Thank you to everyone who made Interfaith Advocacy Day (IFAD) a huge success. We were able to have around 400 people attend and have our voices heard throughout the Capitol.

You can find photographs by Stephanie Felix here and ones by staff here.  Share them with your community!

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The voice of the faithful in Washington State will resound in the halls of power February 20, 2013!

FAITH ACTION NETWORK’s Interfaith Advocacy Day brings to our elected leaders the voice of compassion and justice. We partner for the common good with people of all faiths—and with people of no faith at all—who stand up boldly to challenge the powerful.

Join workshops that will break down the issues. Get current best practices on how to advocate in today’s legislature. Learn how to prepare for briefings and hearings. And an appointment will be made for you and others from your district to speak directly with your state legislators. Don’t miss this important day in Olympia!

*There is no fee this year! Interfaith Advocacy Day is FREE.* FAN will provide lunch, prepare the materials you need, and set up the meetings with your legislators prior to your arrival.
To help us in this important work, make sure you register with a strong commitment to join us on February 20th for a great day! Soon after, you will receive details on the agenda, workshop topics, and legislative appointments.

WHEN: February 20, 2013, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

LOCATION: The United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Avenue SE,  Olympia, WA 98501.
(Parking is limited at the church. Please consider carpooling with others from your faith community or your area. The General Administration Building has a visitor parking garage a block away from the church on the corner of 11th Avenue and Columbia Street. There is a $1.50 per hour charge, and no SUVs, vans, or trucks are allowed. There are other capitol visitor parking garages in the vicinity.)

Registration begins at 8:00 AM on February 20, and the program begins at 9:00 AM. We’ll end by 3:00 PM following a debrief session in the Pritchard Library on the Capitol campus.

We’ll be excited to have you join FAN on this great day!

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2013 Legislative Session

This year’s session began on Monday, January 14, with our new governor taking office on Wednesday the 16^th of January.  The House has a Democratic majority (55-44) and the Senate has a new majority coalition made up of 23 Republicans and 2 Democrats for a narrow 25-24 margin. Most Senate committees will be chaired by Republicans. FAN will have a lobby presence two to three days a week at the capital and will be sending out timely alerts every week, targeted by committee/district when needed. We will rely on your voice and presence with your elected officials to make the difference that we need to see the changes we work on with our allies. If you have any concerns/questions regarding FAN’s legislative agenda, please contact Paul Benz at 206-390-4133.