Sample Advocacy Letter

Your name and address

Date

Name

Title

Address

Salutation (Dear ______ )

1st Paragraph: Let the reader know what your

concern is.

2nd Paragraph: You need to let the reader know

the importance of your concerns and any impact

the concern may have on the community.

3rd Paragraph: Thank your reader for taking the

time to read your letter and make sure you

re-state your concern. Provide a way for him to

respond to you letter. Always add that you look

forward to hearing their response on the issue.

Now they know you expect an answer.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your address

Phone number

Email address

Sample Advocacy Letter

Generating Evidence

3. Generating an evidence base

1. Why do you need data? (purpose)

2. Based on you purpose, what data do you need?

Following are areas to consider when generating evidence. Answering these questions can help

make your evidence a well-rounded package:

To illustrate a need

To reduce uncertainty

To substatiate for others

what you already know in

your day-to-day

experiences

To inform public

opinion

Is the evidence grounded in solid research conducted by experts?

People data

Event Data

Thing data

Age, Race, and Gender

Births and Deaths

Places and Organization

Does the evidence highlight the causes of a problem?

Does the evidence provide convincing solutions to the problem?

Does the evidence consider inequities, disparities, vulnerability and marginalization?

Is the evidence complimented with qualitatve analysis when it is quantitative, and vice versa?

Is the evidence complimented with human interest stories or experiences that highlight the human and

personal dimensions of the problem?

Can the evidence be easily dissmeniated?

Particularly, if the evidence is gathered through plot points, what are the risks associated with using the

evidence for advocacy in wider contexts and/or different environments? Is the evidence applicable in these

wider contexts or diffferent environments?

Is the evidence timely?

Members of the House or Senate can now debate the bill and

propose changes or amendments before voting. If the

majority vote for and pass the bill, it moves to the other

chamber to go through a similar process of committees,

debate, and voting. Both chambers have to agree on the

same version of the final bill before it goes to the President.

HOUSE

MAJORITY

When the bill reaches the

President, he or she can:

THE BILL IS LAW

H O W A B I L L B E C O M E S A F E D E R A L L A W

SENATE

MAJORITY

HOPPER

Here, the bill is assigned

a legislative number

before the Speaker of a

House sends it to a

committee.

A bill can start in either chamber of Congress when it's

introduced by its primary sponsor, a Senator or a

Representative. In the House of Representatives, bills are

placed in a wooden box called "the hopper."

Representatives or Senators meet in a small group to

research, talk about, and make changes to the bill. They vote

to accept or reject the bill and its changes before sending it to

the hopper.

P R E S I D E N T I A L A C T I O N

T H E B I L L I S I N T R O D U C E D

T H E B I L L G O E S T O C O M M I T T E E

C O N G R E S S D E B A T E S A N D V O T E S

The idea can come from anyone, even you! Contact your

elected officials to share your idea. If they want to try to make

it a law, they will write a bill.

Approve and Pass.

The President signs

and approves the bill.

Veto

The President rejects the bill and

returns it to Congress with the reasons

for the veto. Congress can override the

veto with 2/3 vote of those present in

both the House and the Senate and the

bill will become law.

Choose no action

The President can decide to

do nothing. If Congress is in

session after 10 days of no

answer from the President,

the bill then automatically

becomes law.

Pocket veto

If Congress adjourns (goes out

of session) within the 10 day

period after giving the President

the bill, the President can

choose not to sign it and the bill

will not become law.

E V E R Y L A W S T A R T S W I T H A N I D E A

The President can also:

IDEA

A legislator(s) decides to sponsor a

bill. Ideas come from many

sources: constituents, interest

groups, and government agencies.

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT

& ACTION

The President of the Senate or the

Speaker of the House refers the bill

to a standing committee. A

subcommittee, assigned by the

standing committee, then studies the

bill and reports its conclusions to the

full committee. The committee may

pass the pill or pass an amended

version of the bill. The committee may

also send the bill to the floor without

recommendation.

FLOOR DEBATE

The bill is placed on the calendar, a

listing of all bills officially eligible for

debate. At this time legislators may

file amendments to the bill.

VOTE

A constitutional majority, at least

26 senators or 51 representatives,

must vote "yes" in order for the bill

to proceed to the second chamber.

AMENDMENT

The bill and any amendments filed

are debated by the whole chamber.

Amendments must be approved by

a simple majority of those

legislators voting.

SECOND CHAMBER

If the bill passes the second

chamber without amendment, it is

sent to the Governor. If the second

chamber amends the bill it must

be sent back to the chamber of

origin for approval of those

amendments. If the chamber

cannot come to an agreement on

the version of the bill, a conference

committee is appointed.

GOVERNOR

After the bill passes both

chambers in identical form, it

is sent to the Governor. The

Governor may sign the bill, veto

the bill, or take no action.

LAW

The bill becomes a law upon

the Governor's signature or

after three days during the

session if the Governor takes

no action. Bills received by the

Governor during the last three

days of the session have to be

signed or vetoed within 30

days. If the Governor takes no

action after the 30-day time

period, the bill is considered

vetoed.

BILL DRAFTED & FILED

Legislator(s) requests the idea be

drafted into a bill by the Legislative

Services Agency, Legal Services

Division. The bill draft is sent to

the Senate or the House where

it is assigned a number and is then

sent to the President of the Senate

or the Speaker of the House.

H O W A N I D E A B E C O M E S A L A W I N I O W A

Scheduling a Meeting With a Legislator