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CA bay area activists meet with Rep. Anna Eshoo (center) to discuss the legislation.
This section offers an overview of the most effective ways to work with your members of congress. All the following activities are designed to impact the decisions made by the US Congress. And all of them count: private meetings, letters and calls to our Congresspeople go far toward determining the positions they take. The U.S. Congress is a reactive body, and when the citizens make their priorities known, it makes a difference. Every action you take counts.
1. Contact your members of congress
The First thing you want to do is to call and write your members of congress in the Senate and House of Representatives (visit our Contact Congress page to learn more). Send letters, postcards and make phone calls to the member urging him or her to become a co-sponsor. Ask your friends and family to do the same. You can call your Representative at the U.S. capitol switchboard: (877) 762-8762. Even if they are already a co-sponsor, let them know you support this and want them to continue to work for its passage.
2. Meet with your members of congress
After you have made initial contact about the legislation, it is critical that you follow-up at your representatives office. First, find out if you have other SPA chapters in your area you can work with by clicking here.
If no one is leading the local effort, click here to: set up a meeting with your representative. Click here to: review a sample agenda for meeting with a member of congress.
If Your Representative is already a co-sponsor
- Ask them if they would be willing to talk with other colleagues in the House to co-sponsor the bill with them.
- Ask them to call or write letters to the Chairmen and women of the committees to which the bill has been referred and request that the committee either pass the bill to the floor for a vote or host a hearing on the bill. Offer to bring speakers to the hearing.
- Ask them to speak at a public event, or appear on a radio show about the bill with one of the local team.
- Ask them to take the bill to any caucuses where they are members to ask for support from fellow members.
- Send a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, thanking your Rep for co-sponsoring the bill. MOCs appreciate public praise for what they have done and rarely get it.
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