Thank you for volunteering to support Recycle Colorado on Lobby Day. We are so glad you are here!
This page will have all the Lobby Day resources that you need for the day. Since there is a ton to cover, you can use the buttons below to navigate to the resource on this page that you need. If you ever lose this webpage, you will be provided with a QR code that has all of this information on it to access it again. 

If you have questions, need help, or are lost throughout the day, please contact someone below.
Liz Chapman, RC Executive Director | 720-839-9531
Ally Byzewski, RC Operations Coordinator | 701-213-3131
Randy Moorman, RC Policy Committee | 303-720-5255
Brandy Moe, RC Policy Committee | 701-610-9559
Jenifer Freeman, RC Policy Committee | 303-721-8500

LOBBY DAY ADVOCATE MATERIAL PACKET

Map of the Colorado Capitol

Agenda

Why Lobby?

2025 Recycle Colorado Legislative Priorities

Lobby Day Instructions

Lobby Day Script

Legislator Profiles

Legislative schedule for March 4th

ADVOCATE CAPTAINS: Upload Lobby Day Meeting Notes

2025 Lobby Day Agenda

March 4th, 2025
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM | Lobby Day Orientation & Breakfast

• If you are lobbying in the morning, be there at 7:15 AM to get organized.
• Old Supreme Court Chambers at the Colorado Capital (second floor of Capitol Building, north side of building on the Colfax side)
• Enter the building either from the north or south entrances. You will need to go through security, removing belts and all metal. Place bags through the machine. You do not need to remove shoes.
• You can take the stairs up to the second floor, or the elevators which are located just east of the rotunda/main staircase.

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Breakfast with Legislators, Outside Old Supreme Court Chambers
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Advocate in Groups at the Capital

• Each group will have its own schedule and legislative targets. Each group will have an experienced team leader (see script below).

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Lunch & Afternoon advocate orientation, Civic Center, 16th floor

• If you are coming to lobby only in the afternoon, please arrive promptly at 12 PM for orientation.

1:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Exhibits in West Foyer of Capitol
1:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Advocate in Groups at the Capital
4:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Networking Reception, Forte in Lobby of Lincoln Center Building
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Why Lobby?

1. Develop relationships with legislators
2. Introduce legislators to Recycle Colorado - build our political capital and influence
1. RC has hosted Lobby Days since 2016
3. Educate legislators on our issues
1. Colorado is one of the worst states at recycling - Colorado’s rate is 16% and the National average is 34%
4. Acquire commitments from legislators on specific bills
1. Support for implementation of Producer Responsibility Act passed last year (HB22-1355)
5. Determine support and opposition

To be an effective citizen lobbyist:

1. Understand the legislative process
2. Know at what points in the process we can have a voice
3. Prioritize our issues and bills to maximize our impacts
4. Speak with one voice to be more effective
5. Follow the 50/50 rule - Give them time to talk! Go in to learn more than to explain

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Recycle Colorado's 2025 Legislative Priorities

Support the passing of SB25-163: Battery Stewardship Program
Improper battery disposal creates financial burdens and threatens the safety of residents, waste and recycling workers and infrastructure and firefighters. Batteries contain valuable materials that should be recycled into new products. SB25-163 requires batteryproducers to manage the end-of-life of their products. They must join a Battery Stewardship Organization which will run the collecting and recycling program under state oversight. This bill will:
- Reduce pollution and fire risk due to improperly disposed batteries.
- Reduce consumer confusion about battery recycling through statewide education.
- Increase battery recycling access to all Coloradans through collection facilities and events.
- Shift the cost burden of collection and processing from residents and local governments to producers.

2025 Lobby Day Instructions

1. Groups: You will be assigned a group of about five people. Each group has a captain who has participated previously. Be sure to exchange phone numbers with everyone in your group in case you need to contact each other.

2. Appointments: Each group will have a list of appointments with times, building & office numbers, & contacts for each office (in case your appointment gets canceled, changed or you are running late)

Offices are located:

• Capitol Building 2nd and 3rd Floors
• 1525 Sherman Street - North of Colfar across from the Capitol 
• Legislative Services Building - 200 E. 14 Ave. Top floor for Joint Budget Committee offices

3. Non-Appointment Meetings: In addition to scheduled appointments, you will have a list of legislators you will have to find and talk to (legislators we couldn't schedule a meeting with). The two best times to try to find legislators are when they are on the floor in the either the Senate or the Chamber in the morning or when they are in committees in the afternoon.

• Morning Instructions: You may want to split in half, some go to the Senate lobby and the other half go to the House lobby on the second floor of the Capitol. IF the Senate or House is not doing Third Readings, they will accept business cards to call legislators out into the lobby. You will know if there is a sign posted on the chamber doors that says NO CARDS that they are doing Third Readings.

• If there isn't a sign saying NO CARDS, you can write on the back of your business card the name of the legislator you want to speak with and a short note like "I would like to speak to you about our tire bill.”

• Hand your card to one of the Sergeant at Arms standing at the chamber doors (they either have green or red jackets). The Sergeant at Arms will take the card into the chamber and deliver it to the legislator.

