The Alliance of North Houston Chambers of Commerce presented a workshop for citizen lobbyists on Wednesday morning with Peggy Hamric, a former state representative for District 126 in the Spring area.
Hamric shared information for chamber members and for citizens who wish to lobby a state legislator on behalf of their own interests or a business that they own.
Suggestions included:
- Focus on one or two issues
- Research the issues
- Know when a bill is being filed
- Register for bill alerts and know about bills related to the one you are investigating
- Keep track of relevant committees
- Make an appointment with the appropriate legislators to discuss the issues
- Provide phone, email and mail contacts when you contact legislators
"Be upfront and be truthful," Hamric said. "Credibility is the most precious thing you have as a lobbyist or as a businessperson."
Hamric said correspondence sent to legislators should be no longer than one page in length, with the appropriate bill highlighted or underlined and made clear in the subject line or first sentences of the letter. She said writers should attach their contact information with any paper correspondence.
ANHOC—which consists of the Cy-Fair, Greater Tomball Area, Houston Northwest and Lake Houston chambers of commerce; the North Houston Association and Houston Intercontinental Chamber—will visit Austin on Feb. 27-28 to lobby on a number of issues. The organizations represent over 67,500 businesses with 811,500 employees in the north Houston area. ANHOC was created in 1994 to foster regional cooperation in influencing public policy.
ANHOC has identified issues of economic development, transportation, education, taxation, health and human services as priorities during this legislative session.
Among the measures the group supports are:
- Measures that give school districts flexibility
- Legislation that provides statewide free or reduced pre-K programs
- Improved highways, ports of entry and infrastructure
- Equitable increases in fees and taxes that are directly used to fund local multimodal transportation projects
- Elimination or reduction of local inventory taxes
Among the measures the group opposes are:
- Mandates imposed on public schools without accompanying funding
- Efforts that reduce the availability of revenue gains in transportation to fund other budget priorities
- Unfunded government mandates that shift the cost of financing programs to the private sector or other levels of government
