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9/08/2025  |   2:00 PM - 3:00 PM   |  Breakout 2   |  Thomas H. Swain

How Minnesota Moms Passed CMV Legislation

Abstract Summary

Part research, part communication, part negotiation and a whole lot of passion--this is what it took to pass the United States' first universal CMV screening bill, passed right here in Minnesota in 2021. Dr. Mark Schleiss and a team of moms, led by Leah Henrikson and Steph Steidl, will cover how they combined CMV facts, personal stories and effective communication in a succinct and memorable way, to gain bipartisan alignment and pass this historic bill. Lawmakers are busy and often times you have 15 minutes or less to convince them to support your efforts. With the broad lack of CMV knowledge from the general public, it's important to not only share your "why" in these 15 minutes, but also "what" CMV is in a way that gains alignment without confusion. Nailing a repeatable narrative is key. During this session we will share how to finetune your CMV story to promote action. We will also walk you through the legislative process so you understand key timing for reaching out to your State Senate and House representatives. It doesn't take us to tell you that politics aren't sunshine and rainbows. Getting the attention of lawmakers isn't always pretty, but if you don't play the game, you won't get the outcome you want. We look forward to sharing the communication strategies that worked for us to pass the Vivian Act and hope this empowers you to successfully pass bills in your states. You will leave this session with your own toolkit complete with representative outreach email templates, how tos for hosting a press event, and tips and tricks for getting the attention of lawmakers and passing CMV legislation.

Learning Objectives

• How to share your CMV story to promote action
• Understand the legislative process for parent advocates
• Communicating in an effective way to lawmakers

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