MASC Advocacy & Engagement

Advocacy is the effort to foster change through persuasion, education, and organized action. This can happen at any time in various levels of government and organizations, starting in your own school. Youth need to be involved in and actively advocate on issues that affect them.

MASC Advocacy Week: March 1-5, 2027

During Advocacy Week, MASC encourages all regions and student leaders to travel to Annapolis to meet with legislators and advocate on youth-related bills in the Maryland General Assembly. Students are able to offer their perspective to legislators, testify in committee hearings, attend general assembly sessions, and sightsee in our state’s capital.

Although MASC has designated the first week of March as Advocacy Week, regions can plan additional advocacy days throughout the 90-day session to further their advocacy or better meet scheduling needs. 

See the bottom of the page for additional suggestions for a visit to Annapolis.

Resources & Advocacy Handbook

MASC has created an Advocacy Handbook to help guide your advocacy from the school to the national level, complete with advice from seasoned student advocates. We highly recommend using this as a starter guide for advocating by yourself or with an organization.

Other resources include:

• Maryland General Assembly Website – Contains legislation, biographies of members, floor actions, and so much more. •
• MGA Video Tutorials – Short video tutorials to help you navigate the MGA website
• Find My Representatives – Determine who your congressional and legislative representatives are.
• MyMGA Bill Tracking – Receive email updates on the status of specific bills.
• MyMGA Witness Signup – Sign up to testify on bills in-person, virtually, or via written testimony.
• Maryland State Board of Elections – View candidates for office, voter registration information, and stay updated on elections in Maryland.
• The Legislative Process – An in-depth explanation of how bills become law in Maryland.
• Legislative Lingo – Key terms used when discussing legislation and the legislative process.
• Floor Motions and Legislative Actions – Explanations of the various motions and actions that take place during floor sessions.
• MASC Advocacy Tips – Tips on refining your advocacy and picking a mission. 

If you have any suggestions for resources to include on this page, please email Karen.Crawford@mdstudentcouncils.org with more information!

Additional Resources
• MD Kids Code
• Maryland General Assembly
• Maryland Voter Registration•
• When We All Vote

Visiting Annapolis and Legislators:  Regions should contact their legislators to plan meeting times or informal “drop-in” visits.  In addition, if delegates wish to attend part of a general assembly, they need to reserve space in the House or Senate balcony.  Legislators reserve the seats and will “announce” you at the beginning of the session (see Information from the Legislative Services website below).

 Legislative Services can also set up tours of the State House, Senate & Lowe House Buildings as well as the Legislative Services buildings (http://dls.maryland.gov/library/educational-tours).  There are also tours you can take of the greater Annapolis area via Trolley Car  (https://www.townetransport.com/tour-schedule).

Directions and Parking:  The easiest and least expensive parking is at the Naval Academy Stadium.  The Annapolis shuttle/trolley is an inexpensive one-way ticket.  (Directions.ParkingAnnapolis) 

• Information from the Legislative Services website: The chambers of the Senate and the House of Delegates are located on the first floor of the State House in the section that was completed in 1905. Each chamber’s gallery, located on the second floor, is open to the public, but seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Floor sessions usually begin at 8:00 p.m. on Monday evenings and at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Friday floor sessions usually start at 11:00 a.m. However, visitors should be aware that actual floor session start times may vary and that floor sessions increase in number and duration as the General Assembly moves toward the end of its 90-day deliberations. Visitors may check the Senate and House Proceedings on the Maryland General Assembly website for the time of the next floor session by scrolling to the end of the selected day’s action or by calling Library and Information Services.  On the Legislation by Session page, go to the Legislation List to choose Proceedings – Senate or House.