There are two ways to talk to your members of Congress face-to-face, right in your own community: Option #1 – at a Town Hall or other public event; Option #2 – by scheduling a District Meeting. Below, you can read a first-hand account from another advocate about what it was like speaking to her Congressman.
Option #1: If you’ve been following our advice regarding how to find out about Town Halls and other public events, keep checking. The Senate is in recess until September 6th and the House until September 13th, and these events are often announced with only a few days’ notice. All House members and one-third of the Senate are up for reelection this fall, and they will be eager to connect with voters.
Option #2: You can also request to meet with your members of Congress and/or their staff at their nearest district, and it’s easier than you might think – just follow these easy step-by-step instructions for scheduling, preparing for, and executing your meeting. Every House member has at least one district office, and Senate members have multiple around the state. If you would like assistance with any part of this process, just reply to this email, and we’d be happy to help.
Speaking with members who are already cosponsors is just as important as meeting with members who are not supporting the bill yet! We need cosponsoring members to help us ensure that the bill gets a vote in the full House and Senate by the end of the year, and to vote for it when that time comes. If the bill is not signed into law during this Congress, then we have to start all over in the next Congress. Thank you for your continued advocacy!
Heather Ferguson
Founder & Executive Director
Lymphedema Advocacy Group
LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
From Kathleen in Sparta, NJ:
“I talked with Rep. Tom Malinowski (NJ-7th) at a campaign event last Saturday. It went very well, due to your materials. I printed out the one-pager and number of voters per state impacted by the issue. I put them in a manila folder marked HR3630 and gave it to him when I was done.
I spoke with the event coordinator in advance and asked to speak to him during the meet-and-greet afterward because it was a personal topic I didn’t want to share with everyone. I said I’d only need 60 seconds.
I also wore a sleeveless top so he’d notice my compression sleeve, and took my night-time sleeve as show and tell.
He’s already a co-sponsor, so I thanked him for that and urged him to help with whatever steps are necessary to get it passed.
What was interesting to me is that clearly someone in his office had made the decision to have him be a co-sponsor, because I could tell he knew nothing about the bill. (He’s an expert in foreign policy.) He was interested in what I had to say and perhaps prompted to take action. He’s in a close race.
Thanks for your materials — they gave me what I needed, and more importantly, gave him what he needed!”
NOTE: As I explained to Kathleen after she sent me this feedback, congressional health aides recommend to their bosses which bills they think they should cosponsor. Some members then review the bills themselves before deciding, others just take their aide’s word for it. That is another reason why this direct contact is so very valuable!
