General Resources / Legal Resources / Medical Resources / Briefing Papers / State Activity    
Hospital Closures / Preventable Tragedies / Press Room / Search Our Site / Home

HOW I CAN HELP WITH REFORM OF THE MARYLAND TREATMENT LAW:
Write to your legislators

Even a handful of letters can have a tremendous impact on your legislator and their decision whether to support treatment law reform. Letters do not have to be long-winded or full of statistics - in fact, short letters with personal stories are the most likely to be read.

Identify who your legislators are

One easy way to do this is through Congress.org. This link will take you to the page for Maryland state legislators, where you can enter your ZIP code and get the names of your legislators. Once you know who your legislators are, this site give you the option to write all of your legislators in a form on their web page, with one click.

Write and send your letter

The correct method of address is:

The Honorable (Name of Legislator)
Maryland (State Senate or House of Delegates)
State House
Annapolis, MD 21401

The salutation is "Dear Senator (Last Name)" or "Dear Assemblywoman/Assemblyman (Last Name)"

SPECIAL NOTE ON SENDING EMAILS You can also send your letter via email. Look up their email addresses here. Remember that email letters should follow the same form and be as professional as letters sent via postal mail. Remember to include your contact information at the end of the email - including name, home address, and phone number. And paste the text of the letter (after you have thoroughly spell-checked it, of course) into the email - many legislators wil not open email attachments because of potential viruses.

TIPS FOR WRITING A GOOD LETTER

• Type or write legibly.
• Include the bill number in the first few sentences or a reference ("RE:") line above the salutation.
• Be brief and to the point (one page or less).
• Use your own words and avoid the appearance of a form letter.
• Give your reasons for supporting or opposing a bill.
• Use a personal story, if possible.
• Be courteous and reasonable.
• Include a newspaper article/editorial that supports your view (cut one out of your local paper or print one from the TAC website)
• Use correct grammar and short sentences.
• Remember that you probably know more than the legislator about severe mental illness and your bill.
• Personalize the heading and salutation for each legislator to whom you send a letter.
• Proofread and spell check.
• Forward a copy of your letter to us - via fax (703 294 6010), email, or regular mail (200 North Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203). This helps us in our efforts to change the law. Thank you for your help!

DO NOT ...

• Be long winded.
• Be rude or threatening.
• Remind the legislator that you are a taxpayer.
• Use form letters (the form on Congress.org is only for format and mailing, so this is an excellent tool.)
• Say, or even hint, that politics is sleazy or dishonorable (no matter what you think).
• Forget that short letters get read. A few short letters carry much more weight than one long one.
• Overlook that just a few letters can have a large impact.

This document was compiled by the Treatment Advocacy Center, www.psychlaws.org.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
write a letter to the editor | write to your legislators
Maryland main page

general resources | legal resources | medical resources | briefing papers | state activity   
hospital closures | preventable tragedies | press room | search | home