Help Getting State Senator Information

[Steven Edwards]

To anyone willing to help out:

Contact information for every state's congress can be found at their respective state home page. With 50 states, checking each one and extracting every email address is quite a time consuming, not to mention tedious, task for one individual to perform. If we had a group of people who would be willing to take a subset of the states and get all of the contact information for each state's senator and house member, the work could be easily divided up and done in a timely manner.

So my question to you is: Would you be willing to spend some time gathering contact information for one or more states so that we can set up an easy form of mass communication to our representatives and have our voices heard? If so, please sign your name below so that we can get set up. :-)

Thanks,

-Steven

[SCI-Nurse]

This information is already pretty readily available. I have it for my local representatives already. In addition a database has to be updated at least every 2 years by someone. For large states such as California you are talking about hundreds of people at the state level, and over 50 at the federal level.

Most legislators pay little attention to mail they receive from people outside their own districts, esp. in an election year. I have never received a letter in reply to any mail to any representatives other than my own. Instead of setting up a separate database, we probably need to encourage more people to get their representatives contact information (including e-mail addresses) and keep it handy, then send out alerts about pending legislation or issues that people can copy and mail or forward to their own representatives.

(KLD)

[Steven Edwards]

KLD,

Legislators may not pay much attention to letters coming from outside their district, but they do notice that they receive it. When they notice that a coordinated effort is together behind something, they pay more attention to it.

Think about it from their perspective. They see that a national effort is being undertaken and that every senator sees the email. If a legislator receives 1500 pieces of email from outside of their district, they know that something is going on. Then when they see people that they represent emailing them about the same thing, they pay a little more attention.

-Steven

[Leo]

I'd be happy to do SD, ND, NE, MT
should be easy not many of us live
here but we like it that way. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Steven Edwards]

Originally posted by Leo:

I'd be happy to do SD, ND, NE, MT
should be easy not many of us live
here but we like it that way. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

Thanks Leo! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

Here are links to the correct places to look for each of those states:

South Dakota (http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2002/mem.htm)
North Dakota (http://www.state.nd.us/lr/)
Nebraska - the unicameral legislature was not working when I tried to connect (http://www.state.ne.us/elected.html)
Montana (http://leg.state.mt.us/online_publications/laws/57th/legname.htm)

If you could get the name, email address, and phone numbers it would help tremendously.

Thanks! :-)

-Steven

[Sue Pendleton]

The following is a good site for state and federal officials:

http://apocalypse.berkshire.net/%7Eifas/activist/index1.html

While KLD is correct about many reps not bothering with out of state letters they will pay attention to some issues if other states have been successfful in using a method to raise tax revenues, reduce spending or improve services. Since many people are on SSDI, SSI, Medicare or Medicaid and other state paid or partially state paid programs funding a cure is an issue many will listen to and support especially if they also want to bring more high tech jobs into their state. The next post is from a Washington Post article that recently ran. I'd suggest anyone interested in fund raising print it off.

[Sue Pendleton]

Governors Seek Relief on Medicaid
Funds in Economic Stimulus Package Subject to Partisan Wrangling
By David S. Broder
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 18, 2001; Page A02

