Advocacy for policy change can happen at any level of government, including city, local, state, and federal. Often, advocating for a policy change is more successful when started at the local or state level. Whether you are new to government affairs or a seasoned advocate, these five strategies for getting involved in state-level government affairs are a great place to start.

1. Get familiar with state policy and legislative efforts
2. Connect with your elected officials
3. Follow up after connecting with legislators
4. Join you state or regional brewers guild
5. Contact the Brewers Association (BA) Government Affairs Team

Get Familiar with State Policy and Legislative Efforts

• Understand Your State Regulatory Environment: Use the BA’s database of state laws that impact craft brewers to find a summary of state laws, including laws related to interstate direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping, barrel caps, franchises, growlers, as well as policy pertaining to self-distribution, state excise tax rates, and brewery sales and sampling.
• Understand Current State Legislative Issues: The BA government affairs team makes staying abreast of current legislative issues simple. You can find the latest state-level news and announcements from the BA in our current issues database and track the progress of active bills in your state using our bill tracker. Pro tip: look for the green checkmark designating bills that the BA supports.
• Know the Facts: Arm yourself with key facts about the importance of craft brewers to your state economy. The BA’s state craft beer sales and production statistics provide succinct summaries of the number of craft breweries, production volumes, and total economic impact for all 50 states in easy-to-digest infographics.
• Prepare Talking Points: Elected officials want to hear how proposed legislation will impact the communities they represent. Preparing talking points specific to your brewery, municipality, or region is a great way to show your representatives how their support or opposition to proposed legislation will yield positive results for small businesses in their district. Use the BA’s position statements to help you formulate talking points.

Connect With Your Elected Officials

Educating local and state officials about our industry and its economic and societal contributions is important work. If the people close to you don’t know what it’s like to run or work at a brewery, it is likely that many of your legislators don’t either. You can change that!

• Find Your State Executives and Legislators: Use the BA’s directory of state lawmakers, including everyone from the Governor down to your legislators.
• Send Letters, Emails, or Make Phone Calls: No matter what mode of communication you use to reach out to your state officials, there are some key practices to keep top-of-mind. Keep the message short, polite, and to the point. Tell your legislators specifically what you would like them to do in your opening sentence. Provide two or three sentences of relevant facts that support your request. Remind your legislator how proposed legislation will impact your business and community. Finally, include your home address or your organizational address in your message so that they can confirm that you are one of their constituents.
• Invite State Lawmakers to Your Brewery:  To many, making beer for a living sounds fun (and it is!) but there is a lot more to it than just making beer. Craft brewers directly employ 150,000 people in the U.S. and directly impact agriculture, retail, service, and other adjacent sectors. Remember that your business is a community hub, and you have a chance to showcase that while also educating lawmakers on the business of craft brewing, any struggles you’re facing, and everything that goes into making truly world-class beer.
• Visit Legislators in Your State Capitol: Advocating in-person at your state capital is one of the most impactful activities a brewery owner or employee can engage in, providing opportunities to build relationships with lawmakers and advocate on behalf of their business. Whether your visit is part of an organized hill climb or a visit you’ve organized on your own, make sure you bring materials to leave with staffers like a one-pager summarizing key issues and your contact information. (Note: Due to ethics rules and regulations, note that state legislators and their staffers may be prohibited from receiving gifts.) Dress as you would for any professional meeting or wear branded brewery attire and comfortable shoes, as there may be considerable walking and standing involved in making visits to your lawmakers.

Follow Up After Connecting With Legislators

After connecting with elected officials, send an email or thank you note. You can use the opportunity to provide more context or detail on any questions you may not have been able to answer during your conversations. Your “thank you” communication doesn’t have to be a one-and-done. Maintain relationships with your elected officials by sending regular updates on how state policy impacts your business and community.

Join Your State or Regional Brewers Guild

State brewers guilds and associations are nonprofit trade organizations formed to provide an effective, united voice for protecting and promoting the interests of brewers in a given state or region. Find a directory of state brewers guilds on the BA website.

Contact the Brewers Association Government Affairs Team

The BA is also happy to help. Sam DeWitt, state government affairs director, can connect you with your governors and state legislators, as well as provide you with state-specific information for your visit.