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This is Info file congress.info, produced by Makeinfo-1.43 from the input file congress.texinfo.
File: congress.info, Node: Top
Writing Effectively to Congress
=================================
I've been told that the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
is receiving a good deal of mail about software patents, much of it
due to the LPF position paper published in Dr. Dobb's Journal.
This makes a good opportunity for the rest of us to join in sending
letters. We have got something going, so let's give it an extra push.
When you write a letter to your senator or representative, it is
always best to choose your own words. The reason is that sending a
copy of a form letter is very easy; it doesn't involve much effort or
thought, and the recipient knows this. Sending form letters is good
for mass movements that can impress officials with their sheer
numbers, but it isn't much good for our movement.
Congressional staff have said that handwritten letters have the most
effect, followed by typed letters, handwritten post cards, typed post
cards, and phone calls (in that order). Use official stationery of any
sort that is legitimately available to you.
Make sure that the first couple of paragraphs stand on their own as
a summary of your position, since the person who reads the letter may
not read more than that.
Be sure to explain very early on how the issue is important to the
general public or to the national economy. If this isn't explicit, the
reader may assume that you are asking for a personal favor, and that
would have much less weight.
Most legislators do not pay a great deal of attention to most of the
issues that Congress considers--they don't have time. When they decide
what to do about a specialized issue, they either make a deal or follow
the advice of those who are most concerned with it.
So the legislators we need to try to reach are those who are
especially interested in high-tech issues, and those with a special
position such as a seat on the House or Senate subcommittee that deals
with intellectual property. That's why we recommend writing to the
subcommittees themselves. Letters to a subcommittee are shown to the
members of the committee.
House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
2137 Rayburn Bldg
Washington, DC 20515
Senate Subcommittee on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Send a copy to each of them; it's not clear how well they
communicate about their letters.
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