The nation's governors, looking at the worst squeeze on state budgets in a decade, are asking the federal government for relief on the rapidly rising costs of the Medicaid program of health care for the indigent. So far, they have been told they are not likely to get it.
Delegations of state executives visited the White House and Capitol Hill last week seeking a one-year, $5.5 billion relief package on Medicaid as part of the fiscal stimulus bill that has been deadlocked for weeks by a split between Republicans and Democrats.
Their cries for help have grown louder as deficits in their budgets loom larger. A memo distributed three days ago by Ray Scheppach, the executive director of the National Governors Association, said shortfalls in 36 states total $35 billion, with more red ink likely to be in store.
Scheppach, a budget expert, warned that if this recession follows the usual pattern, with unemployment and state revenues being two of the last economic measures to recover, "the shortfall could easily reach $50 billion by the end of this fiscal year." That would be substantially higher than it was in the worst year of the recession of the early 1990s.
State economies were slumping before Sept. 11 and, in most places, have tumbled much faster since the terrorist attacks, which has crippled revenues. In addition, spending on Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, has been rising at a rate of 11 percent a year, fueled by an 18 percent annual increase in the cost of pharmaceuticals.
Scheppach's memo said states are spending almost $100 billion a year on Medicaid. Health care spending, which includes Medicaid, consumes more than one-fourth of their general budgets.
The $5.5 billion relief package the governors are seeking would prevent cutbacks in federal Medicaid payments to any state and give every state a 1.5 percent boost in those payments, with an additional 1.5 percent for states with above-average unemployment.
The governors say since all that money would be spent in the next year, it would provide a direct stimulus to the economy.
A proposal embodying these ideas was part of the original Senate Democratic stimulus package, but as negotiations have evolved, it has been combined with a proposal to make more of those who have lost jobs recently eligible for Medicaid. Michigan Gov. John Engler (R), the chairman of the National Governors Association, said, "There is strong bipartisan opposition to that among the governors. We're going broke on Medicaid now."
The Bush administration has questioned the governors' proposal, fearing it would set a precedent for higher future federal payments. But a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Budget said last night, "We're looking at all the options."
Engler said he thought "there is a deal to be done" that would include what the governors are seeking, but said the White House would not agree to it without substantial concessions from the Democrats on other issues.
Engler led a group of Republican governors to a meeting with Bush political strategist Karl Rove last week. The argument was reportedly made there that painful spending cuts or possible tax increases could damage Republican prospects in next year's gubernatorial elections, in which the GOP must defend 23 seats compared to 11 for the Democrats.
But Engler put his main reliance on an economic argument. "If the states have to cut spending by $40 billion or so next year," he said, "it will be a drag on the economy -- exactly the opposite of what you want in a recession."
On the other hand, another feature of the stimulus package could deepen the fiscal problems of the states -- at least in the short term. The Bush administration and congressional Republicans proposed an accelerated depreciation schedule for business, aimed at encouraging investments, and that part of the plan has been tentatively accepted by Democrats.
Budget analysts estimate it would cost states about $15 billion over the next three years, with the possibility that some losses might be recouped in later years.
Meantime, states are already deep into budget cutting. Georgia has suspended teacher training, as part of a $216 million economy drive. In Minnesota, which faces a $1.95 billion deficit, the state Senate has ordered a halt to out-of-state travel and canceled plans to hire pages for the next session. Oregon is dropping one of two state-subsidized trains that run between Eugene and Portland.
Tennessee, which used $560 million in tobacco settlement money to squeak by this year, faces another quarter-billion-dollar shortfall next year.
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
__________________________________________________ _______________________________

Just a quick note here, the last year's figures available put the cost of direct SCI care expenses in the US at $10 BILLION annually. With indirect expenses that figure doubles. Read the above again. A quarter of all state spending is going to health. We can't afford not to cure diseases and conditions and SCI is right up there as the most expensive medical condition.

[Claire]

Hi Steve,
Here is PA.'s list of Reps. and Senators.
Code: WA-web address
WMA-webmail address
EM-email
** Reps. have 1-3 different ways of reaching them. Too time consuming, so I gave you emails if they had them and, secondly web addresses because many web mail addresses were the same for different reps.,ie.http://www.house.gov/writerep That didn't make sense to me. More often than not the mail was kicked back to me so I opted to fax them. I am inept when it comes to linking. Maybe that was my problem. Hopefully you will have better luck w/that method than me. Claire
Representatives
Robert Brady, (D) WA- http://www.house.gov/robertbrady/
Chaka Fattah, (D) WA- http://www.house.gov/fattah/
Robert Borski, (D)EM- robert.borski@mail.house.gov
Melissa Hart, (R) WA- http://www.house.gov/hart/
John Peterson, (R) WA- http://www.house.gov/johnpeterson/
Tim Holden, (D) WA- http://www.house.gov./holden/
Curtis Weldon, (R) EM- curtpa07@mail.house.gov
James Greenwood, (R) WA- http://www.house.gov/greenwood/
Bill Shuster, (R) WA- http://www.house.gov/shuster/
Don Sherwood, (R) WA- http://www.house.gov/sherwood/
Paul Kanjorski,(D) WMA-http://www.house.gov/writerep
John Murtha, (D) EM- Murtha@mail.house.gov
Joseph Hoeffel, (D) WMA- http://www.house.gov/hoeffel/
William Coyne, (D) WA- http://www.house.gov/coyne/
Patrick Toomey, (R) EM- rep.toomey.pa@mail.house.gov
Joseph Pitts, (R) EM- pitts.pa16@mail.house.gov
George Gekes,(R) EM- askgeorge@mail.house.gov
Michael Doyle,Jr., (D) EM-rep.doyle@mail.house.gov
Todd Platts, (R) WMA-http://www.house.govplatts/
Frank Mascara, (D) WMA- http://www.house.gov/wrtiterep/
Philip English, (R) EM- phil.english@mail.house.gov
Senators
Arlen Specter,(R)EM- Senator(space here) Specter@specter.senate.gov
Rick Santorum, (R) WMA-http://www.senate.gov/~santorum/
Good luck.
It's a pain in the ass job, but "the squeaky wheel gets the oil".

