Effective advocacy isn’t usually the first topic on
everyone’s minds this time of year. But it can be a great time to do some
research on your legislators and prepare to hit the ground running in
2014. Learning a little about your legislators’ interests can help you
frame your message in a way that’s bound to get their full attention.
Here are some questions to ask about your legislators (and
where to find the answers). A great way to web surf in between stuffing
the Turkey and eating sweet potatoes, right?
1. Whose District
or State Am I In?
One of the most common questions
asked in congressional offices is "Are they from the district?"
Representatives and senators represent distinct groups of people and devote
their energy to the requests and needs of those individuals. Members of
the House represent all the people (usually around 550,000) who reside in a
separate and distinct geographic area called a congressional district.
Senators represent an entire state. Hence, every American in the 50
states has one representative and two senators who are responsible for
representing their views in Congress.
In general, you should stick to
contacting your own representative and senators, unless you can demonstrate
that you represent the concerns of people who live in another district.
If you contact other members of Congress, don't be surprised if your phone
calls, letters and/or requests for meetings are referred to the representative
or senator who serves the area or state where you live.
Your Association may have an
online legislative action center that you can use to find your specific
legislators based on your zip code. Alternatively, you can the House of
Representative’s “Write Your Rep” function at
www.house.gov
2. What is the Member’s legislative
record? What does she or he care about?
Most members have a record, reflected through votes, of
formal support for legislation that has been introduced by other members
(called cosponsoring a bill), and legislation they have introduced themselves
on virtually every issue under the sun. It’s always good to know where your
legislators stand on your issues, as well as any other issues in which they
might be interested. You can see bills legislators have introduced at
www.congress.gov . Note: The bills are
designated either House of Representatives (H.R.) or Senate (S.) by where in
Congress the bill originated. You should also review the “Issues” tabs on
their webpages. You can access those at
www.house.gov
and
www.senate.gov
3. What Committee or Committees is my
legislator on?
Members are assigned to committees based on their interests,
their districts (or states, in the case of the Senate), and for the more
competitive major committees, on how long they have served (seniority). Members
usually serve on one to three committees. A member’s ability to influence
legislation depends largely upon whether she or he is a member of the committee
of jurisdiction. Also, knowing committee assignments can give you
insights into the issues that interest your member of Congress. This
information is also available at
www.congress.org.
4. What party does she or he belong to?
Members help all constituents, not just those who are
members of their political party (as some people believe). After all, your
representative has been elected to represent you and your interests, regardless
of your party affiliation. But it is important to know the member’s party
affiliation to determine if they are part of the majority or minority party in
Congress. While many members are seeking to work collaboratively and across
party lines, members of the majority party still have an advantage in efforts
to get legislative proposals passed.
Other Resources
In addition to the resources noted above, you can learn a
great deal about your legislators at the following sites:
***This article was written by Stephanie Vance, The Advocacy Guru. Follow her on
Twitter.