• You will have to wait in the lobby for the legislator. You will have a very short time to speak to them, so be quick! Make sure you get to your ask and give them the packet of information.

• Afternoon Instructions: Similarly, in the afternoon, if you are looking for a legislator who is in a committee meeting, you will find the Sergeant at Arms and hand your card to them and wait outside of the committee room for the legislator to come out.

4. Captains: Be sure to fill out the lobby reports for each meeting and give them to either Randy or Brandy at the end of the day.

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Lobby Day Script

1. LEADER - Welcome

1. Thank Legislator/Staff Person for the meeting and anything else the legislator has done/supported (e.g. Sen. Cutter and Rep. Joseph on last year’s Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise bill, Rep. Mauro and Rep. Froelich on last year’s waste tire bill). Congratulate new legislators on being elected.

2. Introduce Recycle Colorado - establish your credentials: Recycle Colorado is a statewide nonprofit organization working to advance infrastructure, end markets, and state and local policies in waste reduction, recovery and diversion. We have more than 300 members from across the state, from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

2. EVERYONE - Introductions

1. Introduce yourselves - where you live/where you work/what you do and if you are a constituent

3. LEADER - State the topic of the meeting

1. We are here today to talk to legislators like yourself about how important recycling, composting, reuse, and remanufacturing is to our state and the need for us to do more to build our circular economy. 

2. Last year we had some great wins with the passage of the Colorado Circular Communities Enterprise bill and the Waste Tire Management Enterprise bill.  This year we are working on SB25-163 Battery Stewardship.

4. VOLUNTEER 1 - Tell the legislator WHY they should care - HEART

1. Appeal to their heart - briefly share your personal emotions, experiences with them about why battery stewardship is important to you. Try to Make a personal connection with the legislator. Consider talking about fire risks.

5. VOLUNTEER 2- Tell the legislator WHY they should care - HEAD

1. Appeal to their head--briefly share facts, data. Overall, Colorado is currently recycling and composting only 15.5% of its waste, half the national average. When we look at batteries, we are only recycling 5%. Nationally, we are seeing over 5,000 fires occurring at recycling facilities and most of those are caused by batteries.

6. VOLUNTEER 3 (or can be shared between two volunteers)- Ask for their support on bills we are running or supporting

1. Support SB25-163 Battery Stewardship, requiring battery producers to be responsible for the end-of-life of their products and create an accessible recycling collection program in Colorado.

7. VOLUNTEER 5 or LEADER - Ask if the legislator has questions or if we can follow up with any additional information.
8. LEADER - Closing
1. Tell the legislator/staffer our factsheets and materials are available through the QR Code. 
2. We will also follow up with answers to the questions he or she asked.
3. Thank the legislator again.

• Be sure to make the conversation 50/50. Let the legislator respond and ask questions.
• Don't make anything up. It is WAY better to say, "I don't know. That is a great question. We will get back to you with an answer or have someone contact you who knows the answer."

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Legislative Schedule for March 4th

Both the Senate and House start at 9:00 AM. Adjournment varies depending on each chamber's schedule.

HOUSE

• House Health and Human Services - Upon Adjournment and 1:30 PM  Room 0112 (basement of capitol building between elevators)
• Daugherty, Bradley, Hamrick, Lieder, Weinberg, Young, Brown, Hernandez, McCormick, Bradfield, English, Holtorf, Ortiz

• House Judiciary - Upon Adjournment and 1:30 PM Room 0107 (basement of capitol building between elevators)
• Weissman, Armagost, Herod, Soper, Bacon, Evans, Mabrey, Woodrow, Amabile, Garcia, Snyder
• House Transportation, Housing and Local Government - Upon Adjournment and 1:30 PM LSB A (on the corner of E 14th Ave and N. Sherman St. across from the capitol)
• Froelich, Catlin, Mauro, Vigil, Lindsay, Frizell, Parenti, Wilson, Boesenecker, Jodeh, Valdez

SENATE

• Senate Business Labor and Technology - 2 PM Old Supreme Court (2nd floor of capitol - oppose Senate chambers)
• Danielson, Coleman, Sullivan, Hinrichsen, Ginal, Baisley, Liston
• Senate Education - Upon Adjournment SCR 357 (third floor between elevators)
• Buckner, Fields, Rich, Marchman, Kolker, Baisley, Lundeen
• Senate Finance - 1:30 PM SCR 357 (third floor between elevators)
• Mullica, Hansen, Van Winkle, Kolker, Simpson, Buckner, Smallwood
• Senate Judiciary - Upon adjournment Old Supreme Court (2nd floor oppose side of capitol from Senate Chambers)
• Gonzales, Michelson Jenet, Roberts, Van Winkle, Gardner
• Senate Local Government and Housing - 1:30 PM SCR 352 (third floor between elevators)
• Exum, Byron Pelton, Winter, Gonzales, Rod Pelton, Jacquez Lewis, Rich
• Senate Transportation and Energy - Upon adjournment SCR 352 (third floor between elevators)
• Winter, Priola, Exum, Simpson, Hinrichsen, Cutter, Byron Pelton

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