Engineer's Guide to Influencing Public Policy

How to Communicate With
Members of Congress: The Basics

The United States Congress is increasingly called upon to legislate on a host of technologically complex matters.  Unfortunately, relatively few of the 535 Senators and Representatives holding seats in Congress have technical backgrounds or have staff with technical qualifications.  Engineers can make a difference on these complex issues by becoming more involved in the political system. One of the best ways to contribute is by communicating with Members of Congress.

WHO TO COMMUNICATE WITH

One of the most important things to consider when you want to provide useful information and/or voice your opinion on an issue is to determine who the best people are to contact. You should consider the following groups, both separately and collectively:

• Your U.S. Representative or Senators - Your U.S. Representative is much more likely to be responsive to your communications than your Senators, who represent a much larger constituency.  Contacting Members of Congress who don't represent you is usually a waste of time.
• Personal Staff - Take advantage of opportunities to communicate with your Representative's or Senator's personal staff.  Staff play a critical role in evaluating issues and making recommendations to their Member of Congress. 
• Congressional Committees -  Contact a committee member (other than your own representative) or committee staffer only when you have specific information related to a matter that is within the committee's responsibility or jurisdiction.  This could include legislation before the committee, committee hearings, or other activities.  

WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

You can communicate your views in a number of ways. Be sure to consider carefully the method you want to use; you want to be as effective as possible, and different situations mayl require different communication methods. Here are some of the more popular ways of communicating with Congress.

• Meetings - Personally meeting with a Member of Congress or with a Congressional staff member is the best way to present your views.  You will receive more time and individual attention if you meet in the District (as opposed to Washington) office.  Since it may be difficult to arrange a one-on-one meeting with your representative, try to make an appointment well in advance to improve your chances. If the Member is unavailable, don't hesitate to meet with a staffer.  At the end of your meeting, leave a one-page description of the issue you've discussed and the action you want taken. Be sure to determine which staffer will be handling your issue or problem and make a follow-up call(s) after a reasonable time to check on status.  Be sure to thank your representative for any assistance rendered.

• Mail - Letter-writing is traditionally the most common way of communicating with Congress, although the anthrax scare of Fall 2001 has made faxes and emails the preferred mode of communication. When writing, be sure to identify yourself as a constituent, make a clear request, offer persuasive rationales, and make sure it is timed to the legislative process so that it arrives just before your representative has to make a decision. When writing, try to limit your correspondence to one typewritten page. If you are writing longhand, be sure it is legible. It is not likely the Member of Congress will read your letter personally; it will most likely be answered or considered by a Congressional staff member.  Don't be disappointed if you only get a form letter in response.

Letters should be addressed in this manner:

• Faxes - Faxing is currently the best way to get your letter to the Hill as quickly as possible.  Many Congressional offices keep their fax numbers unpublished so that staffers can make use of the fax without being delayed by a heavy flow of lobbying faxes.  It is best to call the office and let them know the fax is coming first.

• E-mail - e-mail can be an effective tool for communication if used properly, but be aware that Congress is flooded with e-mail and that not all Congressional offices are fully e-mail literate.  Most offices treat e-mail like a printed letter, will delete non-constitutent e-mail without reading it, and will use auto-responders and filters to help handle the flow of mail.  Follow the guidelines for good letter-writing when writing an e-mail.  Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent by including your address.

• Mailgrams or Telegrams - Mailgrams, telegrams, telexes are traditional tools for last minute communications just before a key vote.  A Congressional office will more likely be influenced by the volume of this type of communication, than by the typically cursory content of the messages received.

• Telephone Calls - Phone calls are more direct than both letters and electronic messages and can be effective in communicating your opinions if you keep your message short and to the point.  Be sure to do your homework before phoning. Also, if you want to talk directly to a Senator or Representative rather than to a staff member, call the office scheduler in advance to try to schedule a time for your call.

• Speeches and Tours:  Another way to interact with Members of Congress is to invite them to address an audience or take a tour of your company, university or laboratory. To arrange presentations or visits by Senators or Representatives, find out when they will be in your district and what times they are available. Their schedulers will provide this and other pertinent information you will need to set up your meeting. Tell the scheduler how many people you expect at the meeting, who the group represents, the size of the organization, and how many of the expected attendees live and work in the Senator's or Congressman's district.

TIPS FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION

Here are some guidelines to help make your communications more effective:

• Identify clearly the issue in which you are interested. Be sure to include the House or Senate bill number if addressing specific legislative proposals.
• State briefly why you're concerned about the issue. Your personal experience will lend supporting evidence. Explain how you think the issue will affect your business, profession, community, or family.
• Explain how your issue or concern affects the Congressman's constituents and how you think those constituents will benefit from your position.
• If you want your Congressman to take action on your behalf, clearly (but politely) ask for this action. Don't expect Members of Congress to know exactly how to solve the problem, and don't expect them to read between the lines to discern what you want done.
• If you have an idea you'd like to see turned into legislation, suggest this initiative to your Congressman. Volunteer your services as an information resource or researcher on the subject.
• If your issue has been discussed in newspapers or magazines, be sure to include copies with your correspondence. If the issue hasn't been included in the news media, it might be useful to attract the interest of the press first.
• Restrict yourself to one topic in a letter or other communication. Concentrate your arguments; summarize them and make your recommendations on one page.
• Use your own words and avoid technical terms. Also avoid using trite phrases or cliches, which can make your correspondence sound mass-produced. When Members of Congress receive many letters with nearly identical wording, they may discount them as being part of an organized pressure campaign. This method works only when mail is so voluminous that it has to be weighed. Personalized, individual letters often work best.
• Communicate at any time, but especially when legislation is being considered by Congressional committees or subcommittees, before it reaches the House or Senate floor. Your communication will mean more when attention is currently focused on the subject matter of your concern.
• Find out the committees and subcommittees on which your Congressman or Senators serve. They have more influence over legislation in these jurisdictions.
• Present the best arguments in favor of your position and ask for their consideration. You may find it useful to review arguments against your position and show why your position is preferred over others.
• Communicate with Members of Congress as a constituent, not as a self-appointed neighborhood, community, or industry spokesperson. However, if you are truly representing a particular group, mention it.
• If Senators or Representatives have supported your cause or idea in previous legislation, let them know you appreciate their past leadership on the issue and that such support is applauded by their constituents.

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Last Updated:  02 May 2005