At 10:40 PM 6/5/96 -0400, Barbara Mallut wrote:
>A coupla months ago someone published a list of the Senators and House Reps
>email addresses
>I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone has it accessable if they would email it
>to me, as I'll be needing it for my Web site.
>
>
For a start, try this URL.
http://www.stardot.com/zipper/
You then just enter the zipcode and it will give you the names of
the two Senators and the Congressperson who represent that zipcode.
You can e-mail any U.S. Senator at [log in to unmask], where
name is his/her last name. *n.b. see below re email*
U.S. Representatives can be e-mailed at [log in to unmask], where
name is his/her first initial and last name (i.e., jdoe). Many House members
don't yet take advantage of e-mail. *n.b. see below re email*
Senators each can have FTP files located at ftp.senate.gov in the
/member/state/name directory, where state is the lower-case, two letter
state abbreviation (ie., tx) and name is the senator's last name (lowercase).
Here are some tips on writing to your legislator to advocate that he/she
vote for/against a pending bill.
Write on your personal stationery or plain paper, not on business
letterhead. Legislators like to hear from those people who actually elected
them to office.
Include your name and return address on both the letter and the
envelope. Sometimes envelopes are discarded before the letter is answered.
Use a personal touch. Mention how the bill will benefit or hurt you and
your family on a personal level.
Never merely photocopy a "generic" letter provided by any organization
and send it in. Legislators are unlikely to be persuaded by "carbon copy"
letters. Old-fashioned letters posted through the Post Office are more
likely to be "counted" whereas emails can easily be deleted because nobody
got around to reading them. **
State the name of the legislation in the first paragraph. Include the
bill number if you can. These touches tend to show that you are
knowledgeable on the issues about which you are writing.
Keep it short. Limit your comments to one page and, preferably, one issue.
Ask for specific action. Let your legislator know what you want him/her
to do. "I want you to vote for/against this bill."
The following example of an address/salutation format is appropriate:
The Honorable John Smith
U.S. Senate/U.S. House of Representatives/
Senate of [State]/[State] House of Representatives
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Senator/Representative Smith:
-----------------------------------------------------------
TRW Spacecraft Operations East
14320 Sullyfield Circle
Chantilly VA 22021
(703) 802-1863
