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August is Prime Time to Speak Out:
Connecting Locally with your Member of Congress
By Kevin Mathis, The Sheridan Group

Between August 6 and September 3, members of Congress are back in their states and districts so they can meet with their constituents. The two best ways to get some “face time” with your elected officials are through Town Hall meetings and personal meetings in their local offices. Here are some pointers about ways to do this:

Town Hall Meeting

In a Congressional Town Hall meeting, members of Congress invite their constituents to gather together to discuss pressing issues. These are advertised in the local paper, in newsletters that your member of Congress sends to all postal patrons in the mail, and via postcards sent to postal patrons before the meetings. The schedule is also likely to be posted on their web site (see the list of online resources at the end of this article). You can also call the Congress member’s office, or sign up to receive an electronic newsletter (if one is offered on his or her web site) that will keep you updated on all public appearances.

At the Town Hall meeting, the member of Congress will typically make opening remarks, then take questions from the audience. Any constituent can raise their hand and ask any question of the member of Congress.

Things to Consider:

  • Your question should be very brief—not a speech. You should speak for no more than one-and-a-half or two minutes.

  • You should be very respectful or your question will not be taken seriously.

  • You should immediately identify yourself as a constituent and as a person living with CFS (or a family member/friend of a person living with CFS).

  • You should very briefly explain how this disease has impacted your life. This portion of your statement should be less than a minute.

  • You should note that in June of this year, members of the House and Senate sent letters to the Director of the NIH, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, urging him to use his authority to ensure that chronic fatigue syndrome is given a higher priority at the NIH. Twelve Senators and 36 House members signed onto the letters.

  • If the member of Congress you’re talking to signed one of the letters, publicly thank him/her for the tremendous support for CFS. (Check the list posted on our site; links are provided at the end of this article.)

  • If the member of Congress you’re talking to did not sign the letter, ask him/her if he/she would send a similar letter to the NIH. Provide a copy of the letter to him/her for their review and the one-page CFS fact sheet (see the list of online resources at the end of this article).

  • If the Member immediately agrees, thank him or her.  If Member notes he or she will look into the issue, ask for the name and phone number of the staffer with whom the CFIDS Association should follow up.

  • Share your experience with us by e-mail to cfidsadvocacy@cfids.org. Please let us know if follow-up is required and what information needs to be provided to whom.

Face-to-Face Meeting with Member or Staff Member

Most members of Congress have multiple offices around the state (for U.S. Senators) or district (for U.S. representatives) depending on the size of the community they represent, both in terms of geography and population. You can generally locate the local offices on your members’ websites or in the “government” pages of your local phone book. Links to helpful web sites are provided below.

Call the local office and ask for 10 minutes to come in and talk to the member of Congress. Be persistent and flexible in your scheduling. If you’re unable to meet directly with the member (be persistent in asking!), agree to meet with a staff member—preferably one who deals with health issues. Consider taking a friend or family member with you who can share their perspective about how CFS has affected your life (and help you get to the meeting and follow up after it). If you’re a member of a local support group, you might consider making this a group effort. (Caution: don’t make this a bigger project than it needs to be! Sometimes corralling a whole group can slow things down, rather than expedite the process.)

Things to Consider:

  • Follow the same format as for the Town Hall Meeting (above), with the understanding that you will have about 10 minutes to make your case.

  • You can give more detail on how CFS has impacted your life or that of a loved one.

  • Give the Member of Congress the one-page fact sheet prepared by the CFIDS Association that provides an overview of chronic fatigue syndrome (see the link in the online resources listed below).

  • Take a copy of the letter to NIH with you. If you’re meeting with a Senator, take the letter signed by the 12 Senators. If you’re meeting with a U.S. Representative, take the letter signed by the House members. You can find both letters online with the links provided below.

  • Ask the Member of Congress to send a similar letter to the Director of the NIH. If you don’t get a firm commitment in the meeting, get the name of the staffer and a phone number for the CFIDS Association’s follow-up.

  • Share your experience with us by e-mail to cfidsadvocacy@cfids.org. Please let us know if follow-up is required and what information needs to be provided to whom.

Webinar Event:

For more tips and coaching, take part in our webinar event on August 7 at 3:30pm (eastern time). You listen in by phone and watch a web-based powerpoint slide presentation on your computer. Type your questions, respond to polls and learn from other participants as well as the speakers. Register for this free online event at https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/128552820. Hope to "see" you there!

Online Resources

Here are some useful links to help you connect with your members of Congress:

List of Town Hall meeting events provided by members of Congress to Capitol Advantage (not a complete list of all events): http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2007/thmschedule.pdf

One page fact sheet about CFS:
http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2007/ldfs0707.pdf

Two-page handout with additional quotes/facts about CFS: http://www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2007/ld0707.pdf

List of Members of Congress who signed letter to NIH in June 2007: http://www.cfids.org/advocacy/ld07-signon.pdf

Copies of letters from members of Congress about CFS:
http://www.cfids.org/advocacy/congressional-letters.asp

U.S. House of Representatives web site: www.house.gov
      (You can enter your zip code and connect to your member’s web site)

U.S. Senate web site: www.senate.gov
      (You can find your state’s two U.S. Senators’ web sites)

Grassroots Action Center: http://capwiz.com/cfids/home/

Advocacy Archives: http://www.cfids.org/advocacy/advocacy-archives.asp


Town Hall Meeting Pays Off for CFS Advocate Lela Betts

Pennsylvania advocate Lela Betts participated in Lobby Day this year, and met with a staff person in the office of her member of Congress, Representative Allyson Schwartz. Schwartz’s staff person wasn’t able to make a commitment that day to sign the letter to Dr. Zerhouni, and follow-up with them wasn’t yielding success.

Lela learned about a Town Hall meeting with Representative Schwartz being held in her community two weeks after Lobby Day. Lela attended and was able to ask Representative Schwartz in person to sign the letter. She got the commitment, and the letter mailed on June 26, 2007 reflects Representative Schwartz’s support! Way to go, Lela!

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The CFIDS Association fights for the rights of people with CFS and their families by advocating for increased government funding of research and improved public policy regarding CFS. Your donations make this work possible.

If you care about making CFS a national priority with lawmakers and health officials, donate now to support the CFIDS Association’s advocacy, research and education efforts.