Legislators are People, Too!

Building relationships with your legislators is a great way to ensure that they stay informed and know who to go to when they have questions about SBHCs.

1. Find your legislator.
• On the federal (national) level, everyone in Oregon has the same two senators and one congressman.
• On the state level, everyone has one state senator and one state representative.

2. Go to your legislator’s web site and learn about them. Read their biography, find out what committees they are on and what their interests are.

3. Write or email your legislator and tell them that you are an advocate for SBHCs. Introduce yourself and tell why you are passionate about SBHCs. Ask him/her to support SBHCs during the legislative session and offer your assistance should he/she have any questions. Remind your legislators that they can contact the Network with any questions that you can’t answer. To send your legislator an email, simple click here.

Also, consider doing the following:
• Schedule a tour of your SBHC with your legislator.
• Invite your legislator to speak with your service organization, church, community group or other organization. Ask him/her to speak directly about health care.

4. Write, call or email your legislators when asked by the Network. These “calls to action” can play an important role in gaining support for bills that will help SBHCs.

5. Sign up for your state legislator’s newsletter updates to learn when they will be in the district for hearings and for general policy updates
• Go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/index.html and click the icon on the bottom right that says E-Subscribe.

6. Attend a “Town Hall” meeting. Legislators regularly hold meetings in their districts to find out what is on their constituents’ minds and to tell them what they are working on. This is a great time to tell your message about the importance of quality health care in school. 

7. Schedule a meeting in the capitol to talk about the importance of SBHCs in your community.

8. If you have a meeting with your legislator, follow it up with a thank you note and a reminder of your key point.

View the Network’s 2009 Legislative Agenda .

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How to Build Relationships with Lawmakers