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Advocacy in Congress and State Houses

Categories: Living with Brain Injury, Professionals, Public Policy

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) encourages everyone in the brain injury community to advocate for brain injury research, access to appropriate medical care, including rehabilitation, and community-based services and supports for individuals with brain injury and their families. The following information will help you connect with your members of Congress and state legislators to talk about brain injury with them and their support staff.

U.S. Congress

You may contact and visit your members of Congress in their Washington, D.C., offices and in their district offices. To find your representative’s contact information, click here; to find your senators’ contact information, click here. If you wish to visit your legislators in the nation’s capital, you may do so as an individual or as part of a group on Brain Injury Awareness Day.

To make an appointment, call the office of your representative or senator, ask to speak with the health legislative assistant (House of Representatives) or the health policy staff (Senate). Let the person know you are a constituent. Ask for a meeting to discuss the importance of brain injury research, access to treatment and community supports, and growing support for the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force.

Before your visit, download BIAA’s legislative issue briefs by clicking here.

State Legislatures

You may contact and visit your state legislators in the capital city of your state or in their district offices. Click here to find your state legislators. When calling the office of your state legislator, ask to speak with the staff member who works with policy issues. As described above, explain that you are a constituent and why you want to meet.

Contact your local BIAA affiliate for their state policy briefs and information on urgent legislative issues in your state to address during your visit. Arranging in-person visits varies by state and legislator.

Tips for Visits with Members of Congress and State Legislators

Before the Meeting

  • Review information about brain injury and prepare your message in advance. If more than one person is participating in the visit, identify a leader who will begin and close the meeting. Decide beforehand what issues you wish to emphasize.
  • Know the committee assignments of the member of Congress or state legislator in advance; point out how brain injury fits into its jurisdiction. Communicate your knowledge of the position and interests of the member or legislator. You can find this information on the member’s website.
  • Prepare for the worst case scenario. If you had only five minutes, what is your elevator speech?

At the Start of the Meeting

  • Introduce yourself and thank the staffer and/or member for his/her time.
  • Exchange contact information.
  • Let them know up front you only intend to take 15-20 minutes of their time and that you’ll leave a copy of BIAA’s legislative issue briefs (for members of Congress) or the state affiliate briefs (for state legislators).

Do

  • Use BIAA’s legislative issue briefs or the state affiliate briefs as talking points.
  • Share the latest TBI incidence numbers from your state. See CDC’s website fore more information.
  • Be personal and succinct during your visit. For example, share your experience in providing or receiving physical, occupational, or speech therapy and how impactful it was to you.
  • Stay on message! Make your meeting personal but do not get “into the weeds” with your personal stories.

Don’t

  • Use acronyms or technical jargon.
  • Take more than 30 minutes of a staffer’s time.
  • Be intimidated by brisk staffers.
  • Make up answers. If you don’t know the answer to a question, let the staffer know you will get it to him or her within a few days

After the Meeting

  • Write a thank-you email to the staff member and forward any information you promised to provide.
  • Connect with your members of Congress and state legislators on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Reference them in your social media posts so their other followers will learn about brain injury. Ask your members of Congress to attend Brain Injury Awareness Day on Capitol Hill.
  • Participate in local town halls with your members of Congress and state representatives and senators.
For updates on Brain Injury Awareness Day and other policy issues, subscribe to BIAA’s Policy Corner.