Time-sensitive emails can mean the success or failure of a bill which is part of the legislative process that most of us are unfamiliar with. To facilitate, we are setting up State Coordinators. We realize that people have busy lives but if we all play a part we will create a presence in each state. 

The best time to approach a representative is months before legislative sessions begin.  If you have located a legislator, please set up a consult with us. If you have a State Coordinator, take advantage of a team approach to build support in your state. The State Coordinator acts like an air traffic controller or switch board operator. The National Coordinator is also available.

Once a bill is created and has a sponsor, the assigned bill number is of utmost importance when sending an email or if you are talking to your representative. First, it helps them know exactly what bill you’re advocating for as they are dealing with hundreds of bills each session.  Second, it shows you’ve done your research and have been following the process. It is crucial to stick to the main talking points or “elevator speech” as legislators don’t have a lot of time.

Making insulting or insensitive comments on social media pages, using offensive terms — these are all ways to ensure a legislator won’t take you seriously. On social media, there are plenty of adverse reaction discussions. It’s totally understandable to feel compassion and even outrage but it’s not going to get better without legislative change. Encourage those affected to get in touch with us to tell their story. 

Once a titer bill passes in one state it lays the groundwork for other states to follow. Thus, it is important to keep the rabies titer bill language uniform and not subject to interpretation. With this approach, there is less room for a bill to be challenged.