Find Your Branch

May the Legislative Force Be With You!

May the Legislative Force Be With You!
By Brian J. Wagner
Past NAPS President

In March, NAPS completed another successful annual Legislative Training Seminar (LTS). With NAPS’ legislative agenda in hand and on their minds, delegates came out in force, ready to listen, be trained and engage with our legislative representatives on Capitol Hill. Great job.

Now that LTS is over, see you next year. Wait! There is more to NAPS’ legislative efforts and agenda than a once-a-year conference. Here’s the scoop!

Yes, NAPS hosts an annual legislative conference where over 400 NAPS members, including Auxiliary, participate in a three-day event to learn about our important NAPS legislative issues and take those issues to Capitol Hill. We learn about the legislative bills NAPS is supporting to encourage our senators and representatives to support them.

Whether our LTS delegates met personally with congressional leaders or their aides, it was important that the legislative message delivered by our LTS delegation was clear, concise and comprehensive. Such messaging can help ensure our legislators understand why passing such bills would have an important and positive impact on the Postal Service and the livelihoods of NAPS members, postal retirees and our families.

These Capitol Hill meetings during LTS are very invigorating, not only for seasoned LTS participants, such as myself, but also for our LTS first-timers. First-timers are provided insight on the legislative process and how they can effect change as a legislative constituent.

My LTS branch delegates and state delegation came out in force to ensure our NAPS legislative message was heard loud and clear by our Illinois congressional representatives and senators. Whether we were speaking directly to our congressional leaders or an aide, the message and its importance still was the same: Support and pass legislation important to NAPS.

However, our legislative message cannot stop after our LTS Hill visits. It is important that every NAPS LTS delegate takes NAPS’ legislative message back to their branches and members. Due diligence is necessary to ensure all NAPS members are briefed on what was accomplished at LTS.

Consider scheduling a special branch meeting that focuses only on NAPS’ legislative efforts. If an in-person meeting is not possible, try doing the meeting via Zoom or both.

A branch legislative meeting is a great opportunity for the branch president or the legislative representative to share information on what transpired during LTS. Share the information in NAPS’ Legislative Issues Brief. Additionally, explain what still needs to be accomplished legislatively.

Having a branch meeting focused on legislation also is an excellent opportunity to share with members the plethora of other important political and legislative information on the NAPS website, www.naps.org, under the “Legislative Center” tab. The center shows members how to contact their congressional leaders via VoterVoice to ask them to support pending legislation.

NAPS members also can learn who has or has not cosponsored a bill that NAPS supports. It is nice and important to have cosponsors. However, it is more important that we get our legislation to a vote and passed.

On NAPS’ website, members can learn more about LTS, NAPS-supported legislation and hear great legislative-related podcasts via NAPS Chat. Members also will find excellent information about the importance of contributing to NAPS’ Supervisors’ Political Action Committee (SPAC) fund.

SPAC is key to getting our access to lawmakers to share our legislative agenda. NAPS’ website also provides members the opportunity to easily contribute to SPAC.

During your branch meeting, besides sharing legislative information on the NAPS website, consider developing a legislative strategy that involves regular local contact with your congressional representatives. Schedule that LTS follow-up meeting with your congressional leaders when they are back home in their districts.

When visiting your representatives at their district offices, take your Legislative Issues Brief, along with some newly legislatively trained branch members, so they can meet with the legislative representative, too.

Remember, NAPS LTS is not a one-and-done type of an event. LTS is an extension of NAPS’ year-round legislative efforts that include advocating for more contributions by more and more active and associate members to SPAC.

With members in force, now is the time to build a strong branch legislative team. Ensure NAPS’ legislative message does not fall on deaf ears, only to be resurrected again next year at the 2025 LTS. One thing that will not fall on deaf ears is your vote.

With members in force, now is the time to build a strong branch legislative team. Ensure NAPS’ legislative message does not fall on deaf ears, only to be resurrected again next year at the 2025 LTS. One thing that will not fall on deaf ears is your vote.

Yes, I am from Illinois. And yes, the motto of Chicago Cubs fans is, “Wait Till Next Year!” However, I am a NAPS fan; I am not about to let NAPS strike out on our legislative efforts. Therefore, my motto is “May the Legislative Force Be With You—All Year!”

Now, let’s go win this legislative game and ensure our NAPS-supported bills are passed. I hope you will agree that I just may have hit a home run with my ice-cream-flavor-of-the-month recommendation: Baskin Robbins’ Baseball Nut.© Be safe and eat more ice cream!