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http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/lobby.htm
Who to ContactOne flag for many
Your Members of Congress were elected to represent you, so by all means
, let them know what you think. Contacting House and Senate leaders during
the build-up to an important vote can be extremely effective. The President'
s office also keeps track of communications on current issues. You may not
get a personal response, particularly if your e-mail, phone call or letter
is one of hundreds on the same topic, but be certain your message will be
heard, loud and clear.
How to Contact Your Legislator
Technology has provided us with a range of opportunities to make our
voices heard. Particularly when time is of the essence, e-mail, faxes and
telephone calls are effective - nearly instant - communicators. Western
Union also provides a low-cost opportunity to send a mailgram to your Member
of Congress.
Bear in mind that an opinion on current legislation receives more
attention than general observations. In general, for all types of
communication, be as specific as possible. Keep it brief. Identify your
subject clearly, give the name and bill number of the legislation you are
concerned about. Be reasonable; don't ask for the impossible or engage in
threats. Ask that your legislators state their positions on the issue; you
are entitled to know.
E-Mail or Fax your Members of Congress. The Common Cause Take Action section
will provide you with fax numbers and e-mail links for all Members who
currently can be reached on-line.
Call your Members of Congress at their offices in Washington, DC or at their
state offices. You can also call your Senators or Representatives by
dialing 1-202-224-3121 (U.S. Capitol Switchboard) and asking for the Member
by name. Although you most likely will end up talking to a staffer and not
the Member, your call - your voice - will be heard.
Write your Members of Congress. Writing an actual letter has its merits as
it can show officials that you are interested enough to set the time aside
to write and mail in a letter. The following are some guidelines for writing
letters to elected officials and was taken from a talk given by Omar Ahmad
at TED2010:
Write a personal (preferably hand-written) letter with appropriate
letterhead (if available) to your congressperson. Adhere to the following as
a template of what to put into the body of the letter - which should be
about 4 parts long:
In part one – make it known that you appreciate the politician and
especially their tough job.
In part two – make your point or political cause known clearly and
directly without attacking people, but instead attacking tactics.
In part three – provide the politician an exit.
In part four – provide the politician a reason to use you as a ‘
nurturing agent’. This is where you make it clear to the politician why you
can help and why only you have the solution to the aforementioned political
cause.
Put your return address on your letter. Envelopes get thrown away. Be sure
to re-write the letter at least once a month. Send the original copy of the
letter to your congressperson’s district office. Send a copy of the letter
to your congressperson’s main Washington D.C. office.
Meet with your legislators and question them at public events. Keep
questions short and to the point. Make sure your question is specific: "Will
you vote for S. 1219?"* or "Will you make a public pledge to support this
campaign reform effort?"
*In the above example, S. 1219 would mean Senate bill number number 1219.
Often there is a similar bill in the House of Representatives. An example
might be HR. 1429.
Do not use a public forum as an opportunity to argue with a Member of
Congress. If you disagree with his or her response or find it inadequate,
discuss this with the Member after the forum, schedule a meeting in his or
her local office or send a letter outlining your concerns.
E-mails, faxes, letters and other written communications to Members of
Congress have maximum impact when they concern pending legislation. To learn
when key legislation is coming up, see the "Take Action" section in Common
Cause’s Website. This includes late-breaking facts on pending legislation
and background information.
How Laws are Passed in Congress
After a Senator or Representative introduces a bill, it is assigned to
the appropriate committee, according to subject area, for mark-up. Here it
is studied and rewritten. Hearings are held to solicit both public and
special-interest views.
During mark-up, the committee considers the specific language of a bill
and may amend or change it. When the bill clears the committee, it goes to
the floor for general debate and action.
Once both houses pass a bill, a conference committee made up of both
Senators and Representatives works out any differences between the House-
passed and Senate-passed versions.
The final conference version must be approved by both houses, then the
bill goes to the President to be signed into law. The President may veto the
bill. In that case a two-thirds veto override vote in both houses is
required for the bill to become law.
When to Lobby
At any point in this process you may want to personally lobby your
Representative, Senators, the House and Senate leaders or the President.
There are special times in the legislative process when your letters and
calls can be especially productive.
When a bill is introduced and assigned to a committee, you can contact
your legislators to request that they cosponsor the bill. Obviously, the
more cosponsors a bill has, the more likely it is to gain support and move
through the legislative process.
If the bill is bottled up in committee and appears unlikely to ever
emerge, you might contact your Members of Congress and urge them to get the
bill moving.
