Maine Cardiovascular Health

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What You Can Do - With Your Government

Your participation in the legislative process is vital to the health of you, your family, and your community. Your legislators can only represent you and your community as well as they understand your interests and the effect their decisions will have on your health. If you think they should be addressing certain issues or voting in a certain way on an issue, it is your responsibility to let them know.

Encourage your State legislators to pass laws that have a positive effect on the heart health of people living in Maine, including laws that promote and support physical activity, healthy eating, being tobacco-free, controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and appropriate treatment of heart attack and stroke.

• Learn how to influence State government on issues you care about.

  -	Learn the legislative process: how an idea becomes a bill and then a bill becomes a law. See “Welcome to the Path to Maine Lawmaking!” from the Maine Secretary of State’s Web site, or “Maine’s Path of Legislation” from the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library’s Web site.
  -	Know your legislators and government officials.
  -	Learn how to contact your legislators.
  -	Find information on current bills, laws, and regulations.

• Seek opportunities to have your voice heard.

  -	Testify.
  -	Provide comments.
  -	Write letters to your public officials.
  -	Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Click here to find contact information for your local media.

There are explanations and tools to help you with legislative research at the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library’s Web site.

For more ideas on what you can do click here

 

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