Communicating with Legislators
The most effective way of influencing Federal legislation is for constituents to communicate their views directly to their respective elected officials. Sending letters, placing telephone calls, and arranging visits with either legislative staff or officials themselves are activities which increase the likelihood that attention will be paid to the message being delivered. Moreover, these activities both reinforce and augment what the Association staff and the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) aim to achieve in the policy arena.

Tips for Effective Letters:
The letter should be no longer than one-page. Additional considerations are as follows:

• Be specific about the issue being brought to the legislator’s attention. e.g., The Allied Health Reinvestment Act, S. 2491.
• Restrict the letter to a single issue. Describe the impact that the proposed legislation would have on your Congressional District or State. e.g., if you had a grant application approved, but it was not funded, describe how the District or State would benefit if sufficient money were available to fund the project.
• Request a reply.
• Include your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

 

Correspondence should be addressed as follows:

House of Representatives: The Honorable (full name) U. S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Representative (last name):

Senate: The Honorable (full name) United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator (last name):

 

Finding Their Addresses:
Click here to locate your House of Representatives contact information.
(https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml)

Click here to locate your Senate contact information.
(https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm)

 

For more tips on writing to your Representative or Senator, click here.
(http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/letterscongress.htm)