Policy Letter to a Member of Government

Topic:
Every year, our elected representatives consider thousands of bills. The policy areas they are responsible for are broad, impactful, and important. Your task is to identify a topic from the class you are interested in, research it, and draft a persuasive letter to your elected official in the House of Representativesconcerning that topic. There are two parts to this assignment:

Part One (Issue Overview):
Provide a 3-5 page (double-spaced) overview of the issue you have selected, including where you stand and why. For instance, we will discuss healthcare reform in this course. You could take a side for/against universal healthcare and discuss the benefits/detriments to systemic changes and existing healthcare policies. You should also discuss whether or not there are existing bills before Congress (or failed past bills) on your specific topic. In your overview, I expect you to cite heavily from a broad range of sources (both academic and journalistic sources are required with parenthetical citations). A references page is also required (APA format).

Part Two (Persuasive Letter):
In addition to the overview above, you must write a 1-2 page (single-spaced) letter to the member of government that you selected. If a bill is currently before the legislature, it would be a good idea to frame your letter around that bill. If not, you should encourage your Representative to draft one. Remember: it is your goal to persuade your elected official to work on your behalf. If you borrow arguments from sources in your persuasive letter (you should!), do not forget to cite them (include footnotes rather than a references page).