The Last Day of Session, and What I Learned Showing Up Every Day
- 4 days ago
- 16 min read
A few pictures from my time at the Minnesota State Capitol this session.
Today was the official last day of session.
There was no real work today when it came to passing laws. It was more of a ceremonial day, with retiring members of the Minnesota House of Representatives getting the chance to give their final speeches from the House floor. Each retiring member was able to reflect on their time in the Legislature, tell their story, share what they learned, and say goodbye in their own way.
I’ll probably write about some of those speeches another day, because many of them were good. Some members served four years. Some served closer to eighteen. That made for a wide range of experiences, but what stood out to me was that almost every person had a story to tell. Many also had advice for the members who will still be there after they leave. Many also encouraged others to serve in the Legislature, explaining that for most of them, it was not something they had originally set out to do, but after doing it, they came to appreciate the time they spent there.
For me, it was also my last day at the Capitol for this session.
It was a day of face time with legislators, handshakes, hellos, head nods, and a lot of questions about what I’m going to do now that session is over.
My answer is simple.
Keep working on it.
Help with elections.
Get ready for next session so that when it comes, we already have the support we need to get family court reform done.
I ended up leaving the Capitol early because I was heading to Duluth for one of my niece’s college graduations. On the drive north, I kept listening to the retirement speeches while streaming the floor session in my truck. Even though they were already well into the speeches by the time I left St. Paul, they were just about finished by the time I arrived in Duluth.
As I listened, I kept thinking about what I should write for today. There really wasn’t anything to report on when it came to family court bills or committee action. But as I listened to retiring members talk about their journeys, their lessons, and their advice, it made me think maybe the best way to end this session is by talking about what I experienced and what I would tell anyone else who wants to advocate at their state Capitol.
Because this year was different.
I spent some time at the Capitol last year, but nothing like this year.
This year, I was there every day they were in session. I attended every committee meeting I could get to. Sometimes there were several meetings happening at the same time, so I had to choose which one mattered most for what I was working on. I attended every floor session I could. I believe I made it to every House floor session, while also bouncing between House and Senate floor sessions whenever I could.
All together, I was there for 87 days. I arrived one month before session started. I attended 60 days of actual session, meaning days with committee hearings, floor sessions, or both.
I started on January 21, 2026. My last day was May 18, 2026.
Typing that out, I just realized I spent a quarter of the year at the Capitol.
Four months.
Geez.
My first days looked a lot different than my last days.
When I started, the temperature was around zero degrees, and on those first days the windchill was around -39. Those were long, cold days. With the shorter winter days, it was already dark by the time I packed up to leave.
I had my signs on my cart. I had silhouette cutouts of my two youngest children. I had sandbags to weigh the cutouts down, but most days that was not enough. The wind at the Capitol was brutal. It made it hard to stay warm and even harder to keep everything upright.
Some days I had one hand and one foot on everything just trying to keep it from blowing away. There were times I would be talking to a member of the public, and while we talked, they would help me hold everything down.
There was always snow and ice on the promenade too, so even if the weights held, the cutouts would act like sails and slide across it. Eventually, I found a rain drain I could connect a ratchet strap to, and that made it almost impossible for the wind to knock everything over. It limited where I could set up, but it was worth it.
It was always a pain to run inside to use the bathroom and come back out to find everything scattered or blowing around. So it was nice to finally not have to worry about that anymore.
On cold days with no wind, I brought my Mr. Buddy propane heater. That helped because I could keep it in the cart and put my feet, legs, and hands near it. But on windy days, it didn’t do much, so I usually just walked. I would pace back and forth across the front of the Capitol until I got too tired, then sit, get cold, and start walking again.
Those were long days.
I still had good discussions with the public, but most people did not want to stand outside in that kind of cold for very long. I handed out a lot of flyers. A lot of people took pictures of my signs so they could follow along.
During that time before session started, I was also emailing legislators, trying to get support. Some replied back and agreed to meet once they returned to St. Paul. I was tracking them on my sign, which included legislators’ names and district numbers.
Then session started on February 17, 2026.
At first, I was still outside most of the day. At least once session started, legislators were sometimes walking between their office buildings and the Capitol. The issue with the Minnesota Capitol complex is that there is a tunnel system, so you are not going to catch everyone outside, especially on cold days.
But those early days helped build the path for the rest of session.
