Concerned home care providers from all over Minnesota will gather in St. Paul the week of February 17 to discuss issues of importance to the industry. Whether you’re a seasoned lobbyist or haven’t set foot in the Capitol since fifth grade, MHCA needs your voice! While our lobbyists have a steady presence at the Capitol, nothing has the same impact as you sharing your stories with your legislators.
We will provide an overview of priority issues, “hot topic” sheets to leave with your legislators, and tips for talking to your legislator.
Due to construction at the Capitol, MHCA’s Day at the Capitol and Advocacy Week will look a bit different this year. We ask that you schedule a meeting with your State Senator and State Representative for Tuesday or any day that week. The Senate Building will be open as usual, and you are encouraged to meet with your Senator in person, as that will be more impactful. The State Office Building, where the Representatives office, is closed due to construction. They are temporarily officing in the Centennial Office Building with enhanced security. When you contact your State Representative, please share that we are offering the option of a virtual meeting for our Day at the Capitol, due to the construction. They may be grateful for a virtual option or suggest meeting at the State Capitol or in their office, where an escort is required.
If you are new to advocacy and would like some extra assistance, please indicate on your registration that you would like a mentor, and we will assign you to someone familiar with the event. If you are a seasoned advocate and are willing to assist other MHCA members, we would love your help!
Schedule
Monday, February 17
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Virtual Event Kick Off – We will offer orientation of priority issues, “hot topic” information to leave with your legislators, and tips for talking to your legislator. A couple legislators will also be invited to join us.
Tuesday, February 18 Schedule Confirmed
8:15 a.m.
House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee(in person) – Attendees are encouraged to attend this House hearing that begins at 8:15 a.m. (Capitol, room 123). This is an excellent opportunity to better understand how the legislative process works and why your voice is critical.
10:00 a.m.
Meet with your State Senators and Representatives – Following the hearing, MHCA staff will be available to answer questions and guide you to your meetings.
The MHCA Staff will be outside the hearing room with your name badge and available for further guidance.
Register Here!
Download this guide if you are a home care provider.
Download this guide if you are a home care client
(or, providers can print it and give it to clients).
Download this information on MHCA Government relations priorities.
Please share it with the legislators you connect with!
OUR GOALS:
Each year we visit our MN State Senators and Representatives to raise awareness of the importance and value of home care. We educate them on current areas of concern, invite them to interact with their constituents who either provide or
receive home care services, and alert them to any legislative action we are planning for the upcoming session.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if every Senator and Representative heard from their constituents? Your involvement can move us towards that goal!
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MAKING CONTACT:
You can easily find out who your elected officials are by using the “Who Represents Me?
” feature on the state website. This website will give you either an email address, or a link to an online form to submit your inquiry.
In your request, be sure to write "Constituent Requesting Meeting" as the subject line. Most officials are busy and cannot meet with people who live in other districts. Then write your request, including these points:
- I'd (or we'd) like to schedule a brief virtual meeting to talk about 2025 legislation related to home care.
- I live in (city/town name) and work (as a home care _____) and want to talk with you about the importance of home care to people in our community.
- I/We can accommodate your schedule, would (list possible dates and times of day) work for you to join a 15-20 minute meeting? Please note that for representatives, you should share that we are offering the option of a virtual meeting for our Day at the Capitol due to the construction.
- Thank you for your time, I/we look forward to chatting!
Legislators are open to virtual meetings if in person is not an option and will generally accept your invitation to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other platform. If you have not arranged a virtual meeting before, you can learn more:
Following your interaction:
Whether you have an in-person or virtual meeting, a phone call, or send an email - we want to know about it! Please give us a report of what interaction you had and what response (if any) you got from the Senator and/or Representative by
using the online form towards the bottom of this page.
It's very important we know how many and which legislators were approached, so that we can follow up with any who were missed.
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Key Points
Your meeting will likely be 15-20 minutes in length, meaning you should have your talking points planned out ahead of time to be efficient and effective.
Mix personal stories with facts and data. The stories make your meeting memorable, and the data emphasizes the importance of our work.
Topics and tips for your meeting:
- Home Care is essential and is a quality option for necessary services
- Many people prefer to receive cares in the privacy of their residence and home care makes that happen
- From birth through end-of-life, home care serves all types of clients and their needs
- 2025 Legislative Priorities
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MENTOR/MENTEE PROGRAM:
MHCA has a mentor/mentee program that is offered for our Day at the Capitol event. If you are new to advocacy and would like some extra assistance, please indicate on your registration that you would like a mentor and we will assign you to someone familiar with the event. If you are a seasoned advocate and are willing to assist other MHCA members, we would love your help! Below are general expectations of what each party can expect during this partnership:
Mentor
- MHCA staff will match you up with a mentee a few weeks before the event and make introductions over email.
- Communicate with your mentee before the event. Be prepared to assist them with things like:
- Scheduling their appointment and stressing the importance of this part of the event. Mentees are expected to do this on their own with your guidance if needed. You are not expected to do this for them.
- Answer general questions about the MHCA event and your past experiences.
- General information on the legislative process if needed.
- Meet up with your mentee the day of the in-person event. Show them around the Capitol if they would like. If desired, invite them to one of your meetings to see how it goes before doing one on their own.
Mentee
- MHCA staff will match you up with a mentor a few weeks before the event and make introductions over email.
- Communicate with your Mentor before the event. This is your time to ask questions! Please refer to the mentor list to get an idea of what they can assist you with.
- Come ready to learn at the virtual event February 17!
- Join us for the in-person event February 18!
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Virtual Meeting TipS:
- Six Tips for Virtual Meetings
- If you are new to virtual meetings, or new to acting as the host of a virtual meeting, practice ahead of time. Test your Internet connection and/or phone signal by video chatting a family member or friend.
- Try to make sure your background is not distracting. If you are taking the meeting in front of a window, see if you can close the curtains or blinds, or cover the window so you do not appear as a silhouette on screen.
- Before the meeting begins, silence your cell phone and place it out of view. If you live with others, make sure they know to give you privacy and stay quiet during your meeting.
- Write down what you want to say ahead of time, so you don’t forget anything. Keep an eye on the clock – don’t run out of time before you make all of your points!
- Share your story with your personal perspective – explain how you, or someone you love, has benefited from home care. If possible, compare the situation with what would be needed if you didn’t have home care services.
- If several people plan to join the call, decide who will say what, and assign a leader to keep things running on time.
- Video on Legislative visits
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INVOLVING CLIENTS:
Legislators need to hear from people who receive and benefit from home care services, too! Help your clients be part of our advocacy efforts through:
- Sharing this Advocacy Guide
which outlines and explains their involvement to email or hold a virtual meeting (see Six Tips for Virtual Meetings, above).
- If they are up for it, have them create a short (less than three minutes) video about how home care impacts their lives, which can be shared with officials and/or on Social Media - what a powerful (and memorable) way to share a story!
- Encourage them to promote the benefits of home care on their personal Social Media accounts - and share on your agency account, too!
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