The Basics

Every two years is a legislative session and a bill has this entire length of time to go through all of the various committees of both the senate and assembly before it is sent to the governor to be signed into law.  

If the bill isn’t signed into law then it needs to be reintroduced during the next legislative session and the whole process starts over.

For strategic reasons (for example, your opposition is mounting an increasingly strong defense) the legislator who wrote the bill can also try to get the bill passed in a single year.

To learn more about the legislative process check out California Legislative Information
To see where our single-payer bill is in the process check out our Vote Tracker.

Getting your local group or organization to endorse the California single-payer bill is a simple way to demonstrate your support in an especially high yield fashion.  In discussions with Sacramento legislators who support single payer, this is one of the most commonly asked for items and something that helps them initiate conversations with potential allies.

GET SAMPLE LETTER HERE

Once you have your letter of endorsement signed by the different members of your group send it along to as many groups as you think useful.  Some especially high yield groups include:

Your local representatives.  Find them here!
Key legislative leaders including: Senator Leno, Legislative Leadership, the Governor

In ADDITION to a snail mail or fax from your organization, it is always helpful to follow-up with an individual email.  Try our write-a-rep tool: Write-a-Rep.

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How to Prepare for a Legislative Visit

Legislative Visits sound daunting at first, but when you break it up into simple steps, it becomes much easier!

Getting Started

• Find and research your rep.

You can find and do some initial research on your representative with www.votesmart.org or www.legislature.ca.gov/.

FIND THEIR VOTE RECORD ON SINGLE PAYER HERE.

• Plan your visit.

Decide who will attend the meeting; usually 2-5 people can fit comfortably in an office and have a good group interaction. Each person who attends is unofficially representing others in the district who hold similar opinions. Therefore, try to make your group as diverse as possible demographically speaking. The unspoken message to the legislator will be that young and old, male and female and members of different racial or ethnic groups support your issue.

• Schedule the meeting.

Call the district office and ask to speak with the scheduler. Ask the scheduler how s/he would like a meeting request, it may be fax, email, or through the website. Get the spelling of the scheduler’s name, email, phone and fax number. If the scheduler is not there, usually anyone who answers the phone can give you this information. Then type a meeting request form, request a 15 minute meeting time, give a one or two sentence explanation of what the visit will be about, when and what office you would like it to be at, list the constituents and their addresses, list any other attendees and their addresses, and give your organization name and contact information. Then send it to the scheduler as they requested. Wait a day or two, then call the scheduler and ask if your request was received, and if he/she can confirm the date and time. Be persistent yet polite.

Before your visit

• Meeting with staff.

If your legislator can't meet with your group, don’t feel snubbed. Meet with the staff member who works on health issues, or meet with the highest ranking aide possible in the local office, e.g. the Senior Aide. Staffers do all the background research on issues and often recommend positions to the legislator. Convincing a staffer to support your position is a powerful achievement.

• Research your rep.

Google your legislator. First determine your legislator’s current stance on SB 810. A fully supportive legislator will already have signed on as a co-sponsor ofthe bill. Other legislators may voice support for SB 810, but not yet be official co-sponsors. Some legislators may be undecided, and the rest who oppose the bill will plan to vote against it.Check out his/her official government website, plus any additional pertinent information your search may bring up. You can also visit www.votesmart.org. You will be able to find biographical information, committee and subcommittee assignments, and key issues of concern for your Member.Review your legislator's voting record and any publicly stated views or opinions. See if your legislator is a co-author of the state (or federal) single-payer legislation. The information you gather will help you decide which arguments may be most effective to persuade.

• Have a pre-meeting with your group.

Determine your “Key Ask”. Decide who will introduce the group as a whole and state the purpose of the visit. Everyone else in the group should pick a particular talking point and learn to present it well. One or more members of the group may also want to present a personal story. Decide who will say what, and give everyone the opportunity to speak.

During your visit

•Arrive early!

• Introductions.

Introduce your group as a whole and the reason for meeting, then introduce yourselves individually and mention your occupation. Mention that you live in the district and if you happen to have voted for the member, be sure to mention that as well. Stay on message! Don’t spend too much time on introductions; make sure you get through the talking points. Don’t disagree with your colleagues during the meeting.

• Make your case.

Present your talking points and your personal stories. Dialogue with the legislator and/or the staffer. Ask the legislator’s position if you don’t know it already. Be diplomatic. If you are asked a question to which you do not know the answer, sayyou will find the information and forward it to the office. Stay on message!

• Present your “Ask”.

Ask co-sponsors of the bill:

To continue their support and to urge their colleagues who are key committee members to support the legislation.         Supporters can also circulate a “Dear Colleague” letter urging other legislators to support the bill. Ask supporters to speak out publicly to voice their support and to link to the bill on their website.

Ask supporters who are not co-sponsors:

To become co-sponsors, and all of the above. (Click here for the Co-Author Form)

Ask undecided legislators:

What additional information they need in order to win their support.

Ask opponents:

What additional information might help persuade them to change their position. Ask them to study the data about how much money single payer would save in their district.

• Conclusion.

Thank the legislator/staffer for his/her time. Get the staffer’s business card. Leave your packet of information for the legislator, as well as your contact information.

After your visit

Remember: This meeting shouldn't be an end in itself. Think of it as the beginning of a relationship with your legislator that will allow you to voice your opinion on topics in the future.

• Send a thank you note.

Send a thank you note to the legislator and/or staffer. Send any requested information that you promised to send. Periodically call or email the staffer to follow up on your ‘ask’.

Let CaHPSA know how it went! Email the Cindy, the statewide coordinator, here: cindy@pnhpcalifornia.org