AACAP Legislative Conference

The 2026 Legislative Conference will take place May 4-5, 2026 at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf hotel. AACAP members from all corners of the country will meet with Members of Congress and their staff to advocate for issues important to children’s mental health.

The AACAP Government Affairs team will post helpful documents, such as issue briefs and background materials, in the weeks leading up to the conference.

Conference registration is FREE, and open to AACAP members only. Meeting registration will close on April 9, 2026 and no registration is available onsite.

Tentative Schedule of Events (all times are in EDT)

Monday, May 4

1:00 pm: Legislative Conference Check-In Opens
1:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Mandatory Legislative Conference Training and Practice Sessions for All Attendees
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Legislative Conference Reception, Sponsored by AACAP-PAC

Tuesday, May 5

7:00 am – 8:00 am: Breakfast Available
8:00 am – 8:30 am: Congressional Champion Awardee and Q&A
10:00 am – 4:00 pm: Capitol Hill Meetings

AACAP will schedule all Congressional meetings on Tuesday, May 5 on your behalf. Your meeting schedule will be shared with you closer to the conference. The meeting of the AACAP Assembly of Regional Organizations will immediately precede the Legislative Conference, beginning May 3 and ending the morning of May 4. For more information about this meeting, please visit www.aacap.org/Assembly.

Virtual Training: Monday, April 27^th

Before you travel to Washington, conference attendees are highly encouraged to join the conference training webinar on Monday, April 27 from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm EDT. This Zoom webinar will provide insight into AACAP’s Legislative Conference, serve as a preview into what conference attendees can expect when in Washington, DC, and allow attendees to meet with other attendees from their state to prepare for their Congressional meetings on May 5. Conference registrants will receive the link for the webinar closer to the date.

About the AACAP Legislative Conference

Resident and Fellow Travel Grants

A limited number of travel grants will be available to support residents and fellows attending the conference. The $300 grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; must be matched by the recipient’s regional organization; and will be issued on a reimbursement basis after the conclusion of the 2026 Legislative Conference.

For those interested in applying for the travel grant, please submit the Travel Grant Application along with a letter of support from your regional organization to govaffairs@aacap.org by Friday, March 27, 2026. For any questions about the grants, please contact the AACAP Government Affairs team at govaffairs@aacap.org.

Family Advocates

AACAP is recruiting family advocates to join the Legislative Conference alongside AACAP members. Family advocates participate in the same portions of the conference as AACAP members do, including the Congressional meetings, where they help promote AACAP policy priorities by sharing how children’s mental health care has impacted their family. AACAP encourages its members to suggest interested family advocates to participate, which can include youth. AACAP will cover the total cost for family advocates to attend the conference, but the number of available spaces for this opportunity is limited. A parent or legal guardian must accompany attendees who are minors.

If you are an AACAP member and know of an advocate who would be a good fit, please feel free to share the Family Advocate Form with them. Please also reach out to us at govaffairs@aacap.org and let us know.

Conference Hotel

Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf
480 L’Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, DC 20024

Rates: $340 per night (plus taxes)

Book online, or call 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667) to make your reservation — If reserving by phone, use code 928. This code is valid only when provided by phone and cannot be used for online bookings.