How To Lobby Your Members Of Congress

     Members of Congress rarely hear from their constituents on
most issues. Sometimes hearing from a handful of concerned citizens
will cause a Senator or Representative to pay attention to a
particular issue and encourage him or her to vote the right way.

     In general the more personal your lobbying contact is, the
more effective it will be. While a personal discussion with a
Member of Congress is most effective, a meeting or telephone
conversation with one of his or her assistants is almost as good.
A personal letter is much more effective than a form letter or
postcard.

     You do not need to be an expert on the issue to call or write
your Member of Congress' office. All you need to communicate is
that you want the Member to support or oppose a particular measure.
When you call a Member's office give your name and address and ask
whomever takes your call to let the Member of Congress know that
you favor or oppose something.

     It is very important that you lobby both Members of Congress
who may support your views and those who may not. Lobbying can
change votes so it is critically important that you lobby those who
disagree with you. Lobbying supporters provides them with evidence
of support for their position and allows them to be more active in
support of that position.

     If you don't know your Members of Congress, your county
courthouse voter registration office can give you their names and
addresses. You can contact Members of Congress in either their
local offices or in Washington. In Washington write or call:

  The Honorable________________       The Honorable_____________
  U.S. House of Representatives       U.S. Senate
  Washington, DC 20515                Washington, DC 20510
  202/225-3121                        202/224-3121

     Thank you for your help.

Issues on which activity is anticipated this term:

Possible Senate amendements favoring school prayer
H.R. 1257 Insurance Redlining
H.R. 1900 & S. 984 Privacy for Consumers and Workers
H.R. 5 & S. 55 Striker Replacement Bill
Congressional Campaign Finance Reform Proposal
Hyde Amendment - Reproductive Health Services in Health Care Reform

Issues of ongoing ACLU concern:

H.R. 2119 Remedies for Immigration Law Enforcement Abuse
Support Statehood for the District of Columbia
S. 17 & H.R. 224 Support the Equal Remedies Act
H.R. 1308 & S. 578 Support Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act
Protect 1st Amendment Activities from FBI Investigation
H.R. 40 Support Commission to Study Reparations for African Americans

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