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FAAN Advocacy
- FAAN advocates for state and federal laws, policies, and regulations that can improve the lives of individuals affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis. We work with policymakers on federal, state, and local initiatives in such areas as:
- food labeling
- schools and camps
- emergency medical services (911 personnel)
- restaurants
- airlines
- For an update on our current advocacy activities, please click on the links to the left.
Contacting Your State or Federal Legislators
Why should I contact my state and federal legislators?
There are two primary reasons to contact your state and federal legislators:
- to urge them to support a specific bill
- to educate them on the issue of food allergy
How can I effectively get my point across?
• Choose the format that you feel most comfortable with. Telephone calls, faxes, e-mails, and personal visits are the quickest way to contact your lawmakers. A personal, informal letter is also effective, especially when written on plain stationery or on personal letterhead.
• Identify yourself as being a constituent of the lawmaker. For example, you could say something like, “My name is _____, and John Warner is my U.S. Senator” or “I live in Virginia, and I am represented in the U.S. Senate by John Warner.”
• Indicate the precise action you would like your legislator to take near the outset of your correspondence. – For example, ask him or her to sponsor a specific bill or become educated on the issue of food allergy. If your request concerns an existing bill, be sure to identify the bill’s number, name, and sponsor(s).
• Always maintain a polite tone, and be sure to thank your legislator for his or her time.
• Remember that legislators have very demanding schedules. As a result, they appreciate it when your phone call, e-mail, fax, or letter is brief and to the point.
• Relate personal experiences that you, a friend, or a family member has had because of a food allergy.
• Along with your personal account, it is helpful to provide statistics. Feel free to use data from the Food Allergy Facts and Statistics sheet on the FAAN Media page.
• Indicate that you plan to follow up at a later date to see if any progress has been made. Provide the legislator with your contact information.
How can I obtain contact information for my state and federal legislators?
To find your state lawmakers, visit your state’s website at www.state.[your state’s two-letter postal code].us. For example, the website for Virginia is www.state.va.us. From this site, you can link to your state legislature website, where you can get contact information for the members of your state legislature (e.g., senators, representatives, assembly persons).
To find your federal lawmakers ( U.S. senators and representatives), call the U.S. House and Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121, or visit www.house.gov (for your U.S. Representative) and www.senate.gov (for your U.S. Senators).
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