Legislators started stopping to talk with me. We discussed the issues. Some knew about them. Some wanted to talk more. Some did not. The ones who wanted to talk more often turned into scheduled meetings.
Some remembered me from last year.
I started having one-on-one meetings with legislators inside the Capitol on the third day of session.
At first, I would spend time outside, then go to my truck, change into a suit and tie, and go inside for a meeting. Sometimes I was going back and forth like that in the same day. It did not take long to realize that was a lot of work. By the fifth day, I decided that once I was already inside, I was going to stay inside.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew I needed to find supporters.
Being outside worked, but it was a gamble. You never knew who was going to walk by. Changing clothes back and forth was also a lot. So I had to figure out how to meet more legislators.
That is when I started putting together schedules for members of the Senate and House judiciary committees. I tracked not only those committee hearings, but also the other committees those members served on. Many legislators serve on more than one committee, sometimes three, which created more chances to see them and talk with them.
Every night, I would pull up the calendar for the next day and plan which meetings I should attend. I looked at which meetings had more members I needed to speak with, or which meeting had a member I had not talked to yet. Beyond that, I tried to attend House and Senate floor sessions.
Before I knew it, my days were full of opportunities.
I learned the layout of the Capitol complex quickly. After attending meeting after meeting in the Senate building, the Centennial Office Building, and the Capitol, I started recognizing senators and representatives as they moved from place to place. I learned where to be, when to be there, and how to respectfully ask for a conversation.
Sometimes I would wait until a committee meeting ended. Sometimes I would spot a legislator in the hallway or tunnel and ask if I could walk with them for a minute so we could talk. That became one of my go-to approaches because official meetings can be hard to schedule.
Walking with someone gave me a chance to introduce myself, explain what I was working on, and let them get to know me. Sometimes that opened the door to a formal meeting. Sometimes it opened the door to support.
Another thing I learned is that attending committee meetings helps you understand legislators as people. When members debate bills, they often share personal stories connected to the issue being discussed. Maybe it is about mental health, child safety, education, family, law enforcement, or something completely different. Those stories helped me understand what mattered to certain legislators, which gave me a better way to start a real conversation.
That matters.
Advocacy is not just about handing someone a bill and asking them to support it. It is about building relationships.
One thing I started doing and later stopped was sharing too many details about who I was talking to and what we were talking about. I was doing it because I wanted transparency. I wanted the public to know what I was working on.
But someone who has done this work a lot longer than I have pointed something out to me. Some legislators may be less willing to talk if they think every conversation is going to be published. I had not really thought about that. So I stopped giving out names and details of private conversations, while still trying to tell the story of the work.
There are also things I will not talk about in detail because I have gotten to know many legislators outside of the Capitol too. Fun, late nights out. The who, where, and what are not important. What matters is that relationships were built.
I can tell you this: after nights like that, the amount of acknowledgment I received from senators and representatives went up substantially. They knew who I was. They knew why I was there. They knew I was a regular guy and they could trust me.
That does not mean I try to talk shop when people are out. I try not to. But it still comes up here and there. And when people know you as a person, it changes the conversation.
There are also members I do not mind calling out by name when I believe the public needs to know who is standing in the way.
For example, I have written before about my exchange with Co-Chair Tina Liebling of the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. When I reached out my hand to introduce myself, she said, “I know who you are. I know what you’re about. And I want nothing to do with you.”
That is the kind of exchange the public should know about, because in my opinion, she is one of the people standing in the way of meaningful family court reform in Minnesota.
Another thing I have not written much about yet is that I later learned I had been on a Capitol security watchlist as a possible threat. I do not know who initiated that. I have my own assumptions, but I am not going to state them as fact.
What I can say is that Capitol security has seen me every day. They know I am not a threat. I go through security like everyone else. They know I do not have a weapon. They know me by name. Some may not know every detail of what I am doing, but they know I am there advocating.
Have you ever seen the Tom Hanks movie The Terminal?
Yeah, I am that guy.
I am there so much that most everyone knows me. Even the janitorial staff.
One day I was walking with others as we approached the weapons scanner. They had not been there before, so they were asking questions and security was explaining the process. Security told them they needed to walk through, but said I did not have to. He thought I was a legislator because I was there all the time.
I politely told him, “No, I have to go through too.”
I laughed. When he realized his mistake, he was a little embarrassed.
