Remember these three thoughts as you first attempt to contact your congressional office:

• Members of Congress work for YOU;
• Members of Congress want to provide service to their constituents;
• Members of Congress want to be informed and work with you.

In addition, don't feel as though you need to know all of the technicalities of processing a bill. It will assist you in knowing how the system works, but it should never prevent you or your students from contacting the congressional office.

Detailed resources about the legislative process may be found for the Senate at http://www.senate.gov/learning/index.cfm and for the House at http://www.house.gov/house/Tying_it_all.html.

There are many ways that we can effectively communicate our concerns to members of Congress. Perhaps the most common way is by sending a letter.

When writing to members of Congress, the salutations Dear Senator (last name), and Dear Representative (last name) should be used.

The Senate address designations SR, SD, and SH stand for Russell, Dirksen and Hart Office Buildings respectively. For House offices, three digit office numbers are in the Cannon Building, four digit numbers beginning with 1 are in the Longworth Building, and four digit number beginning with 2 are in the Rayburn Building. All Senate offices have the zip code 20510 and all House offices have the zip code 20515.

Letters should be addressed as shown below:

The Honorable Arlen Specter
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The Honorable Ralph Regula
2306 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 

All room and telephone numbers can be verified by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Postal and e-mail addresses and phone numbers for senators are available on-line at http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm. The same information for Representatives is at http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html

Following are some guidelines to use when writing to Congress:

• Identify the bill or issue you are writing about. Give the bill number or describe it by popular title (for example, "clean air," "minimum wage," "the amendment," etc.).
• Ensure that your letter is timely and that you inform your congressman about an issue while there is still time to take effective action.
• Be reasonably brief.
• Give your reasons for taking a stand.
• Be constructive.
• Establish yourself as a student aid expert and resource.
• Send thank you letters when deserved.
• Avoid making threats or promises.
• Be clear and reasonable about what you are requesting.
• Be accurate.
• Offer your assistance after the relationship with the congressional office has been established.
• Detail the effects of legislation on students and your school.
• Ask your legislator to state his or her position on the issue when they reply.

A well-timed telephone call also can be an effective way to get your point across to a Member of Congress or a legislative staff member just before a key vote, particularly when you have already developed a personal relationship with them. Be prepared and have your facts correct before placing your call. Remember that you can often save the cost of a long distance call by expressing your views to the staff in the Member’s district office. If they hear from enough people over a key issue, they will pass the information on to the Member directly.

The most effective way to express your views to a member of Congress is through personal contact. Personal visits to a Member’s office not only can be rewarding, but also will set the stage for future communication. All Members operate at least one office in their local district in addition to their Washington office on Capitol Hill. Members usually visits their local offices throughout the year around regular holidays, and during those periods when Congress is in recess or "district work periods" as they are now called.

You can make an appointment to see a Member by calling or writing to the appointment secretary in his Washington or district office. Always give them as much advance notice as possible and indicate the amount of time needed and the subject matter to be discussed.

Be prepared to discuss the issue you specified and bring supporting material that you can leave with the Member that will strengthen your case. If the Member is not available and you can not reschedule the meeting, ask to meet with the administrative assistant or staff member who handles education, appropriations, or budget issues.

You will often find that you may know a great deal more about the subject area to be discussed than does the Member or his staff. Do not be put off by their lack of knowledge, and take time to explain the issues clearly and succinctly. Remember that they have to follow many complex issues and can not be an expert on every subject. If you can brief them well and convince them that you are providing them with valuable information, they may call upon you again to obtain your advice on the matter.

Developing a personal relationship with the Member and/or the staff will make it much easier to follow-up on future occasions. The following information is provided to assist you in establishing this valuable contact.

Familiarize yourself with the member’s background: Knowing the member’s previous positions on student aid issues will help you know what to expect and how the approach the discussion. Remember that very few members always vote for all of our issues, but good friends vote with us most of the time. Additionally, voting records may indicate who we need to persuade to vote with us in the future. Use this type of information in your meeting with the member or staff person.

Be on time for your appointment: Don’t be surprised or dismayed if you have to wait. With the variety of activities occurring in Congress, it is difficult to predict when a member or staff person will be called away for an unscheduled urgent meeting or consultation. You are important and you will be seen; try to be patient about delays. Be prepared for the possibility that you may have to meet with a staff person rather than the member with whom you scheduled your appointment if unavoidable conflicts arise. Be gracious.

Introduce yourself and quickly get to the point of your meeting: Briefly state why you are qualified to speak on the issue. Be as succinct as possible and remember to keep the meeting brief. If the individual wishes to prolong the meeting, let them take the lead. Still, be to the point with your responses.

Explain your issue clearly: If you wish to discuss a specific bill, you should know its number or popular name. If you are not discussing a particular bill, be specific about your concerns and what you would like the person to do for you. You will often find that you may know a great deal more about the subject under discussion than does the member or staff person. Instead of being disappointed by this, take the time to explain the issue briefly, yet clearly. Remember that they follow many complex issues and cannot hope to be experts in all areas. Provide your reasons and be constructive with your suggestions. Don’t demand a commitment. If you can brief them well and convince them that you are providing them with valuable information, they may call upon you again to obtain your advice on future issues.

Bring supporting materials: Provide the legislator or staff person with examples to illustrate your concerns. Prepare a summary sheet that identifies the impact of an issue on your school, its academic program, and its students. A one page summary sheet is most effective. Your name, address, and phone number should be included in case the person wishes to follow up later.

Provide factual responses: If you don’t know the answer to a specific question, don’t hesitate to say so and offer to follow up with the answer. Don’t make up facts and don’t exaggerate. If your opinion is requested, make it clear that it is your own impression rather than an absolute fact.

Stick to your issues: Be prepared to answer questions on student financial aid, the subject on which you are the expert. Avoid being diverted from the aim of your message by the person who asks you where you would cut the budget. A possible response would be to say that the federal budget is so large that you could not possibly recommend cuts in other programs because you are not an expert on all programs. Suggest that you do know what the cuts mean in your own circumstances. Remind the person of cuts already suffered, in that way easing the conversation back to your issues.

Don’t wear out your welcome: At the end of the meeting, thank the person for spending time with you and listening to your concerns. Also remember to thank the receptionist when you leave. Leave your summary sheet with the member or staff person.

Follow up: When you return home, write thank you letters to the member or staff person. Reinforce the main points of your meeting and provide any supplemental information that was requested. Don’t just send along another copy of your summary sheet.