In the Senate, a minority of Senators can stop passage of a bill by
launching a filibuster, essentially an endless debate. Many campaign finance
efforts over the years have fallen victim to Senate filibusters. The votes
of 60 Senators are needed to end a filibuster and allow action on a bill.
You might contact your Senators and urge them to fight obstructionist
filibusters blocking action on important legislation.
When legislation is about to come up on the floor of the House or
Senate, you could contact your legislators and urge support for the position
you advocate.
Other Ways to Make Your Voice Heard
In addition to communicating with your legislators, there are other
ways to influence issues you care about.
Letters-to-the-Editor
A letter-to-the-editor gives you a chance to inform thousands of people
about a critical piece of legislation. Many people read these sections of
the newspaper, especially elected officials. Even if it is not published,
your letter might inspire an editorial on the same subject.
When writing a letter-to-the-editor, observe how long the average
published letter is, and keep your letter within this length. Make your
letter concise, avoid rambling, be specific. Be certain to sign your name
and give your address and telephone number although the latter will not be
published. Most newspapers do not print anonymous letters, although they may
withhold your name if you feel strongly about it. Newspapers often receive
more letters than they can print, so if your letter is not published the
first time, try again.
An Opinion Piece
Many newspapers feature a section opposite the editorial pages (often
called the Op-Ed page) for citizen opinion. If you are comfortable writing,
consider submitting an article on a subject you know and care about.
Talk With Reporter Or Editor
Stop by your local newspaper's office and chat with reporters or
editorial page editors. Give them special information like editorial
backgrounders - updates on issues prepared by Common Cause especially for
the media. You can find editorial backgrounders in Common Cause’s News and
Information section.
Radio Call-In Shows
Let others know what you think. Ask questions of those who appear on
these shows. Ask a Representative or Senator how he or she intends to vote
on an upcoming issue. Encourage listeners to call their Members of Congress.
Radio talk shows are also great opportunities to mention Common Cause and
our issue fights.
Distribute Action Flyers
Distribute informative flyers on reform issues in your community. Give
them to friends and neighbors, or hand them out at your local library or
public meeting place. Urge other citizens and community groups to become
active.
Encourage Membership
Join us and ask your friends to join. The more members we have, the
more clout citizens will have in the battle to clean up Washington.
Reach Out to Other Organizations
Bring up issues at meetings of other groups you belong to, and enlist
others' support in letter-writing and grassroots lobbying campaigns.
Who to ContactOne flag for many
Your Members of Congress were elected to represent you, so by all means
, let them know what you think. Contacting House and Senate leaders during
the build-up to an important vote can be extremely effective. The President'
s office also keeps track of communications on current issues. You may not
get a personal response, particularly if your e-mail, phone call or letter
is one of hundreds on the same topic, but be certain your message will be
heard, loud and clear.
How to Contact Your Legislator
Technology has provided us with a range of opportunities to make our
voices heard. Particularly when time is of the essence, e-mail, faxes and
telephone calls are effective - nearly instant - communicators. Western
Union also provides a low-cost opportunity to send a mailgram to your Member
of Congress.
Bear in mind that an opinion on current legislation receives more
attention than general observations. In general, for all types of
communication, be as specific as possible. Keep it brief. Identify your
subject clearly, give the name and bill number of the legislation you are
concerned about. Be reasonable; don't ask for the impossible or engage in
threats. Ask that your legislators state their positions on the issue; you
are entitled to know.
E-Mail or Fax your Members of Congress. The Common Cause Take Action section
will provide you with fax numbers and e-mail links for all Members who
currently can be reached on-line.
Call your Members of Congress at their offices in Washington, DC or at their
state offices. You can also call your Senators or Representatives by
dialing 1-202-224-3121 (U.S. Capitol Switchboard) and asking for the Member
by name. Although you most likely will end up talking to a staffer and not
the Member, your call - your voice - will be heard.
Write your Members of Congress. Writing an actual letter has its merits as
it can show officials that you are interested enough to set the time aside
to write and mail in a letter. The following are some guidelines for writing
letters to elected officials and was taken from a talk given by Omar Ahmad
at TED2010:
Write a personal (preferably hand-written) letter with appropriate
letterhead (if available) to your congressperson. Adhere to the following as
a template of what to put into the body of the letter - which should be
about 4 parts long:
In part one – make it known that you appreciate the politician and
especially their tough job.
In part two – make your point or political cause known clearly and
directly without attacking people, but instead attacking tactics.
In part three – provide the politician an exit.
In part four – provide the politician a reason to use you as a ‘
nurturing agent’. This is where you make it clear to the politician why you
can help and why only you have the solution to the aforementioned political
cause.
