Thank you for registering for Lobby Day for Animals. We’re looking forward to meeting you in Boston on Tuesday, April 30!
Visit the Lobby Day Resource Center
How can I prepare for Lobby Day?
Attend a webinar to learn about Lobby Day and the animal protection legislation you will discuss with your legislators. This is not required, but is highly recommended as a great way to get all the info you would like prior to Lobby Day.
Advance registration required (to both the webinar and Lobby Day):
RSVP: Thursday, April 25 at 6pm or RSVP: Sunday, April 28 at 6pm
What is the Lobby Day schedule?
Registration: Check-in begins at 10:15 am in the Great Hall on the 2nd floor of the State House. Plan to allow extra time for traffic, parking, and State House security.
Breakfast: A light plant-based breakfast with coffee. Please bring a reusable mug and/or water bottle to help us cut down on waste.
Speaking program: 11:00-11:45 am
Group photo: 11:45 am
Learn about priority legislation: 12:00-12:30 pm. Talk with representatives from the MSPCA, ARL, HSUS, and ALDF about the day’s priority legislation.
Lunch: A plant-based lunch is included with your registration! Please bring a reusable mug and/or water bottle to help us cut down on waste.
Afternoon meetings with legislators: We will schedule meetings with your state senator and state representative between 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm. (Please let us know if you can’t stay for the afternoon meetings!)
After your meetings, please return to the Great Hall to complete important meeting evaluation forms.
Though the event ends around 3:30, you may be done by mid-afternoon depending upon your meeting times.
If you want to find out your meeting times before April 30, email advocacy@mspca.org and we’ll share the latest scheduling info.
*please check your latest email for final schedule.
If you have time, you can tour the State House or listen in on a House or Senate session if one is scheduled. You might also enjoy exploring the Freedom Trail or the Public Garden.
How do I get to the State House?
Driving and public transportation directions to the State House. The cheapest parking is underneath the Boston Common, which requires walking a few blocks up a hill to the State House. Note this garage can fill up. Enter by the General Hooker entrance on Beacon Street (a statue of General Hooker on a horse marks the entrance). There is an accessible entrance on Bowdoin Street. The event is on the 2nd floor in the “Great Hall.” We plan to have a greeter from our team at the entrance who can help direct you and the rangers at security are helpful and can also point you in the right direction.
What should I wear?
Business attire is appropriate, though that doesn’t mean you should purchase a new suit for the event. Dress neatly and professionally, and wear shoes that are comfortable enough for walking.
Do you need donations of towels and pet food?
We will hold a blanket, towel, sheet, and pet food drive – please bring these items for donation to local animal shelters.
Should I post about Lobby Day on social?
Join the conversation at the Lobby Day for Animals event on Facebook event. Please visit this webpage for some tips about how to use social media to advocate for animals and maximize the impact of Lobby Day. We’ll be giving away a Lobby Day mousepad to the three attendees who use social media the most during the day using.
What tips can you provide for meeting with my legislators?
Don’t be intimidated—legislators are people too, and some of them really like animals and have adorable pets. Staff are typically very friendly, helpful, and eager to learn about pending legislation. As an informed constituent, you can be a great resource to them. Read these tips about meeting with elected officials and their staff.
How can I learn more about my legislators?
How do your elected officials rate on legislation that affects animals? We’ve updated our legislative scorecard so that you can check whether your legislators have sponsored or co-sponsored this session’s animal protection bills, or bills that are harmful to animals.
What are the priority bills for Lobby Day?
While there are many important bills that the legislature is considering, we can only focus on a limited number of bills during Lobby Day. Many other bills you may be interested in will have or have had their own rally/lobby day/day of action. If your legislators are on a key committee, we may ask you to speak about another bill or emphasize one of these in particular. Don’t worry about memorizing anything! All the notes you may need for the day will be in your packet.
H. 876/H. 1367: An Act to maintain stable housing for families with pets in an economic crisis and beyond – This legislation ensures that certain types of housing agreements cannot discriminate against, or include language that limits, a tenant or resident’s ability to live in that type of housing based on the size, weight, or perceived breed of a dog owned by a tenant/resident. It also prevents insurance companies from discriminating based on dog breed. This helps ensure that families aren’t separated from their pets and that more animals don’t enter animal shelters during an existing dog crisis. Sponsors: Representatives Dave Rogers and Sam Montaño. Status: S. 876 reported favorably and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. H. 1367 reported favorably and referred to the committee on House Committee on Ways and Means.
H. 3245: An Act relative to the use of elephants, big cats, primates, giraffes, and bears in traveling exhibits and shows – This bill prohibits the use of elephants, big cats, primates, bears, and giraffes in traveling shows in Massachusetts. These shows—using dangerous animals—are not only detrimental to animal welfare, but also present a public safety risk. Such traveling shows subject highly intelligent, social animals to coercive and abusive treatment and near-constant travel where they are deprived of exercise and the ability to express their most basic, natural behaviors, all while simultaneously putting the public at risk of both disease and injury. Sponsors: Senators Bruce Tarr and Adam Gomez, and Representatives Carole Fiola and Bradley Jones. Status: Reported favorably to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
S. 2731/H. 4564: An Act relative to Kennel Safety — Ollie’s Law – Massachusetts currently has no state oversight of doggie daycare or boarding kennels. This legislation would require reasonable rules and regulations of these facilities, such as specifications on staff to dog ratios, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care requirements, and insurance. Many families in Massachusetts have suffered the loss or injury of a companion animal at a doggie daycare or kennel—tragedies that could be avoided by commonsense oversight of these facilities. Sponsors: Senator Mark Montigny and Representative Brian Ashe. Status: S. 2731 reported favorably and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. H. 4564 reported favorably and referred to the committee on House Committee on Ways and Means.
Yikes – I registered but now can’t attend – What should I do?
If you can’t join us at the State House, please be sure to let us know so that we can cancel your appointments—it won’t help budding relationships with elected officials to be a “no show.” If you know ahead of time that you can’t attend, email advocacy@mspca.org. If it’s last minute, call or text (617) 541-5008.
Questions?
Email advocacy@mspca.org
