Communicating With Congress: Personal Visits

One of the best ways to communicate with Congress is through a personal visit with a representative or senator -- in Washington, or “back home.” Every day, hundreds of people meet with Members of Congress, individually or in groups. Meeting with a Member or their staff should not be thought of as an extraordinary occurrence, but rather as an ordinary event. Members often seek such meetings to build support for themselves among constituents -- particularly new Members. You will be welcomed.

If Washington is too far to visit, meeting with a Member at his or her district or state office is possible. An advantage of a visit away from Washington is that you will likely have more time and be free from the interference of voting and committee hearings. The Washington appointments’ scheduler (see below) can tell you when the Member will be at home, and provide you with local office information.

Researchers should also consider inviting a Member to their facility. This provides a representative or senator with the opportunity of seeing tax dollars at work and meeting their constituents. Researchers report that they have excellent results with this kind of visit. As is true with a Washington appointment, Members prize such opportunities (and often put their staffs at work trying to arrange them.)

Members are busy people, especially senators. Advance planning is essential:

Schedule your meeting at least three to four weeks in advance by calling the Member’s appointments’ scheduler. The U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 can transfer you directly to a Member’s office.

Be prepared to state who will be attending the appointment and the purpose of your visit. Legislative staff will much appreciate you being specific so that they can better prepare themselves and their boss (rather than saying, “I would like to talk about science funding,” say, “I would like to talk about the FY 1999 appropriation for DOE’s physics programs.”) Have alternative dates ready.

Prepare for what will probably be, at least in Washington, a 15-minute appointment (it is a good idea to ask the scheduler how long your appointment will be.) Follow these guidelines:

Be informed about the status of relevant legislation. Check our web site at http://www.aip.org/gov/ or E-mail us at fyi@aip.org This will give a focus to your appointment, and will enable you to better determine a Member’s position.

Be ready with a brief, nontechnical explanation of the issue. Avoid jargon and abbreviations. If appropriate to your explanation, bring a visual aid -- something concrete that a Member can examine. As explained in FYI #71, AIP has prepared a dozen “Physics Success Stories” that briefly describe billion dollar industries founded on physics research. Draw from them for background material, or use them to illustrate your presentation. These exhibits are free unless you require them in bulk numbers. See our web site at http://www.aip.org/gov/ for titles and web versions (we recommend that you write to us for printed versions if you plan to bring them to your appointment -- please specify titles.)

If coming as a group, select a spokesperson. Decide in advance on your strategy and “message.” Few congressional offices can physically accommodate large groups.

A few sheets of paper that you can leave describing your position will reinforce your message. AIP’s Physics Success Stories were produced to fill this need. Resist the temptation to leave a stack of materials -- it will, probably, never be read.

In Washington, use public transit to visit Capitol Hill. Public parking is expensive and distant from the offices you will be visiting. Allow time for locating the office and for passing through security. We can fax you a map. Arrive early for your appointment, and depart on time.

Anticipate schedule changes, since committee or floor votes may detain a Member. In this case, a staff assistant will handle the appointment. These dedicated assistants are often the most knowledgeable about legislation, and can be very influential.

Follow-up the appointment with a thank you letter briefly reiterating the purpose of your visit. Offer your assistance.

Please call upon us if we can be of any help in planning your visit.