Put your return address on your letter. Envelopes get thrown away. Be sure
to re-write the letter at least once a month. Send the original copy of the
letter to your congressperson’s district office. Send a copy of the letter
to your congressperson’s main Washington D.C. office.
Meet with your legislators and question them at public events. Keep
questions short and to the point. Make sure your question is specific: "Will
you vote for S. 1219?"* or "Will you make a public pledge to support this
campaign reform effort?"
*In the above example, S. 1219 would mean Senate bill number number 1219.
Often there is a similar bill in the House of Representatives. An example
might be HR. 1429.
Do not use a public forum as an opportunity to argue with a Member of
Congress. If you disagree with his or her response or find it inadequate,
discuss this with the Member after the forum, schedule a meeting in his or
her local office or send a letter outlining your concerns.
E-mails, faxes, letters and other written communications to Members of
Congress have maximum impact when they concern pending legislation. To learn
when key legislation is coming up, see the "Take Action" section in Common
Cause’s Website. This includes late-breaking facts on pending legislation
and background information.
How Laws are Passed in Congress
After a Senator or Representative introduces a bill, it is assigned to
the appropriate committee, according to subject area, for mark-up. Here it
is studied and rewritten. Hearings are held to solicit both public and
special-interest views.
During mark-up, the committee considers the specific language of a bill
and may amend or change it. When the bill clears the committee, it goes to
the floor for general debate and action.
Once both houses pass a bill, a conference committee made up of both
Senators and Representatives works out any differences between the House-
passed and Senate-passed versions.
The final conference version must be approved by both houses, then the
bill goes to the President to be signed into law. The President may veto the
bill. In that case a two-thirds veto override vote in both houses is
required for the bill to become law.
When to Lobby
At any point in this process you may want to personally lobby your
Representative, Senators, the House and Senate leaders or the President.
There are special times in the legislative process when your letters and
calls can be especially productive.
When a bill is introduced and assigned to a committee, you can contact
your legislators to request that they cosponsor the bill. Obviously, the
more cosponsors a bill has, the more likely it is to gain support and move
through the legislative process.
If the bill is bottled up in committee and appears unlikely to ever
emerge, you might contact your Members of Congress and urge them to get the
bill moving.
In the Senate, a minority of Senators can stop passage of a bill by
launching a filibuster, essentially an endless debate. Many campaign finance
efforts over the years have fallen victim to Senate filibusters. The votes
of 60 Senators are needed to end a filibuster and allow action on a bill.
You might contact your Senators and urge them to fight obstructionist
filibusters blocking action on important legislation.
When legislation is about to come up on the floor of the House or
Senate, you could contact your legislators and urge support for the position
you advocate.
Other Ways to Make Your Voice Heard
In addition to communicating with your legislators, there are other
ways to influence issues you care about.
Letters-to-the-Editor
A letter-to-the-editor gives you a chance to inform thousands of people
about a critical piece of legislation. Many people read these sections of
the newspaper, especially elected officials. Even if it is not published,
your letter might inspire an editorial on the same subject.
When writing a letter-to-the-editor, observe how long the average
published letter is, and keep your letter within this length. Make your
letter concise, avoid rambling, be specific. Be certain to sign your name
and give your address and telephone number although the latter will not be
published. Most newspapers do not print anonymous letters, although they may
withhold your name if you feel strongly about it. Newspapers often receive
more letters than they can print, so if your letter is not published the
first time, try again.
An Opinion Piece
Many newspapers feature a section opposite the editorial pages (often
called the Op-Ed page) for citizen opinion. If you are comfortable writing,
consider submitting an article on a subject you know and care about.
Talk With Reporter Or Editor
Stop by your local newspaper's office and chat with reporters or
editorial page editors. Give them special information like editorial
backgrounders - updates on issues prepared by Common Cause especially for
the media. You can find editorial backgrounders in Common Cause’s News and
Information section.
Radio Call-In Shows
Let others know what you think. Ask questions of those who appear on
these shows. Ask a Representative or Senator how he or she intends to vote
on an upcoming issue. Encourage listeners to call their Members of Congress.
Radio talk shows are also great opportunities to mention Common Cause and
our issue fights.
Distribute Action Flyers
Distribute informative flyers on reform issues in your community. Give
them to friends and neighbors, or hand them out at your local library or
public meeting place. Urge other citizens and community groups to become
active.
Encourage Membership
Join us and ask your friends to join. The more members we have, the
more clout citizens will have in the battle to clean up Washington.
Reach Out to Other Organizations
Bring up issues at meetings of other groups you belong to, and enlist
others' support in letter-writing and grassroots lobbying campaigns.
