The Illinois PTA Advocacy Conference and Convention is coming up on March 29-30, 2022 in Springfield. As part of the event, attendees will be meeting with legislators at the Capitol on the afternoon of March 29th. Here’s how to set up a meeting with your representative or senator.

Find Your Legislator

Even if you know who your legislators are, you likely don’t have their e-mail address at your fingertips. But even if you don’t know your legislators, Illinois PTA’s advocacy tools make it simple to find them and send them an e-mail.

Start by going to the Take Action section of the Illinois PTA website under the Advocacy menu. At the bottom of the sidebar at the right of the page (scroll all the way to the bottom on mobile), you will find the “Find Officials” tool. Enter your ZIP code (and street address if your ZIP code is split among legislative districts), and you’ll be presented with a list of federal and state officials. At the bottom of the list you’ll find your state senator and state representative.

Sending an E-Mail

To send an e-mail, simply check the box next to your senator or representative and click the “Compose Message” button. Enter a subject line and your message text, and then add your contact information so they can respond to you. When you’re all done, hit the “Send Message” button, and then go back and repeat the process for your other legislator.

Calling Your Legislator

You may find calling your legislators’ offices to set up an appointment more efficient. To find your legislator’s office phone number, go to the Illinois General Assembly website. Click on the “Members” link under the Senate or House heading, and then scroll down the list of legislators (alphabetized by last name) until you find yours. Click on their name link, and you’ll see their Springfield office location and phone number.

What to Say

Here’s a sample e-mail you can use to set up a meeting or adapt if you call (remember to add in your legislator’s title and name):

SUBJECT: Meet with <Representative/Senator> <last name> on March 29th

MESSAGE BODY:

I am a constituent of <legislator> and will be in Springfield on March 29th with the Illinois PTA. I would like to meet with <legislator> for about 15 minutes sometime that afternoon to discuss school funding and a couple other issues. Is there a time open in the schedule to meet? If <legislator> is not available that afternoon, is there a staff member I could meet with instead? Thank you.