The
personal letter remains the most popular choice of communication
with a congressional office. However, given the current
concerns about Anthrax, you are encouraged to fax and/or
e-mail your letter. If you decide to write a letter, keep
the following guidelines in mind:
-
Use your office letterhead when writing legislators
at the request of the College. Personal stationery
should be used if your home address is in the district
of the legislator, and your office is in another district.
-
Address the letter correctly.
- On the inside heading refer to the elected official
as "The Honorable (Name)."
- b. Address the letter as follows:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator:
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Representative:
- Your purpose for writing should be stated in the
first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains
to a specific piece of legislation, identify it, e.g.,
House bill: H.R. _____, Senate bill: S. _____.
- Keep your comments short and to the point. Address
only one issue in each letter; and, if possible, keep
the letter to one page.
- Include key information, using examples to support
your position.
- Be courteous and respectful in all communications.
Don't use threats.
TIPS
ON E-MAILING CONGRESS
Generally the same guidelines apply as with writing
letters to Congress. Congressional offices are using
e-mail. To find the e-mail addresses for members of
Congress click here. From
here, you can link directly to the websites of most
members of Congress that give individuals the ability
to send an e-mail. If you are interested in learning
more about a particular bill that has been introduced,
go to http://www.Thomas.gov.
Other useful websites include: http://wwwp.FDA.gov;
http://www.HCFA.gov;
http://www.HHS.gov
and http://www.WhiteHouse.gov.
TIPS
ON TELEPHONING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
To find the telephone numbers for members of Congress,
call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121
and ask to be connected to your senator's and/or representative's
office. (Note: Given the volume of phone calls to the
Capitol since Sep. 11, 2001, you may experience delays.
Links to individual congressional Web sites are available
on the ACC Web site.
Keep
in mind that telephone calls are often taken by a staff
member, not the member of Congress. Ask to speak with
the aide who handles the issue to which you wish to
comment.
After
identifying yourself, tell the aide you would like to
leave a brief message, such as "Please tell senator/representative
(name) that I support/oppose legislative bill (S.____/H.R.____)."
You
will also want to state reasons for your support or
opposition to the bill. Ask for your senator's or representative's
position on the bill. You may also request a written
response to your telephone call.
WHO'S
WHO IN YOUR LEGISLATOR'S OFFICE: CONGRESSIONAL STAFF
ROLES
Each member of Congress has staff to assist him/her.
To be most effective in communicating with Congress,
it is helpful to know the titles and principal functions
of key staff:
The Administrative Assistant (A.A.) or Chief of
Staff reports directly to the member of Congress.
He/she has overall responsibility for evaluating the
political outcome of various legislative proposals
and constituent requests. The Administrative Assistant
is in charge of overall office operations, including
the assignment of work and the supervision of key
staff.
The Director of the district or state office
is the staff member closest to the constituents and,
as a result, is particularly sensitive to their concerns.
Though principally concerned with local matters, the
district or state director can be an excellent conduit
for conveying your views on national issues to the
legislator. Getting to know the district or state
director can be important to establishing a relationship
with the legislator.
The Press Secretary or Communications Director
builds and maintains open and effective lines of communication
between the member, his/her constituency, and the
general public. The Press Secretary knows the benefits,
demands, and special requirements of both print and
electronic media, and how to most effectively promote
the legislator's view or position on specific issues.
The Appointment Secretary is the keeper of
the legislator's calendar, and allocates a legislator's
time among the many demands that arise from congressional
responsibilities, staff requirements, and constituent
requests. The Appointment Secretary also makes travel
arrangements, arranges speaking dates, schedules visits
to the district, etc.
The Legislative Director monitors the legislative
schedule and makes recommendations about the pros
and cons of particular issues. The Legislative Director
oversees a staff of legislative assistants, who have
particular expertise in specific issue areas.
Legislative Assistants are issue specialists.
Since each "L.A." is assigned different issues, it
is best to become acquainted with the L.A.(s) who
follows the issues in which you are interested, particularly
the health care L.A.
If a legislator has attained seniority on a committee
or subcommittee, his /her work on issues may be handled
by committee or subcommittee staff. They are
experts on the issues they cover. Though employed
by the committee or subcommittee, these staffers will
be responsive to constituents of the legislator.
Case workers
respond to non-legislative constituent concerns---including
any specific problems constituents have with government
agencies, e.g., Social Security and Medicare issues,
veteran's benefits.
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