Just this past weekend, the head sergeant-at-arms came up to me while I was sitting on a bench working on my computer and waiting for session to start. She asked, “So what are you going to do now that session is over?”
I told her I would keep at it, probably help with campaigns, and get ready for next year.
She said that sounded like a good idea.
I started to explain that I was there advocating for family court reform, and before I got very far, she smiled and said, “Yeah, I know.”
That made me smile.
She already knew.
That is one of the biggest lessons I learned this session: visibility matters.
When you are there every day, people notice.
When you are sitting in committee meetings, people notice.
When you are in the gallery for floor sessions, people notice.
When you are in the hallways, tunnels, cafeterias, benches, offices, and meeting rooms day after day, people notice.
When you are having a friendly conversation with one legislator, other legislators walking by notice.
It shows legislators, staff, security, lobbyists, advocates, and everyone else at the Capitol that you are dedicated to your cause.
Most days, I was the only one there doing this for family court reform. Some days there were more people at the Capitol for other issues, but it was rarely the same people day after day. Lobbyists are there often, but they are usually there when their bills are being debated. Even large groups that show up to protest certain issues often come for an hour or two and leave. Their bill might still be on the floor for hours, or it might come up again the next day, but they are gone.
If you are going to show up at the Capitol to show support for your work, you better be ready to stay.
At least stay for the duration of your bill.
That kind of presence matters.
It does not mean everyone can do what I did. I was able to do it because I own my own business and can work remotely. Many days I was sitting at the Capitol working. I had one ear on what was happening there and the other on my actual work.
There were also times when simply being there made me the go-to person for someone who needed help fast. I would get a call or message from someone in the public who was trying to reach the right person, and because I was already at the Capitol, I could move quickly. I would run from office to office in person while making phone calls along the way, trying to get them connected with their legislator or someone who could help. That is another reason being physically present matters. Sometimes you are not just advocating for your own issue. Sometimes you become the bridge for someone else who needs help right away.
I took Zoom meetings in quiet vestibules where entrances were closed off and no longer being used. Those became good spots to find some privacy. There are plenty of areas around the Capitol complex where you can set up and work between meetings.
Everyone needs to eat too. I would grab lunch, sit at a table, work, eat, and often end up having a quick conversation with a legislator.
You do not always need to spend hours talking about your issue. You do not even need minutes. By that point, many of them should already know why you are there. Sometimes it is just about building the relationship and reminding them, without saying a word, that you are still working.
I cannot tell you how many times legislators came up to me with questions.
“What about this?”
“What about that?”
“Have you tried this?”
I have some big meetings set up this week because a legislator gave me an idea I had not thought of when she was passing me in the hallway. It looks like a good idea too. And because it came from her, do you think she will own it if it works?
Yes.
If it works, it gives her a reason to help. She saw the issue. She saw another angle I had not thought of. And it looks like she may be right.
That would not have happened if she did not know me. It would not have happened if I had not been standing in the hallway when she walked by a couple of days ago.
She also introduced me to another legislator. She started the conversation. She asked her friend to listen to me. She even showed her pictures of my kids on her phone because she had taken a picture of my business card, which has my youngest kids’ picture on it.
These are the people who make our laws.
These are the people who can make reform happen.
By the end of this week, I would say the percentage of legislators who know the issue and want to help is well over 50%. With the relationships being built right now, I believe we can get that closer to 75% by next session. Maybe higher.
We do not need that many, but imagine what it would be like if we did all this work over the summer and fall, then showed up at the beginning of next session with the bill language 100% done, the plan 100% ready, and at least 75% membership buy-in.
Then all we have to do is go through the process and get the bills passed.
Start protecting families.
And move on with our lives.
Another thing I would recommend to anyone advocating at the Capitol is to be strategic about where you sit.
In committee meetings, I tried to sit across from members I wanted to talk to. If I sat behind them, they would not know I was there unless they saw me as they were coming or going. But if I sat across from them, they could see me for the whole meeting. They could see that I was paying attention, listening, and engaged.
It also gave me a reason to talk to them afterward. I could tell them I appreciated what they said, thank them for speaking up, or explain that they raised a point I had not thought about before. Those moments gave me natural opportunities to start conversations.
The Senate floor sessions were not as good for face time because a lot of members in the front cannot see up into the gallery. But the House was better. I almost always sat in the same seat, or close to it. That way members knew where to find me.
