Communicate with your legislator

Telephone

Use telephone calls selectively and only for the most urgent issues. When calling:

1. Plan exactly what you want to say before you call. Prepare an outline to cover the major points.
2. Ask to speak to the staff person who handles the issue you wish to discuss.
3. If no one is available to talk, leave a message with your main point as part of the message.
4. Begin and end by stating your name and identifying yourself as a registered nurse. Also identify yourself as a constituent.
5. Deliver a brief and simple message; for example, "Please vote in favor of HB 5505." Say why in a few sentences.
6. Be courteous even if you disagree with a position.
7. Leave a phone number where you can be reached; offer to provide more information if requested.
8. Follow up with a letter.

Write

1. State the purpose of your letter in the first paragraph.
2. Describe your practice and the patient population you serve.
3. Address only one issue per letter.
4. Refer to the specific legislation by number and title.
5. Keep your letter to one or two pages in length.
6. State whether you are a constituent, or identify any connection with the legislator's district.
7. Make your point clearly, but do so in a courteous and respectful manner.
8. Support your position with research or other reliable information and with your own experiences. Local examples of how the legislation will impact health care or nursing in the legislator's district have the greatest impact.
9. Be constructive. If the legislation deals with a problem you admit exists but you think the bill is the wrong approach, explain what you believe to be the right approach.
10. Personalize your letter. Legislators pay more attention to these than to ones mass produced. Form letters and response cards should be used only if you have no other alternative for expressing your opinions.
    
    Correct ways to address your letter are:
    
    To Michigan's Governor:
    
    The Honorable (Full Name)
    Office of the Governor;
    P.O. Box 30013;
    Lansing, MI 48909
    
    Dear Governor (Last Name):
    
    
    To a Michigan Senator:
    
    The Honorable (Full Name)
    State Senator;
    State Capitol;
    P.O. Box 30036;
    Lansing, Michigan 48909-7536 -
    
    Dear Senator (Last Name:
    )
    :
    To a U.S. Senator:
    
    The Honorable (Full Name)
    United States Senator
    Senate Office Building
    Washington, DC 20510
    
    Dear Senator (Last Name):
    
    
    To a Michigan Representative:
    
    The Honorable (Full Name)
    State Representative
    State Capitol
    P.O. Box 30014
    Lansing, Michigan 48909-7514
    
    Dear Representative (Last Name):
    
    
    To a U.S. Representative:
    
    The Honorable (Full Name)
    United States Representative
    House Office Building;
    Washington, DC 20510
    
    Dear Congressman (Last Name) or Dear Congresswoman (Last Name):

Visit

1. Prepare Do research beforehand. Know who your legislator is, which party they belong to, and in which community they live.
   
   
2. Know the issue. Although you do not need to be an expert on every aspect of a bill, you need to know enough about the issue it is intended to resolve. MNA issue papers and action alerts provide this information. In addition, draw from your own nursing experiences. Try to anticipate the arguments against your position, and be prepared to address them.
   
   
3. Deliver the message. Provide reliable information. Nothing destroys credibility faster than inaccurate information. Be concise, stick to basics, and stay focused.
   
   Most legislators do not have a health care background. Make no assumptions about their level of knowledge of health care systems, financing, or delivery. Use the same principles you use when educating your patients. You may not be able to answer all of the legislator's questions, but offer to find the answers whenever possible.
   
   
4. Frame your message in terms of local effect. Hearing how an issue affects the community's health facilities, local public health agency, and nurses and other constituents of the legislator's district will have a greater impact on the legislator than hearing how it affects the state generally. As former Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neil once stated, "All politics is local."
   
   
5. Maintain a professional appearance and attitude. Dress in business attire or "dress casual." Always maintain a courteous attitude. Although it is appropriate to disagree with the positions held by a legislator, it is not appropriate to let that disagreement be evidenced by anger, rudeness, or disrespect.
   
   When you leave the meeting, be sure the legislator knows your position and the expectations you have of him or her.
   
   
6. Follow up. Send a follow-up letter to show your appreciation for the time the legislator spent with you. In addition to expressing your appreciation, take the opportunity to highlight the key points of your message and the action you are requesting the legislator to take. Finally, send any additional information that you said you would provide.

Attend a political fundraiser

So, you've been asked to attend a political fund-raiser and you have no clue what to expect. Here's how to get ready.

1. Prep Time. Do your homework. Review the profile of the legislator who is the focus of the fundraiser. Read up on the MNA position on cur-rent legislation. Check out the MNA website (minurses.org) for current legislative news and issues. You may want to use the MNA website or the current Michigan Nurse to brush up on your general knowledge of MNA.
2. What to Wear. Unless otherwise specified, dress is usually business attire. Feel free to wear appropriate buttons, such as RN Voter, Nurses for Health Care Reform and/or your MNA lapel pin. Take a supply of business cards and something with which to take brief notes.
3. Name Tag Etiquette. After you've registered at the door, you'll most likely be given a name tag to fill out. The tag is worn on your right shoulder and should include your name, the credentials "RN," and "Michigan Nurses Association" spelled out. Print clearly!
4. Working the Room. Your primary objective is to meet and greet the legislator for whom the event is being held. Don't forget to meet their staff as well. Introduce yourself ("Hello, my name is _____, RN. I'm a member of the Michigan Nurses Association.). People are always glad to meet nurses, and politicians are no different. General conversation is always appropriate, but also use the event as an opportunity to educate people about the association, the profession and our legislative agenda.
5. Hmmmm. If you don't have the answer to a question, jot it down and offer to provide follow-up, or refer the individual to the appropriate person at MNA. If action is needed Meghan Swain-Kuch (888/MINURSE, ext. 41 or meghan.swain@minurses.org).
   

2/12/07