Buses
If you are organizing a bus, PLEASE call us ASAP. We have been told that the City of Springfield wants to coordinate with one person from our office to determine the number of buses, where to have buses drop off people, park for the day, and pick them up. We will pass all pertinent information to the bus organizers. Please call us right away if you have a bus coming to Springfield on the 20th. Thank you!
Instructions for Pro-Life Rally/Lobby Day
Before you arrive in Springfield, you will want to know what your lawmakers look like plus their Springfield office addresses. Go to Officials Finder at www.illinoisfamily.org. Your state senator and state representative are the last 2 officials on the state list. Print their pictures and addresses to bring with you or look them up on your phone and take a snapshot.
Parking
If you are driving, there is parking west and south of the Capitol. Parking meters are on the west streets. Bring quarters.
Once You Arrive
Visit your state rep and state senator. Most state representative’s offices are on the second floor in the Stratton Building, directly to the west of the Capitol. Only a few are in the Capitol Building. All senate offices are in the Capitol Building. Go see them before or after the rally, which will be 1:30-2:30. We will also have a few people on laptops to look up lawmakers, but if you already know where to go and who to see ahead of time, it will make the lines much shorter. The information booth people in the Rotunda can help with directions.
Buttons
If you don’t have a Pro-Life button, we will have some at the IFI table in the hallway.
Why a Business Card?
If lawmakers go into session, which they likely will, you’ll go to the second floor where the House and Senate Chambers are located and give a business card to the door man to call them off the floor. That’s why it’s important to know what they look like so that when they come out, you’ll recognize them. This is done all day, every day, and it’s the best way to speak with them if you can’t catch them in their offices. (If they aren’t in their offices, ask the secretary what time they will be available or in session.) On the business card, write your name and address on one side and the lawmaker’s name on the other, then hand it to the door man. He will bring it to that lawmaker and he/she may come out to talk with you. If you don’t have a business card, we will provide them. Stop at the Illinois Family Institute table.
Lunch
The are cafeterias in the lower levels of the Stratton Building (just west of the Capitol) and the Howlett Building (just south of the Capitol).
The official General Assembly web site is www.ilga.gov.
We will see you in Springfield!
Thank you for your willingness to speak up for those who are not able to speak for themselves!
