Thank You Note to Congressional Offices
Please thank the Congressional staff that you met with during the Hill Day! You may find a draft thank you note below for guidance. Customize the thank you email by adding any relevant information and/or details from your Capitol Hill meetings, and then send to the Congressional staffer you met with. Their emails can be found in your meeting schedules. This will show appreciation and reinforce your advocacy. If you were on a team, the team leader may send one thank you note on behalf of the group. If you are the sender, please cc the other members of the team on the email.
Sample Subject Line: Thank You and Follow Up from 2/22 Meeting
Dear [Name of Staffer/Representative/Senator]:
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me [and additionalparticipants] on February 22nd regarding critical legislation that will invest in youth mental health, protect children in the workplace, and improve health equity and expand access to psychological services. We are heartened by the interest Congress is showing in mental health issues right now, and hope your office will lend support to the proposals we discussed during our meeting, listed below.
Co-sponsor the Youth Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 5976/S.3060). This legislation will authorize $100 million per year for 5 years for a research initiative at NIH to improve youth mental health. This is a needed investment to ensure NIH can deliver on the mandate Congress gave it to help solve the youth mental health crisis by 2031. [PLACEHOLDER: If your House Representative already co-sponsored the Youth Mental Health Research Act, please thank them – you can check the sponsors list on the action center.]
Support $341 million in FY25 for the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division to investigate and combat child labor violations. Since 2018, child labor law violations have increased nearly 70 percent. Increased funding will allow DOL’s Wage and Hour Division to better enforce child labor laws and ensure that employers are complying with laws that keep children safe in the workplace.
Support $30 million in FY25 for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program.Increasing funding for GPE would train more psychologists to work in integrated care settings and expand access to culturally competent care mental and behavioral health services in underserved communities. Mental health services are needed now more than ever, especially given the shortage of psychologists in [STATE].
[Please add in any additional information regarding local needs that you may have mentioned in your meeting.]
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions or require more information. We look forward to continuing to work with you to invest in youth mental health and improve equitable access to mental and behavioral health services for those who need them most.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to meet with your office.
Sincerely,
[Name/Title]
[University/Institution]
[Address]
(Phone: XXXX)
