How To Write An Opposition Letter
Oppose a Bad Bill: How to Write an Constructive Letter of the alphabet to a Senator or Representative
What if you desire to oppose a bad bill? Where do you first?
Perchance you've never taken political activity in your life. But even if you lot've never phoned a lawmaker, can't remember that School Rock cartoon on how a bill becomes a police that yous watched as a child, and feel similar politics are for other people, if you alive in Oregon, you demand to know how to oppose a bad bill.
Why?
Let me tell you lot about HB 3063.
What is HB 3063?
HB 3063 is a beak that is being fast-tracked through the Oregon legislature. It seeks to bar Oregon children from public school, private schoolhouse, daycare, early intervention, Head First, and all group activities if they're missing just ane vaccine. The thought behind the neb is to force compliance to every vaccine on the current state vaccination schedule by eliminating philosophical and religious vaccine exemptions.
This bill abolishes medical freedom and parental choice.
Oregon has one of the strictest set of requirements in the country for children to get medical exemptions.
If you're looking to oppose a bad bill, look no further
Every medical exemption given by a dr. is reviewed by the Oregon Health Authority. OHA makes the ultimate determination of a medical exemption. They decide if it volition be "disallowed," "permanent," or "temporary."
What this ways is that many children who cannot exist safely vaccinated will non qualify for exemptions.
HB 3063 has been written in a sloppy, confusing, and discriminatory way.
Deeply unpopular with Oregonians
Although doctors, lawyers, educators, and Oregon parents of all stars and stripes testified confronting it on February 28, 2019, it passed out of the House Committee on Health Intendance on Thursday, March 14, 2019. The neb that passed this committee included the post-obit amendment:
"(b) A kid described in this subsection may not attend in person any school-related activities, events or meetings in which the child will share the same physical space every bit other individuals."
4 representatives, all Republicans, on the committee voted against information technology on March xiv. In general Republican lawmakers tend to understand the importance of medical freedom more than lawmakers from other political parties.
Equally of Friday, March 22, HB 3063 has been referred to the Articulation Means and Means Commission and those commission members are reviewing it for financial touch on.
If it passes out of Ways and Means, it must then exist voted on by the entire Oregon House of Representatives and then past the entire Oregon Senate.
The buck stops with the governor
If it passes the 2 houses, Autonomous Governor Kate Chocolate-brown must sign it. Despite the widespread opposition to the bill, Governor Brown has very unfortunately indicated that she will sign it.
She is a good governor in and so many means. Merely she is non educated on this effect. If she were adequately educated and willing to mind, I take no uncertainty she would oppose the neb too.
If HB 3063 becomes the law in Oregon and your child is not vaccinated for hepatitis B (which is not an infectious disease), your otherwise fully vaccinated child volition not but be denied an didactics in Oregon, she will non exist able to participate in sports, art classes, or whatsoever action where the child will share the same physical space as other individuals.
I believe the bill's sponsors have good intentions.
They want what every Oregonian wants: good health for Oregon's children.
Even so, this nib is wrong on so many levels.
Why should you oppose a bad bill similar HB 3063?
✅ Coerced medicine is not the fashion to advance public health.
✅ Abolishing medical freedom is not the mode to accelerate public health.
✅ Discriminating confronting children considering of the choices of their parents is not the way to accelerate public health.
✅ Excluding good for you children from school because you disagree with their parents' medical choices is not the mode to advance public wellness.
✅ Nosotros should educate parents as much as possible to make informed decisions about vaccines and explicate to them why vaccines are necessary and effective, but ultimately the option of whether or not to vaccinate lies with parents themselves.
✅ The state should not be making medical choices for our families.
Equally Pam Marsh, a Democrat in the Oregon Business firm of Representatives who has said she opposes HB 3063, explained to a constituent:
I also believe in vaccines and herd immunity. However, I think we create unintended consequences if we pass a mandate that forces the decision on a parent. I don't believe pushing children out of the public-schoolhouse system is the correct way to tackle concerns about contagious diseases and vulnerable children. I have heard from public health officials who privately oppose a mandate for the aforementioned reasons.
This nib is, ultimately, not about vaccines. It'southward about a family unit'southward freedom to brand health care decisions for themselves.
Our country was founded on the idea of religious and ceremonious freedom
HB 3063 is un-Oregonian and anti-American.
I'm disappointed to see Democratic lawmakers voicing back up for or staying silent about this bill.
It's a bipartisan event with one lesser line:
The people of Oregon do non want our children's medical decisions made by state legislators.
If yous oppose discrimination, you're against HB 3063.
If you care near this issue, information technology's time to act.
It'due south time to write and call state lawmakers and tell them you lot oppose HB 3063 and why.
It'due south time to go to Salem and meet with your senator and representative.
When you call, you will likely speak to an aide.
That aide may exist bearish or may exist chatty.
Always exist polite and give thanks them for their fourth dimension.
As awkward equally you feel, make that phone call. They rail how many phone calls they get. Even if they are hostile to you on the phone, they're paying attending.
Screenshot of HB 3063 neb as it passed out of the Business firm Health Intendance Committee, including amendment 13 which bars children from public spaces if they are missing only one vaccine
Your voice matters.
