Legislative Awareness Week Kicks Off Next Week
CONSTRUCTING A LETTER TO CONGRESS
As key legislation is introduced on Capitol Hill, AFSA Headquarters will often notify its members and encourage letters from the field. Most often this is done via the weekly AFSA Newsletter. You have the information at hand from AFSA Headquarters, you know the issue, and you know what you want to say.
But how do you construct your letter to your elected official(s)?
A letter to Congress has six basic elements:
- Address
- Salutation
- “What” paragraph
- “Why” paragraph
- “Restatement and Reply Request” paragraph
- Signature element and contact information
1. The Address:
- The first line of the address should read “The Honorable” and the full name of the senator or representative. For example, when writing to Senator John Warner, you would type “The Honorable John Warner.” For Congressman Chet Edwards, you would type “The Honorable Chet Edwards.”
- The second line should read “United States Senate” or “House of Representatives.”
- The third line should read Washington, D.C. with a Zip Code of 20510 for members of the Senate or 20515 for members of the House of Representatives.
2. The Salutation:
- For a senator, the salutation would read “Dear Senator (last name),” e.g. “Dear Senator Warner,”.
- For a representative, your salutation may read, “Dear Representative (last name),” “Dear Congressman (last name),” or “Dear Congresswoman (last name).” For clarity, consistency, and simplicity, AFSA Headquarters most often uses, “Dear Representative (last name),” e.g., “Dear Representative Edwards,”.
- For a committee chairman, you would type “Dear Chairman (last name),” “Dear Chairwoman (last name),” or “Dear Chairperson (last name),”.
3. The “What” paragraph:
- This is where you tell your elected official what you want him/her to do, providing concise information to ensure their understanding. Example: “I urge you to support H.R. 879, the “Military Retirees Healthcare Protection Act.” This bill would establish the principle that it is Congress’ responsibility--not the Pentagon’s--to establish when and by how much military health care fees will be increased.”
4. The “Why” paragraph:
- This is where you explain why your elected official should support your point of view. Here you can explain the current problem and why the legislation is needed. Whenever possible, include real-life, personal examples of why the current law is not working properly. Example: “In recent years, DoD has repeatedly sought to significantly increase fees for TRICARE in order to reduce its expenditures. Unfortunately, they would do so at the expense of people like me who have served full military careers, fought in wars, faced long-term separations from my family, and lived extraordinarily challenging lives. Congress needs to stop DoD’s plans as a matter of principle and national gratitude—rather than viewing we military retirees as a budgetary burden. Frankly, I was promised this benefit, I earned it, and DoD’s plans would have a significant negative impact on my family’s finances. I need your help to stop DoD’s plans.”
5. The “Restatement and Reply Request” paragraph:
- This is where you restate what you want done, and you request a response. If you don’t request a response you usually won’t get one. If you do request a reply, in most cases you will receive one in the mail. Example: “In short, Senator (or “Representative”) (last name), as a voter I urge you to support H.R. 579 now. I anxiously await your response to this letter so I know where you stand on this critical issue.”
6. Signature element and contact information:
- Your signature block will generally begin with “Respectfully” or “Sincerely.”
- Sign your letter above your signature block
- Below your signature block, include contact information. You should always include a mailing address. We suggest you also include a phone number and/or an e-mail address in case the elected official wants to contact you for more information to clarify your request.