The Government Relations & Advocacy Committee (GRAC) helps the WACAC membership demystify the legislative landscape in Nevada & California to advocate for policies that promote equity and access in education.
2025-2026 Goals
- Empower WACAC membership to be advocates for themselves and their students at the local, state, and federal levels
- Grow and diversify GRAC membership by engaging young professionals through the Summer Admission Institute; developing emerging leaders via Share, Learn & Connect; and extending outreach to community college and CBO members
- Expand impact and outreach in Nevada
GRAC’s Greatest Legislative Hits
WACAC and GRAC have worked in close partnership with Capitol Advisors, our partners in Sacramento, to advocate for WACAC members and the students they serve. Over the past five years, WACAC and GRAC have supported bills affecting high school, community college, university, and transfer students; tuition fees for nonresident students; mental health and student loan servicing; homeless and foster students; Dreamers and undocumented students; and more.
These 25 bills have impacted thousands of students across hundreds of WACAC members’ institutions. The results are just a glimpse of the work that you and WACAC are able to accomplish together.
Subcommittees
As you consider how you might support GRAC this year as a volunteer, we invite you to learn more about how we are organized. Currently, GRAC has three standing subcommittees:
- Conference plans our annual legislative conference. Volunteers coordinate hotel logistics; organize and schedule legislative meetings; secure guest speakers; and manage conference registrations.
- Communications manages the GRAC marketing strategy. Volunteers coordinate email campaigns; take the lead on our social media; manage membership data; and support the other subcommittees with communications needs.
- Professional Development & Advocacy plans opportunities for the wider WACAC membership to engage in GRAC. Volunteers organize educational webinars, local visits to legislators, and phone banking and letter writing campaigns to educate and advocate for legislative policy.
Your Advocacy Is Needed!
This form serves as a place to collect stories of advocacy on behalf of you and/or your students in relation to policy changes in education, immigration enforcement, and school funding — among others — at the local, state, and federal level. Responses will not require you to submit your name or student names out of respect for privacy, but if you’d like to attach your name to the advocacy, you’re welcome to do so!
Legislators have experts in their offices for policy changes and parliamentary rules, but they don’t have the accounts of how a bill that they vote on could impact their constituents — you do! We hope this can be a place for you to submit those stories that advocate for you and your students at every level of government.
Take Action
- Join our committee.
- Engage with our Facebook group.
- Read NACAC press releases.
- Go to the NACAC Action Center to lend your support.
- Review WACAC & NACAC policy priorities:
- School Counseling – School counselors play an essential role in helping students prepare and plan for postsecondary education.
- Rigorous Curriculum – In order to be prepared for postsecondary education, students need access to high-quality, rigorous curricula in high school.
- Need-Based Financial Aid – WACAC supports policies that will help strengthen and expand need-based financial aid.
- Student Protections – At the core of WACAC’s mission is an adherence to strong professional and ethical values in the college counseling, recruitment, and admission professions.
- Undocumented Students – WACAC supports policies that will help make higher education more accessible and affordable for undocumented students.
- Student Mobility – WACAC advocates for policies that support student mobility; opportunities for American students to study in foreign countries and for international students to study in the United States are consistent with WACAC’s support of equitable access to educational opportunity.
Additional Resources
California Bill Tracker – Learn more about the state legislation that WACAC is monitoring during the session.
CA: Who Is My State Representative?
NV: Who Is My State Representative?
MONTHLY ADVOCACY Calendar
Use the chart below (or view a shareable list) to learn how you can make a difference during any time of the year!
