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GENERAL
TECHNIQUES FOR COMMUNICATING WITH LEGISLATORS Personal contact between organizations and legislators
builds relationships that are essential to the success and effectiveness of
these organizations and their mission. Communications occur in the following
ways depending upon the urgency of the situation and the message to be
delivered: Ø
Letters
are the most commonly used means of communication, convey a high degree of
specific information either as part of the letter or through additional
enclosures, and leave a permanent record. Ø
Telephoning
a legislator’s office is the fastest means of communicating your message, and
is used where time is the most critical and the message is short. Ø
E-mail and Faxes
are technology’s latest marvels and they facilitate quick communication of
short or detailed information 24 hours a day — a necessity in some
circumstances. Ø
Visits
to your legislator’s BASIC PRINCIPLES Ø
Get to know your legislators, their staff and
their particular interests. These efforts will promote mutual understanding
and encourage friendly, informal relationships for which there is no substitute
when advocacy efforts are necessary. Please don’t wait for a crisis to try to
establish a relationship. Ø
There are basically three types of
conversation with legislators: ü Informal, social contacts (such as dinners, sporting events or concerts) where interaction is personal and the subjects discussed are not legislative or educational in nature. ü
The open-ended
type of discussion where the topic discussed will be legislative or educational
in nature, You should try to identify the sources of
differences of opinion, not try to lobby the legislator on specific measures.
You can win the argument and lose the legislator. ü The specific conversation where you seek to persuade the legislator to a point of view and seek a commitment. Ø
Remember that the legislator will have a view
of his or her role which may be different from yours. Legislators believe their job is to be
responsive to constituents’ concerns and to evaluate many viewpoints on
legislative and regulatory proposals. Usually only after receiving this input
will they make a decision on the proposal. Your job is to tell them how your interest
group (or point of view) will be affected by this proposal. Ø
Seek a commitment for specific action. Ø
If a legislator breaks a commitment: ü
Ask yourself, did you secure a real
commitment? ü
Seek an explanation of the breach. ü
Expect and accept reasonable compromise from
the elected official. ü
Be -realistic and be aware of the existence of
counter-pressures before you deny the legislator continued support. ü
Don’t XXX official in public; let him/her know
you are aware of the breach, Ø
Above all, remember to thank legislators and
staff for their time and assistance. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES: v
Timeliness is essential for message delivery
please follow instructions from PAR. v
Identify a specific legislative proposal by
bill number or a regulatory proposal by its reference number and inform the
legislator where this proposal is in the legislative or regulatory process. v
Advocate only PAR’s
position — don’t refer to other organizations unless in response to questions
that you can answer based upon personal knowledge of their viewpoints. Refer questions
that you can not answer to PAR and Capital Associates, Inc. v
Speak in general terms about PAR’s objectives and relate the objectives to your own v
agency’s specific
experiences. Describe how achieving them would solve a problem in the legislator’s
district v
Avoid discussing specific language in a bill
or regulation unless it is necessary — the objective with a first contact is
to raise awareness of the issue and to use follow-up opportunities for
further information. v
Please never offer or agree to change language
in a bill unless you are authorized to do so on
behalf of PAR. CONTACTING A LEGISLATOR BY PHONE v
Identify yourself and your home town,
especially if you reside within the legislator’s district. v
Identify the bill by name and number. v
Briefly state your position with rationale
behind it. v
Ask for the legislator’s views. v
Show appreciation for his or her service. Be
positive if possible. v
If the legislator requests further
information, supply it as quickly as possible or refer the request to Capital
Associates, Inc. or PAR. CONTACTINC-A LEGISLATOR AT THE CAPITOL v
If possible, make an appointment with your
legislator. Also, advise the legislator’s office of any accommodations you
may need (i.e., interpreter or other accommodations). v
Try to arrange a day when you take your key
legislator to lunch or spend some time together in the afternoon. v
Be prompt. v
Plan your visit. Develop an agenda and a
series of “talking points” on each issue. v
Be specific, clear and state the is~ue
early on. v
Encourage a dialogue by providing additional
information and being responsive to questions. v
Leave written materials regarding your
association. v
Do a follow up with a thank you and by
planning continued communication with your legislator. (PAR’s legislative consultants, Capital Associates, Inc. will be happy to assist you when you come to the Capitol. Just call the office one or two days before you visit and let them know you are coming.) CONTACTING A LEGISLATOR BY LETTER TIPS ON WRITING LETTERS DO: ü
Be clear, concise and to the point. (Make the
letter one page if possible), ü