I could always tell when I had been spotted. Members would look around, turn their chair, or glance up during debate. I got head nods, waves, smiles, and messages. Sometimes the look said, “Oh yeah, I owe him a response.”
When I started seeing my kids again a few weeks ago and had to leave early, legislators noticed that too. The next day, some would ask where I was because I had not been in my seat.
That is what consistent presence does.
It makes people aware of you.
It also makes people aware of the issue.
There were practical challenges too. You are not always guaranteed a seat in committee meetings. Most of the time I was fine, but sometimes hearings filled up, especially when high-conflict bills were being discussed. Sometimes I would wait until people left so I could get in. Other times, I went to another meeting I had listed as my second-best option.
There were also days when buses of school kids came through and took up a lot of seats. They usually did not stay long, but it could make things harder.
Bills are another topic.
With family court reform, bills are not really the problem. There are a lot of people and groups pushing similar bills. I get contacted by people from the public all the time saying they put together a bill and are sending it to their representative.
I usually look at it and say, “Great. Send it in.”
A lot of times, there is already a similar bill sitting on someone’s desk.
But the more, the better.
We know what needs to be done. The issue is finding legislators willing to do it.
This issue is not new.
So you have to ask yourself: why would a system operate this way and deny or refuse reform?
Once you start figuring that out, and once you start identifying which members are blocking progress, then you know which seats need to be changed.
Right now, I know we have a good understanding of the who, where, why, and what in Minnesota.
We are making headway.
We are not there yet. We are not even as close as I want us to be. But each day, we are getting one step closer.
Even with session finished, I am still extremely busy this week. Organizations are reaching out to help. Meetings are being set up with law enforcement leaders who understand the issue and have the power to help. We are also making headway with members of the DFL, which has been harder over the past several months.
I am not going to write about all of that yet, but some of what is happening right now could make a big difference.
I think of it like this.
How many times has someone thrown a cigarette out and nothing happened?
But then there is that one time when one spark starts a wildfire.
It only takes one.
The more we keep at it, the better the chance that one spark catches.
Because what we have right now is not working.
It is doing more harm than good.
We know it.
And we are not going to ignore it anymore.
For many of us, we live this every day. We are fighting to expose the issue. Most importantly, we are fighting so no other family has to go through what we have gone through.
When that day comes, we will be done.
Until then, we are not going away.
Thank you for following along so far....
May 18, 2024, exactly two years earlier, ended up being my last day at Como Zoo with the kids. We used to spend a lot of time there because it was so close, and that day, like most of our days there, it was just the three of us. I’m sure we had dropped Mom off somewhere and were just killing time, having fun together.
Sloane wanted her picture taken with every Sparky the Sea Lion statue she could find. These are not even all of them, by the way.
Share, share, share and join us! We need your support for meaningful reform through the Minnesota Family Rights Coalition. Join us at www.mn-frc.com
🔁 Join the Fight for Reform
I have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging systemic misconduct by judges, attorneys, and state agencies that has stripped parents of their rights and traumatized countless children.
With 27 defendants, including the State of Minnesota, this case seeks accountability — and reform.
Join me in taking this mission national.
How You Can Help:
✅ Join the Coalition: Minnesota Family Rights Coalition
✅ Sign the Petition: Reform Minnesota’s Family Court System
✅ Sign the Petition: Urge DOJ to investigate family-court violations
✅ Subscribe: Stay updated — Contact
✅ Visit: www.ryanalvar.com
✅ Follow & Share: Real Dad Initiative
✅ Contact Your Legislators: Demand oversight for Judges, GALs and transparency in family court.
Family-court reform won’t happen unless lawmakers hear directly from the people.
If what you’ve read here troubles you, don’t stop at signing the petition—call and email your state legislators. Tell them that what has happened in this case—and in so many others—proves we need oversight for judges and guardians ad litem, uniform due-process protections, and full transparency in family courts.
📬 Not sure who represents you?
💬 Not sure what to say?
I made it easy.
👉 Start here: 🔗 Legislation
Across the country, I’ve heard from parents who’ve lost everything—many haven’t seen their children in years. When the system designed to protect families becomes the weapon that destroys them, it’s time for change. We must fix this broken family court system. Until that day, I’ll keep fighting—for our children, for truth, and for justice.
"685 days since my children were kidnapped. This isn't over."
Ryan William Alvar
Parent and Plaintiff
