Call Your Representative
It is our hope that these calls will foster support for a bipartisan resolution in the Minnesota state legislature.
Not sure what to say?
How to reach out to your elected officials
If you are in affiliated with the field of art therapy - including recipients of art therapy, art therapists, educational institutions, businesses, healthcare institutions, insurance companies, treatment centers, community agencies, and other providers of art therapy - you are invited and encouraged to call in support. We need you!
We hope you will feel compelled to share your experience and support this cause.
We have provided a guide for making a quick phone call. Also check out our guide for writing an email.
You can try calling either the Rep’s Direct # or the Legislative Aide (LA)’s # as posted online.
Minnesota House of Representatives - Members - Click on the name of the Rep, and you’ll get a page looking like this:
You’ll see a # for the Rep at the top and a # for the LA underneath.
Step 2 - Phone Script for calling House of Representatives Legislative Aides
(Could also be used with Senate Legislative Aides)
You can try calling either the Rep’s Direct # or the Legislative Aide (LA)’s # as posted online.
Example Script to start with:
1) Introduce yourself as a constituent, say how long you've lived in Rep. NAME’s district.
2) State you are an art therapist living in their district and serve a number of clients who also live in their District.
3) State (if) you have reached out via email looking for a meeting regarding a bill you are hoping they would consider supporting, and are following up via phone because you know this time of year is hectic with the legislative session starting in January. If not following up on a previous invitation, invite them to meet with us during our Day on the Hill: March 4th.
FOR HOUSE HEALTH FINANCE & POLICY MEMBERS:
) You can share that the bill was heard in the House Health Finance & Policy committee last year, which Rep. NAME was part of, and we think his/her interests in supporting health, mental health, and small businesses would match our goals.
FOR OTHER HOUSE MEMBERS:
) You can share that the bill was heard in the House Health Finance & Policy committee last year with suggestions for refinement. Now the bill has been updated, and we think Rep NAME’s interests in [insert committee topics they are part of] would match our goals.
Depending on the conversation, they may ask for more info. Here's what else you can offer:
If they ask what the bill # is, you can say that last year's Bill was HF 2743, but it will have to be re-jacketed this year.
If they ask about other authors, you can say: We have confirmed Matt Norris as a primary author, with Rep-elect Alex Falconer as a potential co-author, and are looking for bipartisan support and a co-author with Health Finance & Policy experience to partner with us.
FINALLY: You can always direct the LA to our website: www.mnartherapy.com for more info