How to Use the NRLC Legislative Action Center

The tour below is the most complete of all of the helps at CatholicAnew for the NRLC Legislative Action Center.

National Right to Life is one of the nation's top pro-life lobbying groups. Their Legislative Action Center provides ways to get informed, find your elected officials, see where they stand on the life issues, and get contact information and tips for communicating with and addressing your legislators. You can compose and send or save a message that will be automatically addressed to your elected officials. (They don't always list every important piece of current legislation, but they list most current pro-life bills.)

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Main Portion of the Tour
Alternative Ways to Find Your Elected Officials in the NRLC Legislative Action Center

Main Portion of the Tour

Legislative Action Center
http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home/

To become comfortable getting around and using the NRLC Legislative Action Center, take the following tour (this tour is the most complete of all the helps at CatholicAnew for the NRLC Legislative Action Center):

Start at the Legislative Action Center;
Click on the Issues and Legislation tab, and see a list of current legislation, key legislation previously introduced by the House, and key legislation previously introduced by the Senate;
Click on the Current Legislation link, and see current key bills in Congress organized into the following categories: Abortion; Human embryos (includes human cloning); Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide; Free speech about politicians; Adoption; and Abortion Alternatives;
Notice that, in the right column, you can see whether NRLC supports or opposes each piece of legislation;
Click on the link for a piece of legislation, and see a brief summary of it;
At the bottom of the About this Legislation portion of the summary of a bill, there may or may not be a link to more information about the bill, which could further help you formulate your message to elected officials;
If you clicked on a link to more information about a bill, go back one page to the bill's capwiz.com summary page (or once you're at the NRLC Legislative Action Center again, click on the Issues and Legislation tab again);
Click on the Key Votes link, and see a list of previously introduced bills and whether they passed or failed;
Notice that, in the right column, you can see whether NRLC supports or opposes the legislation (see key at the bottom of page);
Click on the Capitol Hill Basics link;
Click on the Visiting Capitol Hill link, and see tips for visiting Capitol Hill;
Click on the Congressional Staff link, and see a summary of the roles of Congressional staff members and their commonly used titles;
Click on The Legislative Process link, and see a summary of the steps that bills and resolutions go through;
Click on the Communicating with link, and see tips for communicating with and addressing elected officials;
In the State Legislative Protocol drop-down menu, select your state, and click on the Go button;
Click on your state's Tips link, the Writing Your Reps link, and the Phoning Your Reps link, and see the information in those areas;
Click on the Elected Officials tab;
Enter your zip code, including your plus-4 zip-code digits (to find your plus-4 zip code, go to http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp);
Click on the Go button on the zip-code line, and see all of your federal and state elected officials;
Notice that you can see what district you're in by the number next to your federal representative;
Scroll down and see how your two U.S. senators and your U.S. House representative voted on proposed legislation and their pro-life score accordingly (see the key at the bottom of the page);
Scroll back up, click on any elected official's link, click on the Contact tab for him or her, and see the contact information there;
Click on the Back to previous page link, and click on the link for one of your U.S. senators or your U.S. House representative;
Click on the Votes tab, and see again how the legislator voted on proposed legislation, his or her pro-life score on each piece of proposed legislation (see the key at the bottom of the page), and his or her total pro-life score (see the graph at the top of the list);
Click on the Bills tab, and see which bills in Congress the legislator cosponsors;
At the bottom of the list of bills, click on the More Bills link, and see more bills;
Notice that you can see whether the position of the legislator is the NRLC's preferred cosponsorship position (see the key at the bottom of the page);
Notice, too, that from the Bills page, you can send a message to the legislator;
Click on the Elected Officials tab again;
Enter your zip code, including your plus-4 zip-code digits (to find your plus-4 zip code, go to http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp);
Click on the Go button on the zip-code line;
Above all the names, where it says Write Your Elected Officials, click on the Federal link or the State link, and see a form that you can fill out to either send an e-mail or write a letter that you can print and mail (the form will properly address your message for you);
1. Checkmark the box by each person that you want to contact;
2. Select Email or Printed Letter for each box you checkmarked;
3. Checkmark Remember Me! so that you won't have to fill out the form every time you compose from here;
4. After you fill out the form, click on the Preview Message button;
5. If everything looks OK, click on the Send Message button; if you opted to e-mail, your e-mail will be sent; (if you're mailing a letter, then from this point, do the following:
  1. In order to be able to edit your letter past this point, select Word Processor (RTF);
  2. Click on the Print Letter(s) button;
  3. In order to be able to edit your letter past this point, in the Opening Letter dialogue box that appears, select Save File;
6. (Note: so you don't risk losing your message, don't do this optional step until you've sent or saved your message.) Optional: If you haven't already, sign up for the Action E-List, so you can be alerted when your involvement can make a critical difference. To sign up, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Click Here to Sign Up! link. If this sign-up link isn't available on the page you're on, go to the http://www.nrlc.org/ home page and see the link to National Right to Life's Hotlist;
7. It's important to write pro-abortion officials and ones that you think will vote pro-life on a given proposed bill. Tell them that you support or oppose the bill and why. Back to menu

Alternative Ways to Find Your Elected Officials in the NRLC Legislative Action Center

Method 1
1. Start at the Legislative Action Center;
2. Click on the Elected Officials tab;
3. In the drop-down menu just above the map, select your state, click on the Go button to the right of that drop-down menu, and see your two U.S. senators as well as all of your state's U.S. House representatives and their respective districts;
4. Click on any name to select it, and then click on the Go button, and see more about the legislator.
Method 2
1. Click on the Elected Officials tab;
2. Click on your state on the map, and see your state governor and two U.S. senators (click on the Senators tab);
3. Click on the Full Delegation link, see your two U.S. senators and all of your state's U.S. House representatives and their respective districts;
4. Click on any elected official's link, and see more about the legislator. Back to menu

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