Tips on Communicating With Your Legislator

Through direct contact with your state representative and state senator, you serve a vital role. You can be the bridge between a professional lobbyist and the legislator to represent your patients/clients, PTs and PTAs. Perhaps you have been hesitant to meet in person with your elected officials because you feel intimidated or unprepared. Whatever your reason has been, now is the time to commit to becoming more involved. DEMOCRACY IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT. What better time to introduce yourself to your senator and representative than the new millennium?!

Meeting With Your Legislator

1. Plan far in advance so you can secure an appointment with your legislator.  (Also, plan on coming to Health Fair & Lobby Day)
2. Know the bill number and name of the bill that you wish to discuss. Most importantly, you need to be prepared. Contact your legislative committee to learn about the most up-to-date status of the bill and to learn if they know anything that would help you in the meeting with your legislator. You especially want to know if they are a Republican or Democrat and if they sit on the committees that affect our legislation. Have they voted "yes" for the bills we support or do we need to persuade them to see the other side?
   
   Will you be asking them to cosponsor the bill or are you asking them to withdraw support from it? Are you thanking them for sponsoring one bill and asking them to request the committee chair to place the bill on the committee agenda? In other words, be clear and concise about the purpose of the visit. There are many bills in the legislature so you will actually be educating the legislator and their staff.  Do not go alone if you are uneasy about the information. Pair up or find a whole group of people to go.
3. Dress professionally and immediately introduce yourself as a PT or PTA and the town in which you live so they know you are a constituent and connect you with physical therapy. Personalize the meeting, perhaps with an anecdote about something in the community in which they played a part. You want to make this more than a routine visit. Thank them immediately for taking the time to meet with you. While waiting for the legislator, befriend the staff since they are important people with whom to build relationships. Record the names of staff or aides so we can personalize a thank you note.
4. Be polite and concise in your purpose for being there. Use real-life examples of how the legislator's constituents are affected by the bill passing or being opposed. If you do not know an answer to a question, write it down as soon as you can because you will need to tell them that you will research the answer and contact them ASAP. Never be rude or confrontational. Never say, "I'll never vote for you again." Never mention campaign contributions. Never speak badly about another group. Speak in layman's terms to simply educate them on the substantive advantages or the disadvantages patients will have with the bill. Ask directly if they can support the bill or if they can cosponsor. Or if we are looking for them to oppose, ask them directly if they will oppose the bill. This is done in a very professional manner.
5. Record important aspects of the visit.   Send a thank you letter to the legislator and if they needed follow-up information, include that as well.

Writing to Your Legislator

1. Include your return address at the top so your letter is identified as being from a constituent.
2. Address the legislator as "The Honorable Senator (or Representative ) ________" in the address section. Your greeting should be "Dear Senator______".
3. Focus on one subject per letter. Include the bill number and the sponsor, and, if you know it, the status of the bill.
4. Include a rationale for why you want support or opposition of the bill. For example, "The Office of Inspector General found in a 1994 study that when a physician had a financial interest in a physical therapy office there were excessive fees and over utilization of the services costing your constituents more money." If you have reprints of articles, you can enclose them for their review.
5. Compliment them or thank them if they have supported the bill in the past. For example, "I applaud you and the senate for passing similar self- referral legislation in the past for other entities and hope you will simply add physical therapy to the already-existing list of services banned from the referral-for-profit incentive."
6. Request a follow-up to your letter and tell them you are eager to meet personally with them to address any questions or concerns. "I would appreciate hearing from you regarding this issue and look forward to meeting with you to discuss the merits of this bill." If you receive a favorable response to your letter, send a brief thank you note. Try to schedule a meeting with the legislator to follow up.