Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala

Legislative Work
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Meeting and Follow-up With Your Representative

During the meeting:

Introduce yourself and say what issues and legislation you want to discuss.
Ask his or her position. Is s/he a co-sponsor? How will s/he vote?
Ask for a specific commitment or action. No matter how unsupportive your legislator is, there is always a next step. If your member is generally unresponsive, ask him or her to do a simple action, such as signing a letter on human rights (be sure to provide the office with draft text). If your member is responsive, then ask for more, such as sponsorship of a "Dear Colleague" letter or a free standing bill.
Remember that you might be talking about a bill with which the legislator is unfamiliar. Be prepared to explain the bill briefly and ask if s/he wants more information.
Is the office hearing from opponents? If so, what are their arguments and what groups are involved?
Do party leaders have positions on the bill? What is their influence likely to be? Has the congressional office heard any message from the Administration on the bill?
Does the member know any other key representatives or senators who should be contacted to get favorable action on the bill? Is s/he willing to facilitate contact?
Be sure to take notes during the meeting and keep these written records. What did you request? What was the response? What is the congressperson’s position and why? What was promised? What are the member’s chief areas of interest?

Follow-up after the meeting:

If your member of Congress agrees with you, send a thank you note after the meeting. Be sure to include a review of your main points, and if commitments were made during the meeting, repeat your understanding of them. Always take the opportunity to include any new printed material on Guatemala you think relevant. Continue to send pertinent and credible materials on the topic. Even if the congressperson agrees with you now, s/he may change his/her mind under pressure. If you keep your arguments at the forefront, however, your congressperson will be less likely to change position later.
If your member of Congress does not agree with your position, then arrange to take other constituents to meet with him/her. In follow-up meetings, always reiterate that you are asking your representative to take your opinions, as constituents, into account. Remind your congressperson that the issue you are there to talk about is important to you, and more importantly, to your vote.

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Congressional Visit Follow Up

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print \| close window Legislative Work ............................................................................................ Meeting and Follow-up With Your Representative During the meeting: Introduce yourself and say what issues and legislation you want to discuss. Ask his or her position. Is s/he a co-sponsor? How will s/he vote? Ask for a specific commitment or action. No matter how unsupportive your legislator is, there is always a next step. If your member is generally unresponsive, ask him or her to do a simple action, such as signing a letter on human rights (be sure to provide the office with draft text). If your member is responsive, then ask for more, such as sponsorship of a "Dear Colleague" letter or a free standing bill. Remember that you might be talking about a bill with which the legislator is unfamiliar. Be prepared to explain the bill briefly and ask if s/he wants more information. Is the office hearing from opponents? If so, what are their arguments and what groups are involved? Do party leaders have positions on the bill? What is their influence likely to be? Has the congressional office heard any message from the Administration on the bill? Does the member know any other key representatives or senators who should be contacted to get favorable action on the bill? Is s/he willing to facilitate contact? Be sure to take notes during the meeting and keep these written records. What did you request? What was the response? What is the congressperson’s position and why? What was promised? What are the member’s chief areas of interest? Follow-up after the meeting: If your member of Congress agrees with you, send a thank you note after the meeting. Be sure to include a review of your main points, and if commitments were made during the meeting, repeat your understanding of them. Always take the opportunity to include any new printed material on Guatemala you think relevant. Continue to send pertinent and credible materials on the topic. Even if the congressperson agrees with you now, s/he may change his/her mind under pressure. If you keep your arguments at the forefront, however, your congressperson will be less likely to change position later. If your member of Congress does not agree with your position, then arrange to take other constituents to meet with him/her. In follow-up meetings, always reiterate that you are asking your representative to take your opinions, as constituents, into account. Remind your congressperson that the issue you are there to talk about is important to you, and more importantly, to your vote. ............................................................................................ Congressional Visit Follow Up The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Mauris scelerisque convallis pede. Vestibulum et odio. Curabitur eget ante. Donec tempor lectus at justo. Nulla facilisi. Sed hendrerit, quam vitae consectetuer dictum, nulla dui iaculis odio, a adipiscing elit nunc non tellus. Nulla tempus lobortis justo. Integer semper leo eu dolor. Integer commodo ultrices felis. Praesent faucibus tortor quis ipsum. Suspendisse nibh quam, bibendum vel, hendrerit in, elementum fringilla, pede. Maecenas volutpat leo vel massa. In iaculis malesuada ante. Praesent vestibulum, eros nec rhoncus convallis, tortor elit aliquam nunc, vel interdum odio orci sed diam. Mauris ut augue. In aliquam massa quis est. Ut congue, sapien et cursus cursus, metus dolor pretium velit, ut tincidunt massa felis eget lacus. Donec et purus. Nulla facilisi. Donec gravida, augue nec congue ullamcorper, diam libero fringilla mi, id auctor nisl erat id tortor. Cras in arcu a tortor cursus ultricies. Ut auctor molestie velit. Nulla hendrerit interdum eros. Vivamus pretium auctor ipsum. Mauris odio ligula, lacinia vel, ultrices nec, ultrices sit amet, odio. Pellentesque a felis. Quisque orci magna, lacinia in, vehicula nec, hendrerit a, libero. Nulla placerat. Ut pellentesque orci vel diam. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Mauris suscipit pellentesque purus. Vestibulum tristique. Nullam nonummy. Nulla facilisi. Praesent lacus. print \| close window