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| If you cannot schedule an in-person meeting with your legislator, review these contact options: |
In the 110th Congress, more than 10,000 bills were introduced. It is impossible for Members of Congress to know about each and every bill unless someone brings it to their attention. They are more likely to review legislation if they hear from a constituent.
Scheduling a Meeting
You may wish to schedule a meeting with your Senators or Representative. If you are visiting the Washington, D.C. area, please contact the Society and we will try to arrange a meeting for you with your Members of Congress.
When Congress is in session, it may be more difficult to meet directly with your legislators. If the legislator is not available you may actually meet with one of his/her staff. If this is the case, please do not take this personally. Remember: the legislative staff handles the members day-to-day legislative responsibilities. They determine what issues may be of interest to the member, write memos to the member explaining an issue and proposed solution, they staff the member in defending their position on an issue, and — most important — they have a voice; they make a recommendation to the member regarding what their position should be.
When you consider that only 1 percent of introduced legislation becomes law, it is very important to get on the staff’s radar screen. They can’t bring every issue to a member’s attention. Therefore, the process is driven by constituent contact. However, it’s not enough to be a squeaky wheel, you need to help direct them to a plausible solution. It’s important to clearly state what your request is to the Member or staff — do you want them to write a letter/make a phone call on your behalf, cosponsor legislation, add report language, etc. What you want from the Member or his or her staff should be explained up front so the staffer isn’t trying to figure out what the bottom line is throuhgout the conversation.
You may contact your Senators’ and Representative’s local offices and request a time to meet while they are in the State. The best times to meet with your Members at home are weekends, holidays and district work periods (when Congress is not meeting in Washington, D.C.). Use this opportunity to get to know their staff in the state/district office. Members of Congress typically have field Representatives who work directly with constituents, learn about what issues are important at home, etc.
Other In-Person Options
Other ways to interact with your congressional representatives include attending town hall meetings, open door times for constituent meetings, campaign fundraisers, and volunteering on their political campaigns. You can also request that your legislator visit your practice, hospital and/or research facility. Visit your Members’ website to see if they list scheduled events or watch your local papers. If you’re interested in volunteering in the office or their campaign, call the office for more information.
Whether you meet with a staff member or mention an issue to the Senator/Representative at an event or meeting, send a thank you note to follow up on the meeting and recap the conversation.
Sending a Letter
E-mail
- Send a message through the Senator’s or Representative’s website (most have a link to e-mail messages); or
- Use our online Take Action functionality, which provides you with a template letter. However, we urge you to modify these letters and personalize them with your thoughts and experiences. A personal, non-form letter will capture the staff and legislator’s attention. Ask Society staff to provide you with information about the legislator, his/her own personal interests and/or voting records on issues.
Fax
Write a personal letter and fax it to your Senator/Representative. It helps to put fax to the attention of the “Health Legislative Assistant” or “Health LA”
U.S. Mail
Ever since the 2003 anthrax scare on the Hill, mail service is significantly slowed. Congressional offices now discourage sending letters through the mail.
Making a Telephone Call
While writing e-mails and letters are a good way to communicate your interests and concerns to your legislators, telephone calls stand out even more as they illustrate your additional initiative. Calls are especially important when an issue or a piece of legislation is time-sensitive; for example, if an important vote is scheduled to occur within a few hours or days. If you currently do not have a relationship with your legislator, a phone call is also a great first step towards initiating a relationship with your legislator and his/her office. Even if you are not able to directly speak with the legislator, it is very useful to gain access to the office by establishing a relationship with the staff person who deals with health issues.
- You can obtain your legislators’ phone numbers at www.HRSonline.org/takeaction.
- Call and request to speak with someone who handles health issues. Note that if you call your state or local office, they will likely need to forward your message to the Washington legislative staff.
- If you get a voice mail message, leave your name, number (repeat it twice) and let them know why you are calling.
- When you talk to the staff, thank them for taking the time to talk with you and be mindful of their schedule and try to get to the point as fast as possible. They may not have much time to talk. Use the talking points provided by the Society.
It’s a good idea to follow up your phone call with a personal e-mail or letter reiterating your request.
