#1:
Visit your Members of Congress
March
2006
Check
the 2006
Congressional Schedule for the schedule
for the year. You can also call the WAND national
field office: 404-524-5999.
Office
meetings
Send
your request letter for the meeting by fax, email,
or letter to your Representative and your Senator
as far in advance of the proposed meeting date
as possible. Then follow up by phone a few days
after your request has been received.
When
you call to follow up on the request you will have
made, ask for the person who schedules the Member’s
time. Fifteen minutes is a standard amount of time
for a meeting with a Member. (If your meeting will
be with staff, it could be longer.) Offer to provide
your letter again if necessary by email or fax.
The scheduler may want to know a cell phone number
for someone involved in the meeting in case last-minute
changes need to be made.
Suggested
format for letter from constituent requesting
meeting with Member of Congress:
| The
Honorable ___
Address
Washington
DC 20510
(senate) or 20515 (house)
Dear
Senator/Representative ___:
GREETING:
In the greeting when possible thank
the Member for a recent good deed.
ASK:
I am writing to request a meeting
with you on Day, Month to discuss
the _____________. At this time state
what topic you’d like to discuss
STATE
WHO YOU ARE:
I live in the __ district or name state
and am a member of Women’s Actions For
New Directions (WAND). WAND is a national
organization that works on federal spending
issues. We have chapters around the country
and an office in Washington, DC.
I
will contact you in a few days about this
meeting. Thank you for your kind consideration
of this request.
Sincerely,
Senator
or Rep’s constituent
Address
Phone
Email
address
|
Requests
to make
Please refer to the Take
Action page. It lists the most recent and urgent
issues. *
WAND Legislative Priorities 2006
TIPS
ON CONDUCTING A SUCCESSFUL MEETING
1.
Assemble citizen groups to meet with your
Senators or Representative regarding your issue (if
possible; certainly not necessary).
(If
the meeting is in the local office, be sure to follow
up with the Legislative Assistant in Washington, DC
who is responsible for your issue.)
2. Invite others who support your cause to
join you.
3. Have a plan. Be prepared. Determine
who will lead the discussion, who will ask questions,
who will take notes.
4. Be gracious. When you begin the
meeting, take a moment to extend thanks for something
the Member of Congress has done — no matter
how small. And remember to send a handwritten thank-you
note after the meeting. (Since snail mail is delayed
for security reasons, send it to the local office.)
5. Be effective. To indicate the
reach of your coalition, mention the number of constituents
you represent. And have a specific request in mind:
keep track of relevant Congressional legislation.
Provide information about your request: hand out a
brief summary.
COMMONLY
USED CONGRESSIONAL STAFF TITLES
Since each Member of Congress relies on their staff,
it’s helpful to know the titles and principal
functions of each one.
Administrative Assistant or Chief of Staff
reports directly to the Member of Congress;
usually has overall responsibility for evaluating
the political outcome of various legislative proposals
and constituent requests.
Legislative Director makes recommendations
to the Member of Congress regarding the pros and cons
of all legislative issues.
Legislative Assistant advises a Member
of Congress on a particular set of legislative issues.
Press Secretary or Communications Director
has the responsibility to build and maintain open
and effective lines of communication between the Member
of Congress, his or her constituency, and the general
public.
Scheduler or Executive Assisant is
responsible for allocating the time of the Member
of Congress among the many demands that arise from
Congressional responsibilities, staff requirements,
and constituent requests.
Other
staff titles in a Congressional office may include:
Legislative Correspondent, Office Manager,
and Staff Assistant.
