Advocacy

As people of God, we are called to work for justice for all people. This work is conducted in the Great Plains through the Mercy and Justice Team.

On a denominational level, this work is carried out by the General Board of Church and Society and the General Commission on Religion and Race.

Part of our work as United Methodists is to ensure our elected representatives hear from us when we feel strongly about an issue.

Be Informed and Involved in the Legislative Process

Become informed about legislative activities through your own state senator and representative. If you do not know their names, you can get them from your local election commissioner or city clerk. If you belong to the Farm Bureau, KNEA or any other professional organization, they may also keep you posted about developments in the legislature.

You can become more active in influencing legislation by contacting your senator or representative, in person or in writing. Here are some ideas to make your communication effective:

Speak or write about a current topic. Select an issue of personal concern, but be sure it is an item under current consideration.
Speak or write clearly and concisely. Make your point with a few direct words.
If the topic is controversial, comment without becoming confrontational. Make it clear where you are from, i.e., full name, address, phone number, e-mail address.
Thank the individual for giving your ideas consideration and ask for a response.

Contacting state legislators

To contact Kansas legislators, visit the website for the Kansas legislative branch. If you visit the main Kansas website www.kansas.gov, the list is under Legislature under the Government tab at the top of the website.

Kansas residents can access information on state government, legislation, public policy issues and more by calling 1-800-432-3924. Calls are answered by experienced reference/research librarians at the State Library of Kansas and kept confidential. Lines are open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Callers can also leave brief messages to be delivered to legislators as well as request copies of bills, calendars, journals, committee agendas, voting records, and other legislative documents.

In addition to calling the hotline, residents can text questions to 785-256-0733 (standard text message rates may apply), instant message at www.kslib.info/ask-a-librarian, or visit the State Library. The State Library is located in the north wing, on the third floor of the Kansas Capitol Building.

To contact Nebraska legislators, visit nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_list.php. Each senator has a page with contact information and a listing of the committees upon which they serve.

Don't know who your representative is? Go to www.openstates.org and input your address.

Contacting congressional leaders

The federal house of representative's website is www.house.gov. You can enter your zip code to find your representative's contact information.

Contact information for the senate members is available from their Web site at www.senate.gov.