Your words matter also.
Here'south a tip canvas for writing to the Oregon lawmakers, adjusted from OFMF and used with permission.
How to oppose a bad bill: Write to your legislators
• Address them by "Senator" or "Representative" and their last proper noun.
• Introduce yourself in the starting time line with your proper noun and institute your brownie: "I am an educator in Springfield." "I work for the Catholic Church." "I am a medical md with a thriving pediatric do." Also be sure to identify yourself equally a constituent (if yous are) or as a representative of an organisation or an affiliation (if you lot have one).
• Be polite. Employ advisable and respectful capitalization and punctuation. Check spelling and grammar.
• Be clear and concise. Endeavor to keep your letter of the alphabet as close to 250—300 words as possible, while including plenty information about why you are writing to them. Shorter letters proceeds more traction. Longer letters often aren't read.
• Explicate your position conspicuously and why you are contacting them. Give enough data for the legislator to understand your position.
• Be specific with your request. Tell the legislator you are asking them to oppose HB 3063.
• Remember that this is not a partisan bill, regardless of your legislator'due south party amalgamation. This is an issue that impacts all Oregonians.
• Request a response. Inquire what his/her position on the outcome is or how southward/he will vote on the beak.
• Offering yourself as a resource if they would similar additional information.
• Remember whatever and all correspondence with staff and legislators at a state or government issued e-mail address is role of the public record.This is not a private or confidential correspondence.
• Include your contact information. Don't be surprised if they do contact you. Our legislators work for us. A good legislator responds to constituents!
• Conclude the letter of the alphabet politely with "Sincerely" or "Thanks for your time."
Ready? Ready? Go!
The most important thing is to write and telephone call and meet with YOUR senator and representative. Oregonians for Medical Liberty is too asking people to contact the Joint Ways and Means Commission:
Joint Means and Means Committee needs to know you oppose a bad bill:
Co-Chair Senator Betsy Johnson
Phone: 503-986-1716
Email: Sen.BetsyJohnson@oregonlegislature.gov
Co-Chair Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward
Phone: 503-986-1717
Email: Sen.ElizabethSteinerHayward@oregonlegislature.gov
Co-Chair Representative Dan Rayfield
Phone: Rep.DanRayfield@oregonlegislature.gov
Email: 503-986-1416
Co-Vice Chair Senator Jackie Winters
Phone: 503-986-1710
Email: Sen.JackieWinters@oregonlegislature.gov
Co-Vice Chair Representative David Gomberg
Telephone: 503-986-1410
Electronic mail: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
Co-Vice Chair Representative Greg Smith
Phone: 503-986-1457
Electronic mail: Rep.GregSmith@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Lee Beyer
Phone: 503-986-1706
Electronic mail: Sen.LeeBeyer@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Lew Frederick
Phone: 503-986-1722
Email: Sen.LewFrederick@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Fred Girod
Phone: 503-986-1709
Electronic mail: Sen.FredGirod@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Bill Hansell
Telephone: 503-986-1729
Email: Sen.BillHansell@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Dallas Heard
Phone: 503-986-1701
Email: Sen.DallasHeard@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator James Manning Jr.
Phone: 503-986-1707
Electronic mail: Sen.JamesManning@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Arnie Roblan
Phone: 503-986-1705
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Chuck Thomsen
Phone: 503-986-1726
Email: Sen.ChuckThomsen@oregonlegislature.gov
Senator Rob Wagner
Phone: 503-986-1719
Email: Sen.RobWagner@oregonlegislature.gov
Representative Paul Holvey
Phone: 503-986-1408
E-mail: Rep.PaulHolvey@oregonlegislature.gov
Representative Susan McLain
Phone: 503-986-1429
Email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov
Representative Mike McLane
Phone: 503-986-1455
Email: Rep.MikeMcLane@oregonlegislature.gov
Representative Rob Nosse
Telephone: Rep.RobNosse@oregonlegislature.gov
Email: 503-986-1442
Representative Carla Piluso
Phone: 503-986-1450
Electronic mail: Rep.CarlaPiluso@oregonlegislature.gov
Representative Duane Stark
Phone: 503-986-1404
Electronic mail:Rep.DuaneStark@oregonlegislature.gov
Speaker of the House
Representative Tina Kotek
Telephone: 503-986-1200
Electronic mail: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov
Senate President
Senator Peter Courtney
Telephone: 503-986-1600
Email: Sen.PeterCourtney@oregonlegislature.gov
Governor Kate Brown
Phone: 503-378-4582
Editor'south note: An before and very different version of this post was about SB-442, a bill that was introduced in Oregon in 2015 to abolish medical freedom. That bill was killed in commission and one of the bill's co-sponsors, Dr. Alan Bates, withdrew his support for it afterwards hearing from and listening to his constituents. Lawmakers listen. Allow's talk to them! And Oregon legislators introduced yet another school exclusion bill, SB 254, in 2021.
Source: https://jennifermargulis.net/your-words-matter-how-to-write-a-letter-to-your-state-senator-or-state-representative/
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