Figuring Out Who To Talk To

Once you've decided that Congress is the place to go, your next steps are to identify the specific representative or senator you should contact and to look into his or her position on issues you care about. Make sure you can answer these questions before contacting your Congressional office.

Questions to Ask	Answers & Resources for Activists
Whose district or state am I in?	Almost every American has one House Representative and two Senators. House Members represent discrete districts based on population. Senators represent entire states. You are relevant to your Representative or Senator because you live or work in the area they represent. In fact, one of the most common questions heard in a Congressional office is “are they from the district?” So go ahead—use your power of constituency. For the House, you can easily identify, find the webpage for, and e-mail your representative from the House WriteYour Rep site. Or try Congress.org. For the Senate, go to the Senate home page and select your state—it’s that easy! Another good resource is VoteSmart, which allows you to identify your representatives by ZIP Code and Senators by state.
What is the Member’s Legislative Record?	Before sending a letter, calling, or asking for a visit, know where he or she stands on your issues. Also, know what issues your member cares passionately about. Being able to present your views in terms your member understands and agrees with will help you get the most out of your interaction with the office. The Congressional Research Service actually has a report on Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations. Call your Congressional office and ask them to send you CRS report 98-461 C. Track down your Representative’s and Senators’ websites through the House and Senate sites. These will give you an excellent idea of the kinds of things your member cares about. Interest groups often rate Members of Congress regarding their support (or lack thereof) for certain issues. Find a huge array of groups at Policy.com.
What Committee/Committees is My Member on?	Members are assigned to committees based on their interests, their districts (or states, in the case of the Senate), and, for the more competitive major committees, on how long they have served (seniority). A member’s ability to influence legislation depends largely upon whether he or she is a member of the committee of jurisdiction. Again, the House and Senate sites are great resources for tracking down Committees. The home pages of committees, which are accessible from the main site, will give you an idea of Committee jurisdictions as well as membership. For more detailed information about the history and function of Committees, check the House Rules Committee page on procedures. To learn more about Committees, check out CongressLink, a site designed for those brave people who teach about political science. In addition to great general information, there's a module on Committee procedures and structure.
Where is he or she on the Seniority Scale?	All members of Congress, both House and Senate, are ranked on a scale of seniority, based upon when they were elected to that office. If your representative is relatively new to office, the unfortunate fact is that he or she is not going to be able to move as many legislative initiatives or secure as many appropriations dollars as a more senior member might be able to do. RollCall, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, does a ranking once a year of the seniority and influence of state delegations. The ranking is posted in the “Welcome Congress” section of their Special Features page.
What Party does he or she Belong to?	Members help all constituents, not just those who are members of their political party (as some people believe). After all, your representative has been elected to represent you and your interests, regardless of your party affiliation. But it is important to know the member’s party affiliation to determine if they are part of the majority or minority party in Congress. While many members are seeking to work collaboratively and across party lines, members of the majority party still have an advantage in efforts to get legislative proposals passed. Party affiliation is available through the House and Senate sites.
Great General Sites!	The Library of Congress has a great general site with access to e-mail address, webpages, schedules, and telephone numbers for individual members and Committees. The Clerk of the House has biographical, district, party, and general historical and statistical information about the House and some about the Senate as well.

A great web-based resource that includes Congressional Staff names and responsibilities is Congress.org. There, when you look up individual Representatives and Senators, you also get information about their staff including who does what! If you want to purchase a comprehensive listing, try the Leadership Directories’ Congressional Yellow Book. However, you can spare the expense by simply calling your Congressional office and ask for the name of the staff person who handles your issue.

What follows is a description of the various types of congressional staff, what they do, what their titles are, and in what context you should consider approaching them.

Who’s Who

District/State Staff

The District/State Scheduler schedules the member’s time when he or she is in the district or state.

The Field Representative handles local policy issues and is the principal liaison between the Congressional office and local businesses, organizations, and citizens.

The District/State Office Director oversees the operations of the district or state staff and is often the point person in the district office for highly sensitive local political issues.

Washington, DC Staff

The Staff Assistant handles the front desk duties, which include answering phones, greeting visitors, sorting mail, and coordinating tours.

The DC Scheduler/Executive Assistant schedules the Congressperson's time in Washington, DC.

Legislative Assistants (LAs) handle the bulk of the policy work in a congressional office.

The Legislative Director (LD) handles policy issues and oversees the legislative staff.

Legislative Correspondents (LCs) draft letters in response to constituents’ comments and questions, also generally handle a few legislative issues.

The Press Secretary/Spokesperson/Communications Director fields all calls from the media, writes press releases, and is often the spokesperson for the office.

The Chief of Staff (CoS)/Administrative Assistant (AA) oversees the entire operation. The chief of staff may sometimes handle a few policy issues, but generally his or her time is spent managing the office

Communication Tips

Talk to The Right Person
Ask who handles your issues, and build a relationship with that person—whether they are an LC, LA or Staff Assistant.

Remember that You’re the Expert
Many staff handle up to 10 policy issues, from environment to energy to health care. They can’t know everything about everything. Fortunately, you're there to help them out on your issues!

Staff Contact Has Advantages over Member Contact
Although they are busy, staff almost always have more time to delve into an issue than Members.

Expect and Appreciate Youth
Congressional staff are notoriously young. Some may look like they’re not old enough to vote! Don’t let that worry you though. In most cases, staffers are bright and capable individuals who can be trusted to respond appropriately to your requests.