Lobby by Email and/or Phone
All Congressional Gold Medal legislation must be sponsored by two-thirds of the House and Senate before it can be considered. So we need co-sponsors. Our job is to ask Members of Congres to CO-SPONSOR this legislation.
Their are many ways to reach out to your members of Congress. You can call, email, tweet, etc. One of the most effective ways is to reach out to the individual on their staff who deals with defense issues, and pitch them on co-sponsoring the bill. Here's how:
Their are many ways to reach out to your members of Congress. You can call, email, tweet, etc. One of the most effective ways is to reach out to the individual on their staff who deals with defense issues, and pitch them on co-sponsoring the bill. Here's how:
- Identify your Senators and Representative. (Click here for help.)
- Check to see if they have already co-sponsored.
- Search inside the spreadsheet below to find members of Congress you want to contact, then copy down the name and email of their defense aide.
- Download one of the sample letters below and download it it into an email. (There are different letters for the House and Senate) Add your own comments if you wish. Attach the gold medal one sheet to present more information.
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| Gold Medal One Sheet |
- Hit send! Repeat for your representative and both Senators.
- Follow up and keep following up. It is OK to email every week and ask what is going on. These folks get innundated, and you have to be the squeaky wheel. You can also call them after your initial email.
- If the person has recently left, you may get an email suggesting you contact some else - go ahead and end them an email as well!
Set Up a Meeting
Meeting with someone from your congressman's office can be an effective way to lobby for the bill. You can call or email the member of congress's local office, and ask to set up a meting with someon their staff about this. Down below you will find downloadable powerpoint presentation (along with an outline) that includes a video. It takes about 10 minutes to present, and is a great way to communicate this amazing story. There is also a sample letter for setting up a meeting.
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| Sample Meeting Request Email |
Social Media
Once you have reached out to a Member of Congress, social media can be a great way to follow up. Make sure you tag the member. If you are not getting a response from the person you emailed, mention that you haven't heard back from the office - it will get the attention of the member's communications director, and sometimes the Member of Congress themselves.
Spread the Word
If you can convince other people to add their voices to their effort, it will help amplify our message. The powerpoint above can be the basis of a strong 10 minute presentation that you can make to a community group, friends, etc to enlist their support. Maybe you can get your town council or local VFW group to pass a resolution of support, or convince a local newspaper to write about the Gold Medal effort. We need every bit of help we can get!