What You Can Do …
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KNOW
YOUR LEGISLATORS!! You have two state
legislators. These are the two people
you need to know, and they need to know you.
Your U.S congressional leaders are important individuals too, but they
have little influence and cannot change laws within the state of
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Look
for your legislators now. Write their
information below.
o
www.e-people.org/letter/write
o
MN
Capitol 651/296-2146
State Senator:
___________________________Phone:
______________
State Representative: ____________________Phone: ______________
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Your
next step will be to meet with your legislators. They want to meet with you. It is very easy to arrange for a
meeting. It is their job to listen to
your concerns. Your time with them will
be limited, so be prepared to get your message across in a short period of
time.
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Prior
to meeting with your legislator, you may want to call CPR to see if someone has
already talked with your legislator.
This may give you an insight on what your legislator already knows. It may also give you an idea of how to
approach this individual. And, it gives
CPR a way to track which legislators have been contacted and recap what you
learned from your meeting.
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When
you communicate with your legislator, don’t get angry. These issues are emotional, but you are the
person that needs to communicate a constructive message that will lead to
change. Focus on the issue. Do not demonize an individual. Critique a bill that you support or object
to, but do not demonize an individual.
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Legislators
deal with a lot of issues. Your issue is
amongst hundreds. And amongst these
hundreds, your issue may have little interest to a legislator who is focused on
agricultural, finance, roads, etc. You need to assume that this is the first
time they’ve heard about this issue. You
need to be able to talk in terms they understand. You are the expert when you talk with your
legislator. You need to communicate it
in a manner that’s understood and respected.
Be Prepared
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Before
talking with your legislators, take the time to put what you want to say on
paper!! This is very important. It will help you keep your legislator on
track with the message that you are delivering to him/her. The notes/letter that you write should fit on
one page. You will also want to leave
this letter, and other support materials, with your legislator. You will use this same construct if you chose
to speak at public hearings.
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If
you arrange a 15 minute meeting, here is how you might want structure your
letter and further expand it into your conversation. If you can arrange more time. Focus on the general problem and solutions,
not your personal story. It is difficult
not to get wrapped up in your personal story, but concentrate on the bigger
picture.
o
Share
your personal story and how it has impacted your family. Spend less than 2 minutes on this. As much as you think your story is unique, it
needs to be generalized, so your legislator can understand that this problem
impacts thousands of families and not just yours.
o
Describe
the bigger issue. This will consume
about 7-8 minutes. This is where you
need to communicate the CPR mission.
This is where you will discuss why change is necessary. This is where you will want to be in control
of the conversation and convince your legislator that there is a serious
problem to be addressed.
o
Provide
a solution. This will take about 5
minutes. This is where a specific bill
will be discussed. This is where the
highlights of the bill will be presented.
This is where the conversation will discuss how the bill, or proposed
legislation, will solve the previously discussed problem.
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Finally,
know where your legislator stands on the issue.
It is VERY IMPORTANT to get a commitment or ensure that a follow-up
conversation occurs to get your legislators stand on the issue.
o
If
there are questions that you are not comfortable answering, tell him/her that
you don’t know the answer and that you will obtain the information and get back
to them in a short period of time. Be
sure to follow through on your commitment.
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Don’t
hesitate to call someone to go with you.
Call CPR to arrange someone to go with you.
“Having canceled the bond which stood
against us with its legal demands; this He set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
Colossians 2:14
CPR Vision Statement: An
inter-denominational, faith-based, bi-partisan, gender-neutral, tax-exempt
public policy and educational organization to protect the civil rights of both
parents to protect the children.
CPR educational booklets are updated
regularly. If you have suggestions on how to improve this brochure, please
notify us. For current release of this brochure, visit our website.
CPR educational booklets do not purport to
give legal advice. The information contained herein is general in nature;
individual circumstances will always vary. We recommend you consult an attorney
for advice and legal representation.
CPR is in the process of applying for
non-profit status, CPR is currently under umbrella of tax-exempt 501 c(3) organization, Providence House
ã 2003 may be copied by
permission only – derivative works or reproductions are a violation of
copyright without prior authorization from CPR
Educational Booklet #MD03-03
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
The purpose of this informational series to help you position and present yourself in a way that will result in a greatly likelihood of the result you want. This series will help position you to make a difference for your personal case and for the cause as a whole, as you help to advocate for change to prevent others from having to go through what you have. This is a series of empowerment – how to take your energies, time, and talents and help facilitate social change.
Prepared By:
CPR
Center For Parental Responsibility
CPR Voicemail:
651/490-9277
Website: cpr-mn.org
Email:
Latest Update:
The January 2004 meeting
topic was how and why to make a difference through legislative advocacy and
education. Most of us knew nothing about politics before the laws starting
impacting our families in a negative way. It is the state laws that have been made by your elected officials
that perpetuate and escalate the conflict in our fractured families.
Legislators make laws to ensure fair and reasonable outcomes. Legislators MUST
be told that current law does not promote this vision; but in fact, the current
laws are making or families worse instead of better.
Legislators need to know the devastation that their laws are causing to you and
your children (remember to focus on the children – you assume they know, but
they don’t). If your legislators are not willing to work to change the laws,
then YOU have the power to vote them out of office and vote someone else in.
Legislators only change laws when they hear from powerful advocacy groups and
constituents who can strip them of their legislative position through their
votes. You CAN make a difference. Telling your story to your legislator WILL
have impact. It has been said that if a legislator receives similar complaints
from 6 different constituents they consider it a big problem to be looked at,
because so few citizens actually get involved. YOU are the critical mass, if
you don’t do anything, we won’t have the critical mass we need to prove to
legislators that there is a family law problem and the problem is getting worse
instead of better. Explain your personal story – be able to do that succinctly in 10
minutes or less – explain the problems you and your children face with related
to custody, visitation, bias in the courts, financial devastation when child
support orders are excessive, and that it does no good to take a fathers
drivers license away because of child support arrears, and any other kinds of
issues specific to your situation.
Legislators are starting to
realize that fathers and children are being harmed, and we must keep that
message growing. Write your story (in 2 pages or less) and send it to your
legislator. Call and ask for an appointment – visit with them face-to-face, so
they place a problem with a face, and a face with a voter. If you get asked
questions you don’t know the answer to, tell them you want them to talk with
someone from CPR – give them our contact information, and let us know (info@cpr-mn.org) that we should call them for
a follow-up appointment. Grandparents can have a great impact – if you are a
non-custodial parent, your parents (the grandparents) have probably been
negatively effected – please encourage them to talk to their legislators as
well. Find out when hearings are taking place on family law issues, and attend
hearings as an observer to learn more about the process.