Thanks to your calls and the leadership of Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), the Parental Rights Amendment is gathering cosponsors in the U.S. House and Senate!
So far we are up to 10 cosponsors in the House, and we expect many more in the next few days. That’s because these 10 are a small minority of those who have been inquiring with Rep. Franks’ office for more information. We are getting a very positive sense from many of these offices that it is just a matter of time.
We are equally encouraged and hopeful in the Senate, though to our knowledge no one has made their cosponsorship official at this point. (I myself have spoken with two additional offices who sounded very positive!)
Keep Calling Until They Sign On!
In many instances, the staff just needs to get the new language in front of the Congressman and get his official approval to sign on as a cosponsor. Some of them are working on it as fast as they can. Others mean well but are distracted with other more pressing matters. Your additional phone calls will make the Parental Rights Amendment the most pressing thing on their agenda!
So please take a moment to call again and encourage your Congressman and Senators to sign on to the Parental Rights Amendment as original cosponsors. Here’s the process, step by step:
1. Visit ParentalRights.org/States and click on your state. You can click the map or your state abbreviation in the right side bar.
2a. Look up your Congressman and Senators on that state page. If their name is in blue, they have already signed on. Congratulations! (You might consider sending them a letter of thanks, but please do not call their office.)
2b. If their name has a green “2010 Cosponsor” or “Pledged Support” label, please call their D.C. office and encourage them to sign on as an original cosponsor. You can use this sample message, put into your own words, when you call your Congressman:
“I am a constituent, and I am grateful for Congressman ____’s support of the Parental Rights Amendment in 2010. Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona is currently accepting original cosponsors for the Amendment in this Congress, and I’d like to urge my Congressman to contact Jacki Pick in his office and sign on today.”
Or, for a Senator:
“I am a constituent, and I am grateful for Senator ____’s support of the Parental Rights Amendment in 2010. Senator DeMint of South Carolina is currently accepting original cosponsors for the Amendment this session, and I’d like to urge my Senator to contact Erica Suares in his office and sign on today.”
2c. If your Senator or Congressman has not shown prior support (no blue or green with their name), you can still contact them as well, but the message will need to be a little different. Here’s a sample message:
“As a constituent, I’d like to encourage my [Congressman/Senator] to take a close look at the Parental Rights Amendment, and sign on as an original cosponsor with [Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona / Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina]. A 2010 Zogby poll showed that 93.6% of all Americans, regardless of party affiliation, agree with the traditional parental rights that this amendment will uphold. And I am among that vast majority. I hope I can count on [Congressman / Senator] ___ to support this vital issue as an original cosponsor and moving forward. Thank you.”
3. Check ParentalRights.org/States often to see when your Congressman and Senators come on board!
Thank you for making these important calls. Together we can drive the Parental Rights Amendment to success!
Sincerely,
Michael Ramey
Director of Communications & Research
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