NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day
The NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day is our annual day of action taking place in
Springfield, Illinois. Participants meet with their local legislators to speak on current
emerging issues in the state of Illinois as well as to lobbying for or against legislation
that may be up for vote. This is our day to unite our voices with hundreds of other social
work colleagues on issues that affect the social work profession!
Advocacy Day attendees are split up by their senate and house districts and led by an
NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leader to meetings at the Illinois State Capitol building with
elected officials. A brief, 30-minute pre-event virtual training will educate all participants
about the anticipated bills up for vote the week of Advocacy Day; those who cannot
participate in the live training will be able to access a recording of training.
At Advocacy Day, participants will be trained by NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders on
effective lobbying strategies before heading to the capitol to meet with state legislators.
Click the links below for more information about the event.
Advocacy Day is a ZERO PROFIT event for the NASW-Illinois Chapter.
All fees cover a portion of the total costs.
Event Details
Registration
Lobby Leaders Program
Get Ready for Advocacy Day!
EVENT DETAILS
Pre-Advocacy Day Training
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 12:00–12:30pm via Zoom*
*A recording will be made available to all who cannot participate live virtually.
Participation in our pre-Advocacy Day training to learn about the bills
you’ll be advocating for on Advocacy Day is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
This 30-minute training will take place live virtually on Monday, April 6,
2026, from 12:00 to 12:30pm via Zoom. A recording of the training will
also be made available to those who are unable to participate in the live training. Links to participate in this training were e-mailed to all registrants.
2026 NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2025
Meet-Up Time: 9:00am (SHARP!)
Meet-Up Point: State House Inn & Conference Center, 101 E Adams St, Springfield, IL 62701
Parking: To come
Day's Agenda: To come
Advocacy Day participants should arrive at the meet-up point by 9:00am to find their assigned lobby groups. Assigned lobby groups and group lobby leaders will be e-mailed to all participants approximately 2 to 4 days before the event. Groups will be labeled by lobby group numbers and spread throughout the space. Lobby leaders will be leading participants through a quick training on how to lobby with legislators before heading to the capitol. Departures to the capitol will vary depending on legislator meeting times. NASW-IL staff will be available for additional questions.
Lobbying at Capitol: Illinois State Capitol Building, 401 South 2nd Street, Springfield IL 62701
Lobbying Time: To come from your on-site Lobby Leader
Participants will walk with their assigned Lobby Leader groups to the capitol for lobbying. Each group will have different appointment times with their legislators for lobbying. Groups may meet with or stop into the offices of other legislators as well as listen in on committee hearings for both the Illinois House and Senate.
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Check https://my.ilga.gov/ for the latest committee hearing times.
Lunch on Your Own: Participants should prepare to bring a sack lunch or bring money to purchase a lunch. We strongly recommend participants to eat with their lobby groups so as not to lose contact with their lobby leader in the likely event a legislator’s schedule suddenly changes their appointment time or allows them to be available to meet with constituents. The capitol has an on-site cafeteria located in the basement of the William G. Stratton Building that can be accessed using the underground tunnel beneath the main stairs; otherwise, you can walk outside between buildings but will need to pass through security again.
REGISTRATION
Register to Vote/Update Your Voting Address
To ensure that your day of lobbying is effective, we encourage all participants who want to vote in Illinois to register to vote. If you are already registered to vote, check to make sure your voting record has the most up-to-date address on file. You can register to vote in Illinois and update or check on your voting address at https://ova.elections.il.gov/.
Note on Registering to Vote: If you aren't yet registered to vote in Illinois, aren't sure if you're registered to vote, or need to update your voting address, you can register to do so online now before March 1st or after March 18th. The above link will close at 11:59pm on 03/01/26 and reopen on 03/19/26. During this time, you will be required to register in person at your local polling place through March 18, 2026. The above link will reopen at 12:00am on March 19, 2026.
Individual Registration for Advocacy Day
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Cost: $5.00
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INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 9:00am Central Time on Tuesday, April 7, 2026*
*Registrants received after deadline are not guaranteed to be placed in groups to meet with their direct legislators.
Group Registration for Advocacy Day
Schools who would like to pre-pay for their students can reach out to the chapter with the expected number of students participating in the event, and we can send an invoice for payment to allow for students from that school/program to have the $5.00 registration fee waived. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline to request group registration for your school is Friday, March 13, 2026.
LOBBY LEADERS PROGRAM
Essential to the success of our annual Advocacy Day is the
NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders Program. This one-day program
trains individuals how to effectively lobby, become familiar with local
state senate and house representatives and other elected officials, and
understand how to navigate advocacy tools to effectively represent
social work priorities. On Advocacy Day, newly trained NASW-IL Lobby
Leaders will help educate and lead social workers through the state
capitol to scheduled meetings with their senate and house legislators.
>> Learn more about the NASW-Illinois Chapter Lobby Leaders Program (to come)
>> Apply to Become an NASW-IL Lobby Leader | DEADLINE: 9:00am at Monday, March 30, 2026
GET READY FOR ADVOCACY DAY!
Check back closer to the event date for more information and materials.
NASW-IL Advocacy Day Handouts Folder: https://bit.ly/adayhandouts
Factsheets:
Learn more about the possible bills that will be featured at this year's Advocacy Day:
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Bill factsheets to come
More About Bills:
Note: This list of bills is subject to change based on legislative activity between now and Advocacy Day.
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Links to bills come
To search for any bill, visit the Illinois General Assembly webpage: https://www.ilga.gov/
How to Find Illinois House & Senate Committee Hearings:
Make a plan with your lobby group on which hearings you’d like to watch that fits around your meetings with legislators during the day.
To find the latest schedule of committee hearings held by the Illinois House and Senates:
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Go to: https://my.ilga.gov/
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Click on “House” or “Senate” on the far left-hand side menu, then “Committee Hearings.” If you’re checking the page on Advocacy Day, the Today tab will show the current day’s committee hearings; if NOT Advocacy Day, click on the Week tab for the full week’s schedule.
(Download tutorial w/screenshots)
Illinois Capitol Building Map:
Download map of where legislator offices are located in the capitol here (to come).
Suggested Dress:
Business professional—remember you're meeting with your state legislators and representing the profession! We also recommend sensible walking shoes as you'll be walking around the capitol and adjacent buildings in various locations.
Parking:
For individual and bus parking locations near the Illinois State Capitol Building, see our parking map.
NASW-Illinois Chapter Bill Tracker: https://www.naswil.org/billtracker
The NASW-Illinois Chapter Bill Tracker gives a relative real-time update on bills the chapter is tracking during the current Illinois legislative session. It provides a list of legislative proposals the chapter is currently monitoring or has taken a stance on during the current legislative session. Click here to access the NASW-Illinois Chapter Bill Tracker.
Advocacy Alerts:
Sign up to receive NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Alerts at: https://www.votervoice.net/NASWIL/home
Find Your Elected Official:
To find out who your local elected officials are, click here. Scroll down and type in your complete address. The system should identify your address, then click "Confirm Address." Scroll down to find your state senator and state
representative to get their office address, phone number, and e-mail.
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Contact Info for House Members: https://www.ilga.gov/reports/rptMemberList.asp?gaid=18&ChamberId=H
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Contact Info for Senate Members: https://www.ilga.gov/reports/rptMemberList.asp?gaid=18&ChamberId=S
