Day at The Dome is an inspiring experience, but it can also be overwhelming for first time attendees. This step by step guide will educate future student pharmacists about what to expect on your first visit!
- Breakfast with GPhA. The 2019 event was held at the Freight Depot, a short walk from the capitol building. There will be light refreshments and coffee. You should sit with your group members and P2 leader so that you can be sure you are all on the same page with your game plan for the morning. There will be several speakers likely including GPhA staff such as President, CEO, Greg Reybold (policy extraordinaire), and lobbyists, and potentially the bill sponsor (a senator or representative). Listen closely to their talks because they will reiterate not only the importance of the day, but key points about the bill that you will want to drive home when speaking to representatives. If you get a chance after the breakfast or throughout the day, approach some of these speakers and express your gratitude for sponsoring the event. They work hard to make sure the pharmacy profession is heard in Georgia!
- Fill out the message forms for your representatives. Yellow papers are for senators, and white for representatives. This sheet will list your group speaker and a brief message from your group (likely the bill number), and will be later given to a page that will bring the sheet into the chambers for review by the legislators. (photo attached below.)
- Walk over to the Capitol. You will have to go through a security line and show your drivers license. I would avoid bringing a large purse or backpack, because everything has to go through an Xray machine (and it doesn’t look very professional). You will also walk through a metal detector, so be aware of any pocket knives or other objects that you normally carry on you.
- Group picture in the rotunda. There is a large rotunda with an impressive staircase that the entire group of student pharmacists will assemble on for a group picture. This is a very hectic process as group photos of 200+ people always are, so be patient.
- Go up to the 3rd floor where you will get in one of 2 lines: Senate or House of Representatives. These 2 lines are on opposite sides of the building so try to orient yourself. You will then join the large line of constituents and lobbyists waiting to see their legislator. Waiting here will likely take a couple hours, so use your time to find representatives who may be on a break from session or walking to a committee meeting. Stop them and introduce yourself, they are usually very nice!
- When you reach the front of the line you will turn in your message form that you filled out earlier. A page (young child) will be assigned to go inside the chambers and deliver it. Attach your thank you note to the message so that if your representative is unable to leave at the time, your page can still leave the note for them. When your page returns, they will have one of a few options to report: your representative cannot leave the chambers at this time, the legislator will contact you later, wait for them to come out (they will be with you shortly), or they are not currently there and no message was able to be delivered at all. Only about 30% of the time will you actually be able to speak to the legislator, but don’t be discouraged! Your presence is important and will send a big message to every voting member.
- After you either talk to your representative or discover they are unavailable you will be free to go. You can spend some time trying to find other available legislators to speak with, go to the gallery to watch the session, take some awesome pictures (new profile picture, hello!) or head home.
- Be proud of the work you’ve done to advocate for your profession! This is a wonderful opportunity to impact your future career, so get excited!
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