Military Family Legislative Action Guide - (Page 8) FoLLoW uP nO ResPOnse • Don’t give up if you get no response to your first letter or e-mail. It often takes more than one contact with your legislator to get results. • If you don’t get a response, call the legislator’s office on MOAA’s toll-free Capitol Hill Hot Line (1-866-272-6622). Ask the Capitol operator to connect you with the legislator’s office, and request to speak to the applicable staffer to get a personal response. • Don’t forget to identify yourself as a constituent. You may be asked to give your name and address to confirm that. • Visit MOAA’s Web site at http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/ bills to check whether the legislator has cosponsored MOAA’s bills of interest. POsITIVe ResPOnse • If the legislator answers, “I am a cosponsor” or “I voted for the bill,” these are the best possible outcomes and deserve a follow-up note of thanks. It’s just as important to thank your representative for taking action as it is to urge them to vote on a bill. • “I support the issue but have not cosponsored.” This calls for a follow-up letter explaining (respectfully) that you’re looking for action, not just words. Urge him or her to add their name to the bill’s formal list of cosponsors, and to push for a vote. 8 http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/bill http://capwiz.com/moaa/issues/bill
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