Legis info

Legislative
Information

**LEGISLATIVE WEB PAGES**
California Assembly	www.assembly.ca.gov
California Senate	www.sen.ca.gov
California Governor	www.governor.ca.gov
Bill Information	www.leginfo.ca.gov
To order a bill from the Bill Room:	(916) 445-2645
Department of Finance	www.dof.ca.gov
Legislative Analyst's Office	www.lao.ca.gov
If you do not have a Legislative Roster and need a telephone number, Call the State Capitol at: (916) 322-9900 and ask for the telephone number of your Legislator.

U.S. House of Representatives	www.house.gov
U.S. Senate	www.senate.gov
U.S. President	www.whitehouse.gov
Bill Information	www.access.gpo.gov

**Phone Calls**
Your newspaper periodically prints your elected officials and their contact information. Keep that close to your phone so that when you want to call, you can readily find the phone numbers.
Most times you won't be able to speak to your representative, but you can still voice your opinion with his/her office staff. They keep a record of all calls and relay the information to the representative.
Be brief and to the point.
Be polite and respectful. It's possible to be estatically happy or absolutely angry about an issue, and voice your opinion politely. Don't threaten.
Share information with your friends and colleagues and urge them to make a call.

**Writing a Letter**
**When writing your Legislator and other Decision Makers,**
**use the following address and salutation:**
CA Assembly	CA Senate	CA Governor
The Honorable John Smith Member of the Assembly State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Assemblyman Smith:	The Honorable John Smith Member of the Senate State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Senator Smith:	The Honorable Gray Davis Governor State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 Dear Governor Davis:


U.S. House of Representatives	U.S. Senate	U.S. President
The Honorable John Smith United States House of Representatives Washington D.C. 20515 Dear Representative Smith:	The Honorable John Smith For the exact address for your Senator, click here Dear Senator Smith:	The Honorable George W. Bush President 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC 20500-0001 Dear President Bush:

Letter Writing Tips from the League of Women Voters Coleman Advocates CAEYC

Personal letters are best, but if you don't have time, a postcard will do.

Use your letter more than once by sending it to multiple legislators. Adapt it to a letter to the editor. Share it with friends, neighbors, and your day care parents who might be willing to send a letter.

Faxes and email are faster and easier than a letter. However, be careful that you don't contribute to "jamming" the legislator's fax machine.

You can "cc" to others and sometimes the cc recipients can be more important than the legislator. If the media, a political opponent, etc. receive the letter, it can have an impact on the legislator's actions.

Check with your local association, your state association and FCCPAC - if there is an important issue, there might be a statewide plan of action which would have a bigger impact on the legislators. For example, a few years back, the legislature was going to take the food program away. On a national level, providers had each of their day care children paste pictures of food onto a paper plate, and then mailed all the plates to their legislator. Needless to say, it made a major impact.

Write a separate letter for each bill or issue in question.

Know the process of how a bill becomes a law so that your letters and comments will be timely and directed to the appropriate decision maker.

Identify the subject of your letter immediately and clearly.

Identify any bill you may be writing about by its number and the author’s name.

Use your own words – no mimeographed petitions or form letters.

Use understandable language (i.e., translate any professional jargon into lay terms).

Ask a question if you don’t thoroughly understand a bill or the decision maker’s position.

State your reason for asking for support (or opposition) clearly (i.e., how the bill will affect you, the children, or the community-at-large).

Cite facts, statistics, and experiences pertinent to your community (i.e., the legislator’s district), whenever possible.

Be as brief as possible.

Request that your views be considered – do not threaten or demand.

Include your name and return address (position, if applicable) on the letter.

Follow-up on your letter (i.e., check to see how the legislator voted on the issue and say “THANK YOU” if appropriate). Write regularly on the issue.

Do	Don't
Address your senator or representative properly.	Don't begin on the righteous note of "as a citizen and taxpayer...". Your legislator assumes this.
Speak from the heart.	Don't be vague.
Write legibly.	Don't apologize for taking his time. Just be brief and to the point
Be brief and to the point- Be clear about what you want.	Don't say "I hope this gets by your secretary." This irritates office staff.
Identify the bill number if you can.	Don't be rude or threatening.
Identify yourself and explain your connection to the issue. State the reason the elected official should care about your opinion.
Be courteous and reasonable.
Write to say you approve, not just to complain or oppose
Include pertinent editorials from local papers

**When you visit a CAPITOL OFFICE**
As a Child Care Advocate
GETTING IN TO SEE THE LEGISLATOR
1. To the secretary: State your own name (and group) clearly. One person should be the spokesperson. If you are constituents, say so. (Constituents are voters from that legislator’s district). ASK TO SEE THE LEGISLATOR FOR FIVE MINUTES.
2. State your special interest or concern briefly.
3. If the legislator is not available now, offer to wait. Ask, “Will he/she be available later today?” A. If yes, make an appointment for later. B. If no, ask, “May we speak with a consultant concerning child care?”
4. If no one is available to see you, leave your letter, card and/or one page information sheet explaining your concern. (This should list names and addresses of any constituents.)
5. Be polite, to the point, not overly emotional.


IN INTERVIEW WITH LEGISLATOR OR CONSULTANT
1. Note the time you enter. Don’t overstay your time.
2. The spokesperson introduces her/himself. Thank him/her for taking the time to meet with you.
3. Briefly state who you represent and your concern. Introduce people with you.
4. Briefly tell of successes in Family Child Care Homes in your area. (be specific).
5. Briefly explain (document, if possible) additional unserved needs.
6. Ask for legislator’s position on a specific bill or on the issue you raise.
7. Avoid emotionality. Avoid side issues.
8. Leave your information sheet, letter or card.

Information provided “CHILD ADVOCACY IN 10 EASY STEPS”
A Resource Guide from CAEYC