Scenario: You are a staffer for a Member of Congress or US Senator. Your boss has asked you to write a letter on his or her behalf to the other Members of Congress or Senators. This is a Dear Colleague letter that will ask those members to cosponsor a piece of legislation they have introduced. I would like to focus on the Equal Pay for Women and Men ( see bills below) You will need to do the following: Choose a bill. Start with Congress.gov. It should be an introduced House bill (these are called H.R. XXX) or a Senate bill (in the Senate it is S. XXX) https://www.congress.gov/search?searchResultViewType=expanded&q={%22congress%22:%22115%22,%22source%22:%22legislation%22,%22type%22:%22bills%22} (Links to an external site.) Ask other members to cosponsor the bill. Best way: identify a problem and explain how this bill solves that problem. Be persuasive. You are making an argument that other members should support you. If the bill already has other co-sponsors you should list those members. (like in Example 2) Be cognizant of partisanship: Are you primarily asking for Republicans or Democrats to support you? Are you looking for bipartisan support? This is important because different arguments are necessary. You should not ask all Republicans to support an abortion-rights bill. Specifics: It should be addressed to other members of Congress and signed FROM a Member of Congress. Your name should be listed in the last paragraph as the person to contact. You should mention the bill number in the text. If it has cosponsors, list them in the text along with their partisanship. The letter should be 400-600 words. You may cite sources using footnotes. Formatting: Make sure to list your name, the date, section, and word count of the content (not including list of cosponsors) -Argument: Is this a persuasive argument to sponsor this bill? -Evidence: Does this letter explain why I should sponsor this bill? -Political awareness: Does this demonstrate understanding of modern issues and Congress? Sample Bills 1. H.R.7 116th Congress (2019-2020) Paycheck Fairness Act Sponsor: Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] (Introduced 01/30/2019) Cosponsors: (239) Committees: House – Education and Labor Committee Reports: H. Rept. 116-18 Latest Action: Senate – 04/03/2019 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 53. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:IntroducedPassed HousePassed SenateTo PresidentBecame Law CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 2. H.Con.Res.30 116th Congress (2019-2020) Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity between wages paid to men and women. Sponsor: Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-21] (Introduced 04/02/2019) Cosponsors: (108) Committees: House – Education and Labor Latest Action: House – 04/02/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:IntroducedAgreed to in HouseAgreed to in Senate BILL 3. S.270 116th Congress (2019-2020) Paycheck Fairness Act Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (Introduced 01/30/2019) Cosponsors: (46) Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Latest Action: Senate – 01/30/2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions)
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