Contact your representative

Here are the steps for contacting your representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly:

1. Look up your your 9-digit zip code if you don't know it.
2. Find out who represents you and how to contact them.  You will find phone numbers, email address and mailing addresses.

Calling your legislator:

Here is a sample script.you might use when calling your representative.  Be sure to state your name and where you are from.

“My name is ___________ and I'm from ___________, NC. I'm calling today because I want to preserve North Carolina full-color specialty plates. HB289, passed in 2010, will remove the full-color plates from the road and replace them with the "First in Flight" background in 2015. I have a Blue RIdge Parkway Plate on my car/motorcycle and love its look. It displays my love and support of the Parkway, and I do not want this plate to be changed. These plates not only generate significant income for the state and support our tourism industry, but also generate funds that preserve and protect vital economic and natural resources such as the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee will be introducing legislation during the short session in May to remove this sunset clause.  Can you tell me if ___________________ will support it?

Print off the North Carolina Specialty Plate Fact sheet and have it available to answer questions:

Sample Letter to your representative:

Your address
City, state, zip code

Date

The Honorable name
Address (either home or Raleigh is fine)

Dear Representative (or Senator) last name:

As a constituent in (city), North Carolina, I am contacting you to urge you to preserve full-color North Carolina Specialty Plates. I own a Blue Ridge Parkway specialty plate and proudly display it to show my support for the Parkway.

Why, in a fiscal environment where the State of North Carolina needs every dollar it can collect, would you turn your back on the hundreds of thousands of dollars that specialty plates generate for the State every year? Every specialty plate displayed is $10 more that goes into the State’s general fund. The Blue Ridge Parkway Specialty Plate alone has contributed over 1.7 million to the State since it had been on the road.

It is also critical not to undermine private support for the Parkway at a time when the federal government is unable to fully fund Parkway operations and has dramatically cut appropriations in recent years. Over 3.4 million dollars have been given to the Parkway for projects and programs as a direct result of sales of these plates. This funding is critical for the vitality of the Parkway, which generates billions of dollars in tourism revenue for the local economies in North Carolina.

The Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee will be introducing legislation during the short session in May to remove this sunset clause.  I urge you to support this legislation.

Sincerely,
Your name

Emailing your representative:

Use the text above for the letter, and be sure you include your name and full address in your email.  Email each representative seperately, and try to personalize your message so it won't come across as spam.