Share your perspective of why the issue/your
position is important. ü
Support your stand with examples. Tell how the
issue affects you, PAR and your community. Use a personal example. ü
Make constructive suggestions. ü
Provide facts and include key information. ü
Write a “thank you” or “well done” note if
deserved. ü
Send PAR a blind copy of the correspondence. DO NOT: Refer to PAR in the correspondence or pass along materials
produced by the organization unless specifically requested. Do not cc: PAR. Take for granted your public official understands the
subject matter. Don’t use jargon. Don’t go to unnecessary length. Threaten, chide or give ultimatums to your legislator. Pretend to wield political power you do not possess. Expect miracles. Patience and perseverance .get results. PROPER FORMAT OF A LETTER 1. Address
your correspondence properly. 2. Identify
the bill or issue in question. About 6,000 bills are introduced in the
General Assembly each two-year session. Therefore, it is important to be
specific. If you write concerning a bill, try to give the bill number and printer’s number or describe it by a popular title or
by the subject it addresses. 3. Since
there are many bills pending, a Representative or Senator may not know the
status of a bill including where the bill is located at a given time. If you
can, say it is in the Appropriations Committee of the Senate, for example, or
on the House Calendar or just introduced last week. Bills sometimes move
rapidly, so the sooner you write, the more effective your correspondence will
be. 4. Type
your letter or write it out in longhand. Never send a mimeographed or
mass-produced letter to which you just signed your name. Your Legislator
usually does not read these letters because they normally represent the view
of a vested interest and the legislator already knows the position. In most
instances, a Representative or Senator will reply to your personal letter. 5. Concentrate
your efforts. Do not write to all the Senators or Representatives Concentrate
on key Representatives or Senators or committee members (education,
appropriations, health & human services, etc.) If you know your
Representative or Senator personally, your impact on his or her vote will be
greater than that of just another constituent expressing his or her views. 6. Be
brief. A Senator or Representative studies legislation, attends committee
meetings, participates in floor debates and attends dinners and other events
in FEEDBACK One of the most vital roles a key legislative contact can
fulfill is that of keeping his/her Association informed of the responses and
positions of legislators, It is important that all contacts regarding
legislation of interest be reported because seemingly insignificant, isolated
conversations may take on a new significance when coordinated with other
reports. Each lobbying effort is unique and its strategy must incorporate an
effective means of communication once the effort is initiated. |
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PROPER FORMS
OF ADDRESS |
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(STATE) GOVERNOR: The Honorable____________ Governor, Room 225, The Capitol Dear Governor___________ |
CHAIRS OF COMMITTEES: The Honorable____________ Chair; The____________ Committee The Senate of Senate Harrisburg1 PA 17120-30** |
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SENATORS: The Honorable__________ The Senate of Senate Main Capitol Dear Senator____________ |
The Honorable ____________ Chair, The___________ Committee House Harrisburg7 PA 17120-2020 |
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REPRESENTATIVES The Honorable____________ House of Representatives House. Dear Representative __________: |
SECRETARIES OF EXECUTIVE AGENCIES: The Honorable______________ Secretary of_________________ Room ______ / or/PO Box ________ Dear Secretary______________: |
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**Add Senate District numbers (Note: any number under 10 should be
written as 01, 02, 03, etc.) |
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(FEDERAL) SENATOR: The Honorable _____________ Dear Senator_______________ |
REFRESENTA TIVE: The Honorable______________ Dear Representative _______________: |
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Prepared by PAR’s legislative consultants, Capital Associates, Inc. |
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KEY TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES |
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PA Legislative Reference Bureau………....... |
717.787.2342 |
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PA House Document Room………………… |
717.787.5320 |
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PA Senate Document Room………………… |
717.787.6732 |
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U~S. Senate and House Bill Status………..... |
202.225.1.772 |
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U.S Senate Document Room………………... |
202.224.7860 |
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202.226.5200 |
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KEY WEBSITES President of the Health Care Financing Administration Agency of Housing and Urban Development Social Security Administration The Senate of PA Democratic Party PA Republican Party |
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Prepared by PAR’s
legislative consultants, Capital Associates, Inc. |
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