Want to help shape Texas laws on energy bills, water protections, air pollution, funding of key state programs, and the natural spaces you love? The Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter’s Legislative Action Team offers a way to get involved in state advocacy and connect with other Texans who want their communities’ needs reflected in state policy.
The 90th Texas Legislative Session begins January 12, 2027, but you can start making your voice heard now. Whether you’ve contacted your state legislators before or are learning how the process works for the first time, getting involved ahead of the session gives you time to learn about the issues, build relationships with community members and lawmakers alike, and prepare to take action.
Sign up for the Sierra Club’s Legislative Action Team to take your first step toward advocating for people and the environment in Texas!
What Is the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter’s Legislative Action Team?
The Legislative Action Team (LAT) connects Texans with the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter’s legislative advocacy work. Its virtual meetings provide opportunities to learn about priority issues, discuss developments at the Capitol, and explore ways to get involved.
The team brings state policy into conversations about the issues impacting Texans, like the cost of keeping your home comfortable and paying your bill, the quality of your drinking water, and the health of your neighborhood. Opportunities to participate include meeting with legislators in your district or at the Capitol, connecting with your local Sierra Club group, and sharing your story.
For someone searching for environmental volunteer opportunities in Texas, the Sierra Club Legislative Action Team offers a place to turn concern into action.
Why Get Involved Before the 2027 Texas Legislative Session?
Preparing for the legislative session starts well before legislators arrive in Austin. Bill filing for the 2027 session opens November 9, 2026, giving legislators an opportunity to introduce proposals before the session begins in January.
State budget planning is also underway. Recently, the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) and the Governor’s budget office held hearings on state agencies’ plans and funding requests. Those preparations help shape the budget lawmakers will debate in 2027, and Sierra Club participated in that process as we finalize our budgetary priorities Actual budgetary legislative hearings will begin in February.
Starting now gives you time to identify your legislators, learn about policy processes and issues, and explain what your community needs. It also gives you a chance to practice talking about an issue before a hearing or vote calls for a quick response starting in January or February.
If you want legislators to prioritize affordable energy, healthy communities, and environmental protections, the months before the session are an opportunity to put those concerns on their agenda.
What Environmental Issues Can Texans Advocate For?
The Lone Star Chapter’s 2027 Legislative Policy Platform organizes its priorities around four areas: clean, reliable, and affordable energy; clean air, water, and healthy communities; protection of Texas lands, wildlife, and coasts; and sustainable water and climate resilience.
These priorities provide several starting points for your advocacy. You might want to talk with lawmakers about lowering household energy costs, protecting drinking water, preserving wildlife habitat, creating guardrails on hyperscale data centers, or preparing your community for flooding and extreme heat.
You can focus on the issue closest to your experience. A parent concerned about neighborhood air pollution, a renter struggling with utility bills, or a resident worried about local water supplies can each bring a valuable perspective to a legislative conversation.
Read the Lone Star Chapter’s 2027 Legislative Policy Platform to explore where your concerns connect with the Chapter’s priorities.
How to Get Involved in State Advocacy in Texas
You can begin with a few practical steps and build your involvement as you learn.
- Sign up for the Legislative Action Team. Use the LAT interest form to connect with the Chapter’s legislative organizing.
- Attend a virtual meeting. Listening to an issue discussion can help you understand the policy questions, identify what matters most to you, and decide how you want to participate.
- Find your state legislators. Use the Texas Legislature’s Who Represents Me tool to identify your Texas House representative and state senator.
- Choose one concern to raise. Start with a specific issue affecting your household or community. Explain the problem, why it matters, and what you want your legislator to support.
- Invite someone to participate with you. A neighbor, friend, or fellow community member can help you prepare for a meeting and bring another perspective to the conversation.
- You can also use Texas Legislature Online to look up bills, follow their progress, review votes, and find committee hearing information.
How to Contact Your Texas State Legislators
Contacting your state representative or senator can begin with signing one of our petitions, sending a short email, a phone call, or a request to meet with their office.
Introduce yourself as a constituent and name the issue you want to discuss. Describe how it affects you or your community, then make a clear request. For example, you might ask your legislator to support policies that help households reduce energy use and lower electricity bills.
A useful message answers three questions:
- What is the concern?
- Why does it matter locally?
- What action are you asking the legislator to take?
You can ask to meet at a district office before the session or request a conversation with legislative staff. Afterward, send a brief thank-you, repeat your request, and share any information you promised to provide. Continued contact helps you build a relationship that can carry into the session.
How Your Personal Story Can Strengthen Environmental Advocacy
Policy conversations become more concrete when you explain what an issue looks like in daily life. Perhaps high summer electricity bills force difficult choices in your household. Perhaps flooding has damaged your neighborhood, or you have concerns about pollution near your child’s school. Those experiences can help explain why a policy deserves attention.
Prepare a short version of your story: what happened, how it affected you, and what change you want to see. Pair that experience with a specific request so the legislator understands how they can respond.
Your story can be the starting point for an email, a meeting, or testimony. You can develop your message as you learn more about the proposals under consideration.
Can You Participate in Texas Legislative Advocacy from Home?
Yes. Several useful first steps can happen from home, including attending virtual LAT meetings, researching legislation, contacting legislative offices, and preparing your story.
The Chapter’s upcoming Legislative Action Team meeting is October 15, 2026, from 7 - 8PM online. The discussion will cover priority issues and strategy ahead of the next session, including data centers, water quality standards, and balcony solar.
Register for the November LAT meeting here.
Join the Legislative Action Team Before January
Getting involved in Texas legislative advocacy starts with a decision to participate. You can learn about one issue, attend one meeting, and begin one conversation with your legislator. The Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter’s Legislative Action Team offers a starting point for connecting those individual actions with a broader effort to protect people and the environment.
As the 2027 Texas Legislative Session approaches, bring your questions, your experience, and your priorities. Help make sure the conversation at the Capitol includes what matters in your community.
Sign up for the Legislative Action Team and start getting involved today!