June 2001

Sample Letter of Support on Behalf of
Healthy Solutions for America's Hardworking Families
(insert organization's letterhead)

(insert date)

The Honorable (insert full name)
(United States Senate or United States House of Representatives)
Washington, DC (20510 for Senate, 20515 for House)

Dear Representative / Senator (insert last name),

We are writing to urge you to support three bills that would restore basic, yet fundamental, benefits to legal immigrant families. All three bills, under the title "Healthy Solutions for America's Hardworking Families," work together to ensure that legal immigrant children and parents will once again be able to receive the essential nutrition and health care benefits necessary for equal participation in our society. The Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2001 (S.582, H.R. 1143) would allow states to restore Medicaid and SCHIP benefits to eligible legal immigrant pregnant women and children. The Nutrition Assistance for Working Families and Seniors Act of 2001(S. 583, H.R. 2142) would restore food stamp benefits to all eligible legal immigrants. The Women Immigrants' Safe Harbor Act (to be introduced soon), would exempt battered women from the normal five year ban on public benefits for immigrants to ensure their ability to leave violent environments. We believe that these three pieces of legislation are incredibly important steps toward eliminating the serious gaps left by the 1996 welfare reform in terms of ensuring the health and well-being of millions of lawfully present immigrant families.

As an anti-hunger organization in (insert state), we have seen first-hand the effects of denying essential food stamps benefits to families based solely on their immigration status. (If possible, insert any particular information regarding immigrant experiences.) The Urban Institute found that 24% of all children in immigrant families live in poverty, with 37% of these children facing difficulty in affording the necessary food and nutrition for healthy development. These children's parents are hard-working, tax paying members of our society who are unjustly excluded from receiving crucial food and health benefits to care for their families. In fact, according to the National Academy of Sciences, on average each immigrant contributes $1,800 more in taxes each year than he/she costs all levels of government. Especially, in this time of tax cuts and budget surpluses, there is no reason to exclude legal immigrants from the promises of full and equal participation in American society.

Sincerely,

(insert name)
(insert organization)