A year of new challenges, opportunities to connect at the Capitol
Advocacy
Geno Fragnito, MNCPA director of government relations | May 2021 Footnote
Editor's note: Updated April 30, 2021
The start of the 2021 legislative session began with the same challenges many of us have experienced in the past year: How do you conduct business, while engaging the public, in a virtual setting?
Gone, at least temporarily, were the packed hallways and committee meeting rooms at the Minnesota Capitol as legislators finished the 2020 session remotely. After the 2020 election, this year brought a new Legislature to St. Paul ready to address the many issues — including the economy, jobs and taxes — facing Minnesota.
In my many years with the MNCPA, I’ve chatted with countless CPAs about their interest in engaging with policymakers at the Capitol, but they aren’t able to attend meetings in person because of geographical constraints or difficulties fitting visits in their schedules during the winter and spring. While the pandemic has caused disruption in many challenging ways, it has also created new opportunities for you to help your legislators better understand the issues that are important to you, your business or your clients.
Turning to the box to think outside of the box
Communicating with legislators is now easier than ever and can be accomplished in many forms. A phone call, email, text message or in-person meeting are all still great options and provide forums to share information with your elected leaders, but now there are even more ways to connect.
We’ve all become familiar with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx meetings. These devices (boxes) we use daily are creating opportunities for us to approach our lawmakers in a new way by connecting with them in a video capacity, be it in a one-on-one meeting, a constituent townhall or as part of a webinar. This also extends to legislative staff, who play a key role in connecting you with your respective legislative leaders.
Have you ever invited your legislator to meet at your business with your staff? Coordinating a meeting has its own challenges, many that can be overcome using technology. As a business, you can now engage staff from wherever they are and collectively share information as trusted community advisers. Legislators value the insight and expertise of CPAs.
Follow the little birdie
If a virtual meeting doesn’t interest you, there are other ways you can engage in a conversation with your legislator. Many have Twitter accounts and engage in policy discussions there. The old adage, “Meet them where they are,” comes to mind. You may not want to share your thoughts with the world by posting a question or response to a Twitter feed, but you can still use it as a means to communicate with legislators.
Twitter’s direct message option allows private communication between people and can serve as a great tool for making an initial contact with your legislators. Some legislators use Twitter more than others, but most have an account and will see your direct message if this feature is open to all.
You can take advantage of the new opportunities and expand your sphere of influence with so many options to share your thoughts. Engage in a conversation with your legislator, help them understand policy decisions and use your expertise to shape public policy.
Connect with Geno
Do you have a question about getting involved or connecting with your legislator? Reach Geno at
govrelations@mncpa.org.