California
| January | February | March |
| The legislative session convenes on January 6. Track bills that impact you or your students. Identify your state representative and state senator. View their biography and look for any commonalities in their educational history to you or your students. | The deadline for new bill introductions is February 21. Pay close attention to education-related bills and begin taking note of their authors. Meet with elected officials in their local district offices. | Track bills as they are referred to and heard by policy committees. Submit letters or emails of support or opposition . Attend the GRAC Legislative Conference in Sacramento! If you’re unable to attend, submit students’ experiences. |
| April | May | June |
| The legislature is on spring recess starting April 10. Schedule meetings with legislators in their home districts to share your perspective on bills. Ask students to write letters or share stories with legislative offices. They can also submit stories, so WACAC can take them to office visits! | The “May Revision” of the state budget is released. Review the updated budget to see how education funding has been adjusted and advocate for its passage. | Consider inviting elected officials to your campus for a visit to kick off the new school year. Extend invitations to events such as a college application or financial aid night, or simply arrange a visit for them to engage with students. |
| July | August | September |
| The legislature is on summer recess starting July 18. Conduct in-district meetings with your legislators to discuss bills that affect your students. Your assembly member or senator can have your advocacy in mind when they return to session! | The session reconvenes on August 18. The final two weeks are crucial to advocate for final passage of bills. Stay informed on the status of bills as they head to the Governor’s desk. Happy new school year! Encourage any eligible students to register to vote. | The legislative session adjourns on September 12. Follow the Governor’s actions, as the final day for him to sign or veto is September 30. Additionally, follow the Governor’s response to federal actions involving education. |
| October | November | December |
| It’s the beginning of FAFSA season! Consider sharing student experiences with local and federal legislators to illustrate how simplifying FAFSA and increasing financial aid can benefit them. Complete or double-check your voter record! Register online up to 15 days before Election Day, or in-person and same-day through Election Day. | VOTE! Before the semester ends, connect with a WACAC colleague and encourage their participation in advocacy for the upcoming year. Use this calendar to demonstrate the simplicity of getting involved! | Prepare for the legislative session to begin in January. Reach out to your elected or re-elected representatives and encourage them to support WACAC’s policy priorities in the new session. Register for the GRAC Legislative Conference in Sacramento! |
Nevada
| January | February | March |
| The legislature is not yet in session. Identify your state legislators and view biographies to look for commonalities in their educational history to you or your students. Nevada’s biennial legislative calendar is unique. Familiarize yourself with the process! | The legislative session begins on February 3. Begin tracking and reviewing new bills as they are introduced. Contact your assembly member and state senator to introduce yourself and your role as a WACAC member. | The deadline for bill introductions is March 24. Review bills and contact legislators to express support or concern. Identify legislators on the Education Committees. Email them as a WACAC member, offering to be a resource on college access and success. |
| April | May | June |
| Offer to host a local legislator at your campus for a tour or Q&A with students and families. Can’t travel to Carson City to testify in-person? Submit a written statement to a committee clerk. It’s just as effective as in-person testimony, and you can share thoughts on your own time. | As the session nears its end, this is the final opportunity to advocate for bills. Call your legislators’ offices for status updates on bills you care about. Attend a “town hall” or community event hosted by a local legislator. These events are more accessible and less formal than going to Carson City. | The legislative session adjourns on June 2. Use this month to review the session’s outcomes and analyze which bills passed. Demonstrate your expertise by preparing a one-page fact sheet, with key statistics on your students and/or your school, to share with legislators. |
| July | August | September |
| The legislature is adjourned, but the interim period has begun. | Interim committees are meeting to prepare for the next session. Follow their agendas and submit written testimony on relevant topics that are relevant to college admission and counseling. Happy new school year! Encourage any eligible students to register to vote. | With interim meetings underway, finalize legislative priorities for the next session based on your advocacy during the year. Prepare for WACAC’s College Fairs! Invite local or state officials to an event to meet students and families. |
| October | November | December |
| It’s the beginning of FAFSA season! Consider sharing student experiences with local and federal legislators to illustrate how simplifying FAFSA and increasing financial aid can benefit them. Complete or double-check your voter record! Register online up to 28 days before Election Day, or in-person and same-day through Election Day. | VOTE! Before the semester ends, connect with a WACAC colleague and encourage their participation in advocacy for the upcoming year. Use this calendar to demonstrate the simplicity of getting involved! | Focus on strengthening relationships. Send an end-of-year email to your legislators and their staff, thanking them for their service and reminding them of your willingness to be a resource in the new year. |
Questions? Contact the Government Relations Chair.