1. How to write a member of Congress Barbara Boxer Dianne Feinstein Your Congressional Representative

2. Steps 1)Select an issue you are interested in, find current legislation on this topic, and research one specific bill for your letter to Congress 2)Decide who you are going to write to – Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, or your congressional representative 3)Write a rough draft of your letter addressed to the person you selected above 4)Bring rough draft to class on Thursday for peer-editing 5)Revise and write final draft of letter. Print out a hard copy to give Mrs. Trout on Friday 3/14. Turn in research and all steps of the writing process with final draft. 6)Go to the website of the member of Congress you are writing to. Click on contact via email. Fill in the template by cutting and pasting from your original letter. Make sure you include your name, home address, and email address. 7)When you get a response from the office of that senator or representative, turn it in for extra credit.

3. Legislative Resources Sites to research legislation www.popvox.com www.govtrack.us Find your congressional representatives http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ http://www.senate.gov/ Sample of a senator’s website https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index. cfm/e-mail-mehttps://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index. cfm/e-mail-me

4. What to include in your letter… Paragraph 1: Say who you are and what you are writing about. Specifically reference what bill you are writing about (ex: S390) Paragraph 2: Briefly explain why you support or oppose this piece of legislation. Explain why the issue is important to you. Back up your position with examples or data. Paragraph 3: State what action you want them to take on this piece of legislation. Request a response.

5. Make sure to address your letter properly: The Honorable [NAME OF REP OR SENATOR] [House of Representatives] [or United States Senate] [Room Number and Office Building of Rep or Senator] Washington, D.C. 20515 (for House) or 20510 (for Senate) The Honorable Dianne Feinstein United States Senate 331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

6. Letter Writing Resources Sample of letter to member of Congress http://www.indiananurses.org/pdf_files/sampl e%20letter%20format.pdfhttp://www.indiananurses.org/pdf_files/sampl e%20letter%20format.pdf http://oceana.org/en/our-work/climate- energy/offshore-drilling/gulf-oil-spill-activist- toolkit/sample-letter-to-senatorhttp://oceana.org/en/our-work/climate- energy/offshore-drilling/gulf-oil-spill-activist- toolkit/sample-letter-to-senator Templates for a formal letter http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/BusLetter_B lock.htmlhttp://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/BusLetter_B lock.html