IEEE-USA takes that question very seriously; in fact, one of our primary organizational missions is providing government decision-makers with information they need to address technologically complex issues. IEEE-USA communicates with Capitol Hill on some issue almostevery day, but the truth is that Members of Congress often prefer constituent input when making decisions on the many issues that they must address. My personal experience on Congressional visits has been that the Members of Congress give almost all of their attention to the constituent when a mixed group comes to present a position or to offer information. Constituent contact lets them know that the issue is important, that it affects their state or district, and that voters are concerned enough to act. A few knowledgeable engineers who speak out can have a significant impact, especially on complex technological issues on which engineers have special expertise. Reinforcing the important role of the constituent engineer, consider the advice of Rep. Vernon Ehlers, himself a physicist who ran for Congress after years as a volunteer advisor to then U.S. Representative and former President Gerald R. Ford. According to Ehlers, "what is needed is for scientists [and engineers] to become lobbyists. You have to be able to react rapidly to alerts that your input is needed in the congressional process. You have to get to know your local Congressperson and help him or her." For these reasons, IEEE-USA will unveil its Congressional Advocacy Recruitment Effort (CARE) project on 28 April 2001 as part of the IEEE-USA 2001 Workshop. Our goal is to recruit IEEE U.S. members to pay a constituent visit to their U.S. Senators and Representative in their District or Washington office sometime during the 107th Congress (2001-2002). That’s a total of 535 constituent visits, a small number that can result in a big pay-off for the engineering profession if even a few members are able to establish themselves as trusted sources of information and advice. To make CARE work, IEEE-USA will provide issue alerts, background information and a "how-to" tutorial on arranging a successful congressional visit. Each Member of Congress will be mapped and assigned to a specific IEEE U.S. Section(s). PACE Chairs for IEEE’s U.S. Sections will be enlisted to help find members in their sections willing to make these visits. Volunteers can call on IEEE-USA for assistance with their visits and will be asked to provide a follow-up report. For more information on the project and how you can participate, visit the CARE web page at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/care. In addition to our CARE Initiative, IEEE-USA is one of the principal organizers of the 6th annual Congressional Visits Day (CVD), which will bring more than 300 scientists, engineers, researchers, educators and technology executives representing more than 60 organizations to Washington on 1-2 May 2001 to raise visibility and support for science, engineering, and technology. CVD’s objective is to underscore the long-term importance of science and technology in the United States through meetings with congressional decision-makers. Its core messages are:
For more information on 2001 Congressional Visits Day and/or how you can participate, visit the CVD webpage at http://www.ieeeusa.org/forum/cvd/ or contact Deborah Rudolph at d.rudolph@ieee.org. Whether it’s CARE, or CVD, or inviting a Member of Congress to speak at your local section meeting or tour your engineering facility, or just writing a letter to your Representative on a matter of personal concern, the key is that you have to take the initiative to communicate and interact with your elected representatives. Your profession and the country need you. | Top of Page | Intro to IEEE-USA | President's Column | IEEE-USA | Last Updated: 21 March 2001 Copyright © 2001 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Permission granted to copy for non-commercial uses with appropriate attribution. IEEE newsletter editors are encouraged to reprint this column or portions there-of in their newsletters. |
