HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS: 

Establishing and maintaining relationships with your elected officials is very important to making them understand how the issues they will vote on impacts your industry and the economy. It is important you take the initiative in getting to know your elected officials.  Call their office and set up a meeting where you can introduce yourself and share your concerns. State legislators often hold district meetings on Monday's or Friday's for constituent convenience.  

Points to follow for a district meeting:

* Plan your visit.  Be clear about what it is you want to achieve. Be direct about your position on HB 0000 and why you support/oppose the bill and why you want the senator to support/oppose the bill.

* Make an appointment. When making your appointment explain your purpose and who you represent.

* Be brief. Be punctual, patient, brief and succinct. Legislators are very busy and often run late for meetings. There may be interruptions during your visit - be flexible. Expect your meeting to run about 15-20 minutes.

* Share personal experiences. Legislators are bombarded with canned position statements. You are more likely to be heard If you share your personal experiences on how a piece of legislation would affect you or your business.                                                                      

* Be a good listener. It is important to understand your legislator's position on an issue and why they have that opinion. Listen to his/her views and ask them why they feel the way they do. You cannot sway him/her to your point of view unless you understand why they feel as they feel.

* Leave a paper trail. Leave a summary of your points so the legislator can refer back to it. Be sure to leave a business card or other contact information for the legislator.

* Say thank you. Everyone likes to receive thank you notes, it also serves as a reminder to the legislator your feelings on the issue. Be sure to thank staffers that assisted you as well.

Get to Know Legislative Staff:

It is very important to know the staff, as well as the legislator. The staff is often intimately involved in the research of issues and develops the position statements for the legislator. Staff also schedules the legislator's time and, for the most part, controls who the legislator meets with. A good relationship with the legislative staff is just as important as with the legislator.   

Calling Your Legislator:

Telephone calls are usually taken by a staff member. Ask to speak with the staffer who handles the issue, in which you wish to comment.

After identifying yourself as a constituent, tell the staffer you would like to leave a brief message such as:  "Please tell Senator___________ that I support/oppose SB 000" and state your reasons for your position. You may also request a written response to your telephone call.

E-mailing or Faxing Your Legislator:

When an issue is up before your legislator and there is not time for a letter to them, a fax or e-mail is just as good. However, remember to be courteous and use the appropriate headings as you would in a formal letter.

Writing an Effective Letter to Your Legislator:

1.  Be brief.  A letter to a legislator should be only one page. Long letters may make the writer feel good because the issue has been covered, but does little to ensure it will get read. The purpose of writing to your legislator is to have your letter read.

2.  Identify yourself.  Point out in the first paragraph that you are a constituent. If you are writing as a member of an association or as an employee, please indicate your affiliation with that group. Your letter should be personal and original so that the legislator does not assume you are part of a letter writing campaign.

3.  Use your own words.  Form letters have less impact that those individually penned. It may take a few minutes longer to commit your thoughts on paper, but the results will be ten times better.

4.  Be tactful, but direct.  Refer to the bill by number. Indicate in a clear manner why support or opposition to the bill is warranted. Include your name, address and telephone number in the letter. Offer to supply additional information if requested.

5.  State a desires action.  Many times a well-written letter is rendered useless because no specific action was required from the legislator.  State clearly what you want. (“Therefore, Representative, we would appreciate a ‘yes’ vote on HB 0000. Further, we would also hope that you would contact your colleagues on the House Transportation Committee.")

SAMPLE LETTER:

Date

Legislator
Address 

Dear Rep._____________:

Our family has owned and operated a ___________ business in your legislative district for X years.

It is my understanding that HB 0000, which does ____________ will be voted on next week. I strongly urge you to (support/oppose) this legislation.

HB 0000, will impact my business by______________________________________________.

I respectfully request that you (support/oppose) this legislation.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at ___________________________.  I look forward to hearing from you regarding your position on HB 0000 and the outcome of the vote on the bill.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Title
Business Name
Phone
Fax
E-mail