Tips for Writing Letters to Your Elected Officials

KEEP IT SHORT - one page if possible.
In writing about a specific bill, include the bill number and a brief statement on the topic at the beginning.
Discuss only one bill or issue per letter. Letters are filed by topic, and including more than one topic may cause the other concerns to be disregarded. If you want to comment on several issues, write a separate letter for each.
Introduce yourself, and tell why you are interested in the topic.
Tell how the issue affects your family personally.
Invite the legislator (or Governor) to contact you to discuss the issue. Include your name, address, and phone number.
Thank your legislator (or Governor) for considering your position and, if desired, request a reply.
Don't send form letters.

Sample Letter to Legislators

Dear Rep./Sen. _____________,

[In your first paragraph, state your purpose for writing and what action you want them to take.] I am a parent who has been hurt by the dramatic increase in the fees that we pay for the in-home supports to keep our son with disabilities at home. I urge to support HF1923/SF 1991.

[Tell briefly -- 3-4 sentences maximum -- how you are being hurt by current policy.] Our fees went up by 190 percent on July 1, 2003. We had been paying $112 each month; now we are paying $324 per month. We pay for health insurance for our family on top of this, and we received a large increase in the monthly premium for that as well -- all without receiving a pay increase at my husband's job. To help pay the fee, we had to cash in our retirement savings. We can't work any additional jobs, because our fee will increase even more, since it is based on Adjusted Gross Income.

[Tell briefly how the legislation will benefit you.] HF 1923/SF 1991 will make the these fees more manageable for us. There is a great amount of stress on families who have a person with disabilities already. This drastic jump in fees has added both to our financial stress and the emotional stress in our household. We are willing to pay a fee for the important supports we receive, but we feel that families like ours should not have to bear a disprotionate share of the of the burden in balancing the state budget. Please support HF 1923/SF 1991.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely, [Your Name, Address, and Phone]

Don't Know Who Your Legislator Is?

If you don't know who your legislator is, you can find out by:

calling House Information at 651-296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550, or Senate Information at 651-296-0504 or 1-888-234-1112) and giving them your address, or
going to the District Finder page of the Minnesota state Legislature web site at www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Districtfinder.asp.

Return to Home page