CA bay area activists meet with Rep. Anna Eshoo (center) to discuss the legislation.

This section offers an overview of the most effective ways to work with your members of congress. All the following activities are designed to impact the decisions made by the US Congress. And all of them count: private meetings, letters and calls to our Congresspeople go far toward determining the positions they take. The U.S. Congress is a reactive body, and when the citizens make their priorities known, it makes a difference. Every action you take counts.

1. Contact your members of congress 

The First thing you want to do is to call and write your members of congress in the Senate and House of Representatives (visit our Take Action Now page to learn more). Find out if your representatives are co-sponsors or not by clicking here. Send letters, postcards and make phone calls to the member urging him or her to become a co-sponsor (for members of the House of Representatives, they can do so by contacting Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s office- Catherine Veith (202) 225-5871. Ask your friends and family to do the same. You can call your Representative at the U.S. capitol switchboard: (877) 762-8762. Even if they are already a co-sponsor, let them know you support this and want them to continue to work for its passage.

2. Meet with your members of congress

After you have made initial contact about the legislation, it is critical that you follow-up at your representatives office. First, find out if you have leadership in your area already working with your member of congress in your congressional district by clicking here.

If no one is leading the local effort, click here to: set up a meeting with your representative. Click here to: review a sample agenda for meeting with a member of congress. 

If Your Representative is already a co-sponsor

It is still critical to work with these members of congress. 

- Ask them if they would be willing to talk with other colleagues in the House to co-sponsor the bill with them.

- Ask them to call or write letters to the Chairmen and women of the committees to which the bill has been referred (committee info listed below) and request that the committee either pass the bill to the floor for a vote or host a hearing on the bill. Offer to bring speakers to the hearing.

- Ask them to speak at a public event, or appear on a radio show about the bill with one of the local team.

- Ask them to take the bill to any caucuses where they are members to ask for support from fellow members.

- Send a letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, thanking your Rep for co-sponsoring the bill. MOCs appreciate public praise for what they have done and rarely get it.

COMMITTEES IN 110th CONGRESS

Legislation to establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence, HR 808 has been referred to four committees in the House of Representatives, as follows:

House Committee on Education and the Workforce
http://edworkforce.house.gov/
Chair: George Miller (D-CA 7th) - (202) 225-2095
Ranking Minority: Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-CA 25th) - (202) 225-1956

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
http://reform.house.gov/
Chair: Henry Waxman (D-CA 30th) - (202) 225-3976
Ranking Minority: Tom Davis (R-VA 11th) - (202) 225-1492

House Committee on Foreign Affairs
http://wwwc.house.gov/international_relations/
Chair: Tom Lantos (D-CA 12nd) - (202) 225-3531
Ranking Minority: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL 18th) - 202-225-3931

House Committee on the Judiciary
http://judiciary.house.gov/
Chair: John Conyers (D-MI 14th) - (202) 225-5126
Ranking Minority: Lamar Smith (R-TX 21st) - (202) 225-4236