Telephone Tips from Sheryl

This brief note from Sheryl Silver, sister of the late Johanna Silver Gordon, covers some telephone tips if you want to call your Senator or Representative. Check the Johanna's Law website for more information.

Hi Again.

As promised, here’s Part II of the “Senate Action Alert” re: Johanna’s law (S.1172).

This part focuses on telephone contact with Senators.

--- Phone calls can be effective whether they precede written correspondence or are a follow-up to it. If you’re not sure who to speak with in your Senators’ offices or what to highlight in your conversation, consider reviewing “Tips for Calling Congress” at johannaslaw.org. Click on the “Action Alert in the Senate” on the home page of the site for a link to the “Telephone Tips.” You can also get to that page by clicking on the “Take Action” icon, then clicking on “Tips for Calling Congress” in the options that appear.

--- The Telephone Tips page includes a link to a summary of the House version of Johanna’s Law (H.R.1245). The summary outlines key provisions of the bill as well as “bullet points” re: why the bill is needed. Feel free to use this information with Senate ---as well as House staff. The text of the Senate bill(S.1172) is the same as the House bill.

--- Also find a link to our list of endorsing groups on the Telephone Tips page. When talking with Senate staff, you may want to mention "the coalition of organizations representing over 250,000 physicians, nurses, and cancer survivors that have endorsed Johanna’s Law,” then offer to fax or email them the complete list. They typically welcome getting a copy of the list and are impressed by the organizations on it.

MORE TALKING POINTS: In addition to explaining why the bill is needed and sharing key elements of your own experience, one or more of the following “talking points” may be helpful in persuading your Senators’ to co-sponsor Johanna's Law (S. 1172):

1) Senator Specter has already held a hearing re: Johanna’s Law before the Senate Appropriations Labor Health & Human Services Subcommittee which he chairs. During the hearing, he indicated his intention to add funding for the programs created by Johanna’s Law to his FY06 Appropriations requests.

2) The House companion bill (H.R. 1245) already has 190 co-sponsors including Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Republican Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri.

3) The Health Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee has already committed to give us a hearing for Johanna’s Law. We are simply waiting for a date.

That should be enough ammunition for starters. If you have any additional questions or run into specific objections from your Senators' staff you can't overcome, please email me at: Sheryl@johannaslaw.org It may take me 24-48 hours to respond, but I will get back as quickly as I can.

Thanks in advance for all your efforts to make this long overdue legislation a reality!!

Gratefully,

Sheryl