Legislative Advocacy There is so much happening both in Hartford and Washington, D.C. as various legislative proposals that affect our friends and family members with ASD's are put forth, negotiated, discussed, and, hopefully, passed. We at ASCONN try to keep our members informed and updated on these activities through information, newsletter and e-mail. Many times, we ask you to contact your legislator to express your support (or your concern!) about a specific issue. Your voice is an important part of this process.

To help, we've put together this information to help you play a vital role in autism advocacy.

How to contact your Connecticut legislator:

For contact information on your state senator or state representative go to www.cga.ct.gov/maps/townlist.asp for a listing by town. There you will find information on your legislator as well as a postal address and telephone number. Go here for a sample script that you can use either for a telephone or letter. In Hartford, telephone, fax and letter are the best methods of contact (rather than e-mail).

Tips for Contacting Your Legislator  l Sample Contact Script

• Always tell them where you live. Being a constituent is important. If you are not a constituent and you have family/friends who are, tell them that or better yet, ask them to contact this legislator for you.
   
• Be clear but concise. Legislators will have about one minute before they get distracted.
   
• If you are speaking directly with them, ask them “Will you support this bill?” A “maybe” or an “I’ll try” is not a yes. Only a yes is a yes, so ask them why the won’t support it.
   
• Make it personal with as much detailed information as you can. Names and ages of children, street where you live, etc. are always helpful to bring the issue to a personal level.
   
• Remember, they work for you. They are regular people just like you and there is no need to be intimidated.
   
• Follow up within three days of your initial contact by phone stating you wanted to be sure he/she received your communication and are eager to discuss the matter with them.

Tips for Contacting Your Legislator Inside the Capitol and/or the Legislative Office Building:

• Legislative offices are located in the Legislative Office Building not the Capitol. Depending upon the seniority of your legislator, their office could be located in a committee office, in the offices of the Senate Democrats or Republicans. Committee offices are located on floors one through four, Senate offices are located on the third floor and House offices are on the fourth floor. (Don’t hesitate to ask at information!)
   
• When you locate their office, ask if your legislator is available. If they are not available, their legislative aide might be able to discuss your issues with you. They take notes and report back to the legislator. If no one is available, you can leave a “walk in” message with your name, where you live, date and time of visit and, most important, the purpose of your visit. These messages are an important part of the process. Your legislator will know that you took the time to visit them in Hartford and should take your issue seriously.
   
• When the House or Senate are in session, there is a different protocol for locating and speaking with your legislator. For the House, you are able to stand outside the House chamber on the second floor of the capitol and “pass a note” to your legislator through legislative staff requesting them to come out and speak with you. They usually come out unless there is an important bill being debated. For the Senate, this is not possible. You can however, stand outside their chamber on the third floor and wait for them to exit and then call them over to speak with you.
   
• However you choose to initiate communication with your legislator, always remember they work for you. You have every right to be in your capitol building speaking with your legislator.
   
• Be clear but concise. Legislators will have about one minute before they get distracted.
   
• If you do not speak directly with your legislator and choose to leave a “walk in” message, follow up within three days of your initial contact by telephone stating you wanted to be sure that he/she received your message and that you are eager to discuss the matter with them. Back to top