Legislators want to hear from the people that they represent and serve, and they want to know about real stories and experiences of their communities. Remember that they are people too; do your best to be short and straightforward, and avoid being strident or disrespectful (even if you’re angry or upset). Whether you reach out by phone, email, or in a letter, most legislator outreach should include the same core elements:

Dear {Representative or Senator}, 

{Make a connection – why should they listen to you?}

{Tell them about the issue that you care about}

{Tell them why it matters, especially if you have personal experience}

{Make your ask}

{Thank them for their time and work}

Sincerely, 

{Your name}

Writing testimony can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be hard! Our full testimony archive provides lots of examples that can be helpful, and a general model looks like this:

Dear Senator {Senate Chair of the Committee}, Representative {House Chair of the Committee}, and members of the committee.

My name is ________, and I live in _______. I am writing today to ask you to support/oppose LD _______.

Share a personal link to the bill, and/or how you have been personally impacted by the issue. Try to keep it relevant to the specific things that the bill does, not only the issue in general.

State how this bill would help or harm people like you.

Ask the members to support (or oppose) LD ______.

Thank them for their time.

You will likely be leaving a message, so if you’re shy on the phone don’t worry! You should also include your name and address so that your legislator knows that you are one of their constituents.

Hello, my name is {Your Name} and I live at {your address}. I am asking you to please be a champion for Paid Family and Medical Leave in the upcoming legislative session. Working families do not have the flexibility they need to care for their loved ones and themselves without risking financial insecurity. Paid leave would have made a big difference to my family {how?}, and I hope you can support this issue in the legislature. Thank you for your support of Maine workers and their loved ones.

Here’s a sample you can start with:

Dear Representative Bojangles, 

(Make the connection) As one of your constituents and a regular voter in your district, I’m reaching out today to ask you to please be a champion for Paid Family and Medical Leave in the upcoming legislative session. (Give them the ‘why’) Working families do not have the flexibility they need to care for their loved ones and themselves without risking financial insecurity. This is true anytime, but especially during a pandemic. (Make it personal) I know that Paid Family and Medical Leave would have made a huge difference in my family health when I (gave birth/had to care for my parent/was recovering from ____). (Make the ‘ask): I hope that you will be a leader on this issue for Maine families this session. 

(Thank them!) Thank you for your support of Maine workers and their loved ones.

Sincerely,
Voter 

Dear {Representative},

My name is {your name here} and I live at {your address}. I am reaching out today to request a meeting with you and a small group of voters about Paid Family and Medical Leave in Maine. For too long Mainers have been forced to choose between their family and their finances when a disruptive life event occurs. Whether it’s the birth of a new child or caregiving responsibilities for an aging family member, there are times when work cannot come first. Maine workers deserve flexible and family friendly policies that allow these life events to occur without throwing entire families into financial insecurity.

We would like to meet with you to learn more about where you stand on these issues, and if your constituents can count on you to be a champion for Maine’s workers and their families by supporting Paid Family and Medical Leave in our state.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

{Your Name}

1 Gather a group of 5 or so folks from your community who are passionate about the issue of paid leave or other caregiving and workers’ rights issues.

2. Reach out to your legislator. We recommend starting with email but you can also call their office and leave a message. Be confident! Your legislator is probably really excited to hear from you and would love an easy opportunity to connect with their constituents (especially if your legislator was just elected for the first time – they will certainly be on their best behavior!).

3. Reach out to the Maine Women’s Lobby! We would be happy to set up the Zoom meeting or technical infrastructure that you need to hold a meeting with your legislator.

4. At the meeting you should be focusing on sharing with your legislator why an issue is important to you. Sharing the stories of the ways you and your community are impacted by an issue is a great place to start.

5. Once you have shared your thoughts, ask your legislator what their position on this issue is and what work they plan to do on it. If there is an upcoming bill that’s relevant to your issue, ask your legislator if they will vote in favor of it or not.

A small meeting can make a big difference in how your representative views something and votes!

To give testimony at a public hearing in person, simply show up to the Committee room at the time of the hearing!

The Committee Chair will usually hear from the sponsor, then legislators, then people in support of the bill, then people opposed to the bill.

You will not have to register in advance, just stand up and go to the podium (you will need to sign in your name and town or organization when you get there).

Sometimes there will be a time limit of 2 or 3 minutes if there are many people waiting. Be prepared!

You do not have to bring copies of your testimony, but if you can, bring 20 copies. You will hand them to the Committee Clerk before you give your testimony.

To give your testimony online, you should upload your testimony and click the bock ‘give testimony live’ at this website: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/

You should sign up at least 30 minutes before the hearing begins. You will recieve a link in your email to get into the meeting.

The Committee Chair will usually hear from the sponsor, then legislators, then people in support of the bill, then people opposed to the bill. The Committee Chair will usually ask people waiting in the ‘Zoom Room’ to raise their electronic hand until called on.

Once you are called on, there is usually a short pause while you are transfered from the waiting room into the committee room. Just wait! It will all work out, and if it doesn’t, the clerk will help you when you log back in.

Sometimes there will be a time limit of 2 or 3 minutes if there are many people waiting. Be prepared!

You can always submit testimony in writing, even if you can’t attend the hearing.

Just go to the testimony portal at https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/ and submit your testimony.

It’s a good idea to submit at least 30 minutes before the hearing begins so that your testimony is shared with the Legislators during the hearing.