COMMUNICATING WITH
YOUR LEGISLATOR
face-to-face meeting is the most
effective way of communicating
State your purpose for writing in the
Awith your legislators. However, firstparagraphoftheletter.Ifyourlet-
such meetings tend to be the exception
ter pertains to a specific piece of leg-
and not the rule. What then are the
islation, identify it accordingly, e.g.,
other ways of communicating and what
House bill: H.R. #, Senate bil : S. #.
is the preferred method? One rule that
applies no matter which method you
Address only one issue in each letter;
choose --- make sure you use a com-
and, if possible, keep the letter to one
munication means that will get your
page.
opinion to your legislator BEFORE a vote
on an issue you care about happens.
Be courteous and include key infor-
mation, using examples to support
your position. Explain how the legisla-
TIPS ON PREPARING AND SENDING LETTERS
tion would affect you, others with
myeloma, and the cancer research
The letter is the most popular choice of
community.
communication with a congressional
office. However, since several incidents
Ask for a reply from your elected offi-
on Capitol Hil , you are advised to fax
cials explaining their position on the is-
your letters
sue you care about. This should help
to your Members of Con-
you not receive the typical form-letter
gress unless time is not a factor.
response, and help them keep your
views in mind should this legislation
If you decide to fax or send a letter, this
list of helpful suggestions will improve the
come up for a vote. Reminder: as a
impact of the letter:
constituent, you are entitled to know
the positions of your Members of
Write on personal stationery.
Congress.
Be sure your return address is on your
Thank your elected officials if they
letter itself and envelope. Envelopes
vote in a way favorable to myeloma
normally get detached, discarded, or
or other cancer related issues. They
misplaced before the answer is writ-
appreciate compliments and wil re-
ten.
member positive feedback.
Be accurate. Spell names correctly
Do not hesitate to state your displea-
and verify information. You can
sure, but always be polite. Even if they
check names, addresses, and fax
oppose your position, you will want
numbers
by
going
to
the
their help on another issue on another
IMF Advocacy Action Center
day.
at
www.capwiz.com/myeloma/home/.
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Addressing Correspondence:
Remember that telephone calls are
most often taken by a staff member,
To a Senator:
not the Member of Congress. Ask to
speak with the aide who handles the
The Honorable (full name)
issue on which you wish to comment.
(Room #), (name of) Senate Office
Building
After identifying yourself, tell the aide
United States Senate
you would like to leave a brief mes-
Washington, DC 20510
sage, such as: "Please tell Sena-
tor/Representative (Name) that I sup-
Dear Senator (last name):
port/ oppose (S. #/H.R. #) ."
State the reasons you support or op-
To a Representative:
pose the bill. Ask for your Senator's or
The Honorable (full name)
Representative's position on the bill.
(Room #), (name of) House Office Build-
You may also request a written re-
ing
sponse to your telephone call.
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative (last name):
TIPS FOR DECIDING WHICH OFFICE
TO CALL
Note: When writing to the Chair of a
Committee or the Speaker of the House,
Call the Washington D.C. office
it is proper to address them as:
when you want to discuss the techni-
cal aspects of the bill in question.
Dear Mr. Chairman or Madam Chair-
woman:
Call the district office when you want
or
to make a political statement by
contacting your legislator's top polit-
Dear Mr. Speaker or Madam Speaker:
ical person in the district. That person
will make sure your message gets to
the elected official.
TIPS ON TELEPHONING
TIPS ON E-MAILING CONGRESS
If there is not time to fax your letter stat-
ing your concerns/support, make a
If you cannot fax your letter or call,
phone call instead. To find your legisla-
then
e-mail. Generally, the
same
tor's phone number, go to the IMF web-
guidelines apply as with writing letters to
site's searchable online congressional
your Members of Congress. You can
directory which is contained in the
e-mail your legislators directly from
IMF Advocacy Action Center at
IMF's Advocacy Action Center at
www.capwiz/myeloma/home
or call
www.capwiz/myeloma/home.
the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)
224-3121 and ask for your Senator's
and/or Representative's office.
8/3/09
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