious to share their experiences. The overwhelming response was that the meetings were a great success. Members of Congress and their aides were very interested in the issues presented and wanted more information. The SCI member-lobbyists gave a resounding ‘thumbs-up’ when asked if they wanted lobby day to continue as an annual event.
Although lobby day is scheduled during the May 2020 board meetings, the event is not limited to SCI board members. SCI invites all members to participate in lobby day. Start making plans now to attend SCI Lobby Day 2020!
