1. A BASIC GUIDE TO ADVOCACY PREPARED BY SHARON HODGE, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CHAIR

2. United States Congress The United States Congress consists of two distinct groups of elected officials; The Senate and the House of Representatives There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 in the U.S. Senate. You are represented by one Congressperson (elected to the House of Representatives from your district) and two Senators (elected to the Senate from your state). According to the U.S. Constitution, these individuals are expected to represent you in Congress. However, to do that, they must hear from you. Establishing and developing an ongoing, effective relationship with your elected officials helps to educate them regarding your issues and ensures that their votes aren’t cast without your input.

3. Know Your Elected Officials You may have more than one representative listed in your area. Call the local office to find out who serves your district. You can call your representatives’ local office to get the phone and fax numbers for their Washington offices. If you have email capability, you can ask for an email address as well.

4. Elected Officials House of Representatives 25 years of age A citizen of the United States for at least 7 years At the time of election, be a resident of the state U.S. Senate 30 years of age A citizen of the United States for 9 years At the time of election, be a resident of the state Members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms and reelection are held every even year. Senators serve six-year terms and elections to the Senate are staggered over even years so that only about 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection during any election.

5. Planning Your Visit A visit with your representatives is one of the most effective ways to develop a relationship with your legislators in your home District and Washington DC.

6. Know Before You Go Know Key Players Communicate Discussing Issues Stay Focused

7. Personal Visit Make an appointment Be prompt Dress the part Be Prepared Business Cards

8. Be Prepared : Support Your Position Keep Agenda Limited

9. State Your Case Objective Audience Message

10. Grassroots Ask for support Hold your representative accountable Use social media, twitter, Facebook

11. Grassroots Cont’d Work with other Veterans Service and Military Organizations/Associations Involve your Chapters Develop State Legislative Agenda

12. Written Correspondence Write letters on your own stationary and mention any appropriate organizational or professional affiliations. Handwritten letters are appropriate and considered extremely effective. Address the specific issue or congressional bill you are writing about. Keep your letter to one page and explain how the issue affects you, your agency, or those you care about. Include your name, address and phone number in your correspondence The Honorable United States Senate (House of Representatives) Washington, DC 20510 (20515 for House)

13. Telephone Advocacy Effective telephone calls are generally best when time constraints make letters or personal visits impossible. Calls are logged on a chart in the legislators’ office and can have an effect on how he or she votes. Identify yourself. state your name, address, why you are calling and that you are a constituent Keep your message simple, specific and brief. Do not go over three or four minutes. Ask for a written response and provide your mailing address

14. Email Advocacy Your congressional representatives are now online and email is clearly a quick and efficient way to communicate with elected officials. As with all communication, it is important to be personal when emailing your representatives. Because it is easier to email a quick note than to handwrite a personal letter, Make sure you discuss only one issue at a time and always give your name and mailing address. US house email sample.sample@mail.house.govsample.sample@mail.house.gov US Senate email sample_sample@senatorname.senate.govample_sample@senatorname.senate.gov

15. Remember Elected Officials work for you!

16. One Voice One Team If you need help or a further information on making your voices heard in the halls of Congress, please contact Sharon Hodge, AVVA Government Affairs Committee Chair at (301) 585-4000 ex. 111 or shodge@vva.org