Members of Congress' schedules fill rapidly, so plan your meeting well in
advance. Members of Congress are usually in their districts during
holidays and Congressional recesses, and often on Mondays and Fridays. You can
find the congressional schedule by looking at the House or Senate website at www.house.gov or www.senate.gov or by calling the Member of
Congress' office.
- Assemble a small group that
represents the diversity of your community and is interested and
knowledgeable about your issue. A group can demonstrate the breadth of
support for your position. Just be sure to keep the group small, three to
four members, to have an effective visit.
- Call the state or district
office and asking for the scheduler or appointment secretary. You should
also ask for the name and contact information of the policy advisor or
legislative aide (LA) working on your issues. Explain your purpose
and whom you represent. Be clear about any sense of urgency (budget,
appropriations, legislation coming up, etc.) It is easier for
congressional staff to arrange a meeting if they know exactly what you
wish to discuss, whom you will be bringing with you, and why you think the
Member of Congress will be interested.
- Almost all offices require a
faxed copy of a meeting request before they will consider scheduling a
meeting. Be sure to fax both the scheduler and the advisor or aide working
on your issue. Please see sample letter below. Be sure to follow up a few
days later. Members of Congress' offices process numerous requests a day,
and staff may not notice if your request goes unanswered.
- After the meeting has been
scheduled, forward any background materials to the Member of Congress' office
with a cover letter restating the time and purpose of the meeting.
- Call the day before the
meeting to confirm. This also will give you the opportunity to confirm who
else will be in attendance.
- After the meeting, be sure to
send a follow-up note thanking the Member of Congress/staff for their time
and summarizing the salient points of the meeting.
Month XX, Year
To a
Senator:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)Senate Office
Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
To a
Representative:
The Honorable (full name)
__(Rm.#)__(name of)House Office
Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
ATTN: EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT / SCHEDULER
Dear
Representative or Senator ______:
(Note: When writing to the Chair of a Committee or the
Speaker of the House, it is proper to address them as:
Dear
Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairwoman:
Dear Madam
Speaker or Mr. Speaker: )
As your constituent and [member of organization], I am
writing to request an opportunity to meet with you on [date] between [times].
The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss [issue].
[Issue] is important because [1-2 sentences].
Please know that I fully appreciate the demands placed upon
your schedule; however, I sincerely hope an opportunity exists for us to spend some
time together to discuss [issue].
Thank you in advance for your consideration of my request.
To confirm the meeting date and time please feel free to contact me by phone at
[phone number] or by email at [email address]. I will follow up in a few days
to confirm the details of the appointment.
Sincerely,