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Legislative Day will take place on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM in Downtown Raleigh. New for 2026! The NCOS Legislative Day Guidance Program: This program is designed for young ODs and first-time attendees to help them navigate Legislative Day and feel more comfortable participating in advocacy and meeting with legislators. As part of the program, you can choose to be paired with a mentor in your NCOS district. District mentors are ODs that have experience attending Legislative Day and advocating for the profession. They are available as a resource to offer guidance and answer questions about Legislative Day and the legislative process. When registering, select Yes to be paired with a district mentor. The NCOS will follow up via email connecting you with your district mentor. We understand that the idea of meeting with a legislator can seem intimidating, but it's important to remember that they were elected by you to represent you in the North Carolina General Assembly. That means they want to hear from you and care about what you think. Information on scheduling legislator meetings can be found below. If you do not feel comfortable scheduling your own meetings with your legislators, you can talk to your district mentor about tagging along on their meetings instead. Please note that your district mentor's legislators may be different from yours based on where they live and practice. This is fine and will still provide you with a first-hand experience of what it is like to meet with a legislator. The NCOS also plans to host a webinar to go over everything you can expect at Legislative Day so you are fully prepared ahead of time. We will cover logistics, how to navigate the event, and how to conduct a meeting with a legislator. More details will be available soon. Schedule: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM – Briefing You will need to check in at the front desk and go through security. We will be meeting on the second floor in room #245. NCOS leadership and lobbyists will provide you with detailed talking points and supportive materials so you will be prepared for your meetings. Briefing begins at 9:15 AM. At the conclusion of the briefing the group will walk to the Legislative building. 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM – Meet with your legislators Legislative Office Building Legislator offices are located in either the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. In between meetings we will gather in one of the four building courts in the Legislative Building. Appointments can also be made later in the afternoon if you have any legislators who are unavailable earlier and your schedule allows. 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM – Lunch The NCOS will be hosting a BBQ lunch for all legislators and staff. This will take place in a tent on the Halifax mall located directly behind the Legislative building. Lunch is provided by The Pit, a local BBQ restaurant and favorite among the legislators and staff. It is very well attended and provides you with a casual environment to mingle. While we hope you can attend all of Legislative Day, we understand this may not be possible, so please feel free to come and go at your convenience. Legislator meetings: It is your responsibility to schedule your own legislator meetings. Each state resident has one legislator in the NC House and NC Senate, determined by the district in which you live. To find the names and contact information of your state legislators, click here. This is also where you'll find your legislator's office location and room number. If you practice in a different district than you live, you will want to schedule a meeting with the legislators in your practice district as well. To schedule a meeting with your legislators, simply call their office in advance (by Tuesday, May 12, if possible) and request a meeting to talk to them about optometry on Tuesday, May 19. Be sure to schedule your meetings after 10:00 AM. If possible, it is best to coordinate meetings with other doctors in your district so you can all go together. Once you have scheduled your meetings, please submit this form to let us know which legislators you will be meeting with and at what times. If you have any difficulties scheduling your meetings please contact Alyssa Barkley, NCOS Executive Director, at [email protected]. If this is your first time meeting your legislator, then at the meeting you'll want to introduce yourself and say that you are an optometrist. Tell them about where you practice and the care you provide to the people in your community. Be sure to distinguish between optometry, ophthalmology, and opticianry (they need to hear that often). Then use the talking points provided during the briefing to guide your conversation. Additionally, ask them about their family and business and tell them about yours. The goal is to try to foster a relationship of trust and some personal conversation is helpful for building that trust. After the meeting, send a follow up note or email to the legislator’s office thanking them for the meeting and offering to advise them if they have questions about optometry. Parking: The best location to park is in Deck 75 (329 N. Salisbury St, Raleigh, NC 27603) right next to the Albemarle building where the briefing will take place. There are two other visitor lots nearby as well. See map below for locations. Once you park, everything will be within walking distance. Map: This map shows where each building and parking lot is located. Click here to view map. Additional information/helpful tips:
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. |
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