2023 Virtual Advocacy Week

We are at the start of another New York State legislative session and state budget cycle, and this year we are aiming to accomplish more than ever before! During our coordinated budget advocacy activities for the date range of Feb. 1-17,  LeadingAge New York and our membership held over 80 meetings with legislators across the state! THANK YOU to our LeadingAge NY membership who have helped to organize and participate in these meetings; and thank you for sharing your experiences and concerns with lawmakers.

While this is an impressive level of advoacy activity, several weeks of state budget work remains. As a reminder, the Joint Legislative Hearing on the Health Budget will be held on Feb. 28^th. The Senate and Assembly are expected to put forth their one-house budgets by mid-March. Then, the Legislature and the Governor will commence “three-way budget negotiations” to ultimately come to an agreement on the Final 2023-24 State Budget by April 1^st. 

We need our LeadingAge NY membership and network of advocates to please stay engaged with us throughout the remainder of the state budget process if we hope to accomplish our top budget priorities! Below, members will find a series of resources available to help support your ongoing advocacy activities: 

1. Use the Find My Legislators tool to easily look up your state legislators and get quick access to their websites, contact information, and social media handles.
2. Legislative Scheduling Guide to assist members in setting up meetings.
3.  Join us in our coordinated social media and PR activities! 
4. LeadingAge NY hosted a Budget and Advocacy Week Prep Call on Fri., Feb. 10^th. A recording of that call is available here.
5. For successful virtual advocacy meetings, check out this Guide to Virtual Advocacy and Six Tips to Achieve a Productive Virtual Meeting.
6. Visit our 2023-24 Budget Materials website, to read our latest analysis of State Budget Documents.
7. Legislative materials and “handouts” for legislators are available in the folder below. Please share these with the legislators you are meeting with throughout the budget cycle! 

We hope that you’ll join us in our coordinated budget advocacy efforts! Thank you in advance for your participation in advocacy during this critical time!

Contact: Sarah Daly, sdaly@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8845