[Steven Edwards]

Thanks Claire!

I now have all of the contact information that could be gathered via the web. Tomorrow I should be able to seperate everything into their proper categories.

Out of curiosity, are you interested in snail mail and telephone contact information, or just internet contacts?

-Steven

[Claire]

Steven,
I'm pro snail mail if I'm sending a minimum amount of letters, but not if I'm writing half of Congress. Phoning contacts is more expensive than faxing. Speaking of snail mail, I'm sending this letter out tomorrow. I've had this idea for awhile. I think the concept could be powerful if it ever became a reality. It's a grand idea, but why not try. Nothing to lose.
Claire


February 1, 2002


Mr. Muhammad Ali
Berrien Springs, Michigan 49103
Ms. Janet Reno, Esquire
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 23050-000
Mr. Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox Foundation
Grand Central Station
P. O. Box 4777
N. Y. C., NY 10163
Mr. Christopher Reeves
Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation
500 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081


Dear Ms. Reno, Christopher, Muhammad and Michael,

I know it's not typical to address all of you in this way, but I wanted you to imagine yourselves sitting together in a room reading this letter and discussing its possibilities.
I am a 48 year old woman who was paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury from an auto accident. I am also a realist who up until a 6 months ago found a way to get on with my life and make the most of what life has to offer, enjoying family and friends, traveling, a profession as a family therapist. There have been times though when I've mused if only science could catch up with me. Well it's here and I want to actively participate and also take advantage of ANY improvement medical research has to offer. I want to enlist your help/support for my idea to increase our lobbying efforts.
I would like to bring all those people battling Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Spinal Cord Injury and others under one huge umbrella so that we as a collective group are better heard. It is important to note this idea is NOT to share the different foundations fundraising monies. Each particular problem has different specialized avenues of research that members of that foundation raising or contributing money expect it to go. The consumer groups mentioned above all could benefit from stem cell research though and our numbers combined make us a more empowered voice. I am a nobody by society's standards, but you, Christopher, Michael, Muhammad Ali and Janet are icons to be reckoned with singularly. Can you imagine all of you (and possibly a Reagan family member) together speaking with one voice on the Senate floor. That would be a dream come true for me and many others who don't want to lose any more time than we have to. At the least, these groups joining together with your images surrounding the border of a letter, endorsing a unified front would not be tossed in the trash as the letters I've written probably have. My heart is in promoting stem cell research and educating Congress about it and the difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning. I think this subject needs better understanding by them and a reminder that the majority of polled Americans approve of stem cell research, though maybe not fully grasping the concept of therapeutic cloning versus reproductive cloning. If this is true and Congress represents us, the people, our voices need to be heard rather than each senator or congressman's personal view being heard.
I am very interested in hearing from you regarding this proposal and any thoughts or ideas you have about ways to further advance legislation for stem cell research. I would appreciate hearing from you.
Thank you ALL for your advocacy efforts to date. We are all so keenly aware TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, SO LET'S SEIZE THE MOMENT!!!

Very sincerely,
Claire McGrorey

[Sue Pendleton]

Janet Reno is no longer with the Department of Justice. She is running for Governor of Florida. And it is Christopher Reeve ( no s). It was George Reeves (with an s) who starred as the television Superman in the 1950s.

[rtr]

This contact information for Senators and Representatives is located at official government sites so the names and addresses should be updated regularly.

United States Senate
http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm

U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.htm

Current bills and issues
http://thomas.loc.gov/

I'll place this information in the Links forum as well.

[Claire]

Hi Sue,

Just an FYI - I know Janet Reno lives in Florida! I was told by the Justice Department to send the letter there and that they would forward it to her. Thanks so much anyway. Claire

[Sue Pendleton]

Hi Steven,

Have you tried this site lately? They keep it up to date for the most part. I'm not sure how to copy and paste and still keep the hyperlinks though.

http://apocalypse.berkshire.net/%7Eifas/activist/index1.html

Thanks Claire. I was kind of wondering where she was living down there. I have yet to see a news piece here on her new digs and the Washington Post tends to print that kind of stuff.

[Steven Edwards]

Yes Sue, and thanks for posting it a while back. Unfortunately, I lost my programs that I wrote to contact Congress a while back and am having to rewrite them. On a positive note, however, I can now update them to use modern technology which should help in a few aspects. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

-Steven