American Knife & Tool Institute
Communicating with Your Elected Representatives
The same guidelines generally apply whether you are communicating with your state or federal
representatives.
Telephoning Your Representatives
To find your representative's phone number, call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or you
can search the Congressional Telephone Directory.
To find your state representative's phone number, check your respective state legislature's web site.
1. Telephone calls are frequently handled by a staff member. Ask to speak to the congressman's aide who
handles the issue you want to make comments about.
2. Always identify yourself (name, city and state). Tell the aide you would like to leave a brief message.
3. Refer to the bill number. Senate legislation start with S. House bills start with H.R.
Suggestion: "Please tell Senator/Representative (their last name) that I support/oppose S.____/H.R.____."
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Writing Your Representatives
Generally the same guidelines apply whether you are writing a letter or communicating by e-mail. To
improve the effectiveness of your communication:
State your purpose for writing in the first paragraph.
If your communication refers to a specific bill, identify it properly (Senate bill: S.___ or House bill: H.R. ___).
Address only one issue or bill in each letter.
Keep the letter to one page.
Be courteous, concise, and use examples to support your position, if possible.
How to address correspondence to federal representatives:
To a Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
(Room #) (Name of) Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 (or local address)
Salutation: Dear Sir: or Dear Senator:
Closing: Sincerely yours, or Very truly yours,
To a Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
(Room #) (Name of) House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515 (or local address)
Salutation: Dear Sir: or Dear Representative:
Closing: Sincerely yours, or Very truly yours,
Committee Chair:
Dear Mr. Chairman (or Madam Chairwoman:)
Speaker of the House:
Dear Mr. Speaker:
How to address correspondence to your state representatives:
The same protocols are used for corresponding with your state senators and representatives. Addresses
can be found by accessing your state legislature's web site.
How to find your representative's e-mail address:
You can send an e-mail message to your House Representative directly from the House web site
(http://www.house.gov/writerep/)
To find the e-mail address of your Senator enter your state on the main web site (http://www.senate.gov/)
and find their individual web site with contact information. Most e-mail addresses will be
senator@(lastname).senate.gov or there are forms to contact them directly from the website.
Check your state legislature's web site for e-mail addresses for your state representatives.
