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Communications
sent to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, while it is in
session, should be addressed in care of the Senate P.O. for state
senators, or the House P.O. for state representatives, Main Capitol,
Harrisburg, PA 17720. In most cases, members may be contacted in
their home districts in the latter half of each week.
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Members
of both chambers of the Pennsylvania General Assembly should be
addressed by mail as "The Honorable..."
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For
House members , the proper salutation is "Dear Representative...";
for Senators, "Dear Senator..."
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State
the purpose of your letter.
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When
contacting members of Assembly about pending legislation, refer to
specific bills by number whenever possible.
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Your
analysis of an issue should be the most important ingredient in your
letter. In general, be concise, polite and reasonable. If
the issue is particularly complicated, brevity may be difficult to
achieve. In such cases try to limit your focus to a specific
aspect of the issue in order to make your letter as brief as possible.
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Explain
why you support this measure and show how it addresses an existing
problem
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If
possible, give an example or explain how the bill will affect you
personally.
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Show
that you are aware of the bill's status and that you understand the
legislative process.
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Ask
the legislator to respond in some way.
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Avoid
form letters - Legislators usually respond to form letters with form
letters. Instead, construct an argument in your own words and
personalize your remarks as much as possible. You will enhance
your credibility and elicit a more detailed response.