Few of Best Ways to Contact Your Member of Congress
Some of you already know that, despite my deafness, I worked at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, from 1969 to 1985, so I am happy to give you a few secret tips on contacting your federal legislators.
Current Problems:
There are many ways to contact your Member of Congress (MC). You can call, write, email, or even tweet at your representative(s). Many hold town hall meetings, either in person or by phone. They have caseworkers to help you navigate federal agencies.
But, but, but!
Please read Rene Henry’s “Ever Wonder What Congress is Doing?” first.
Many Members of Congress have forms on their website that can be filled out to request a meeting. (It could be frustrating.)
The 2022 source, “How to Meet Your Members of Congress Face-to-Face,“ could be okay, but I wish you “good luck.”
Below are my three unorthodox suggestions!
1. Passing a Relay Baton
It could be a joke, but at least one constituent did it.
In the 1980s, a constituent wrote what he wanted to tell his MC and inserted the paper inside a relay baton.
At the Rock Creek Park in Washington DC, he waited for the coming of his Senator from California on the jogging path. When the Senator passed him, he followed the former. After talking a few words to his MC, the constituent passed the relay baton into Senator Alan Cranston’s hand.
So Cranston pulled the paper out of the baton and read the message at his home or Washington, DC office.
Today, more U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators are jogging to keep their shapes.
You can try this impossible way to your MC. I wish you “Good Luck” again.
CAUTION: The U. S Capitol Hill Police could frown after reading this Newsletter.
2. Attending Congressional Softball or Touch Football Game
Some Members of Congress have sponsored the recreational teams for participating in the Capitol Hill-centered softball leagues: the Congressional Softball League (CSL) (inactive since February 2020), the United States Senate Softball League (USSSL), the United States House Softball League (USHSL), and the Capitol Alumni Network Softball League (CANSL). There was the Capitol Hill Touch Football League in my time, but I don’t know if any similar exists today.
When you visit Metro Washington or do business, you may call (if lucky) your MC’s office to see if the team would play.
After arriving at the game site, you would stand behind your MC’s bench and applaud when the MC’s team scores. After the completion, you might approach your MC or staffer(s) and introduce yourself. They might invite you for a post-game drink or party. Or they would give you a private phone number to schedule a face-to-face appointment.
However, below is my favorite one:
Writing “Senatorial Chic” for Roll Call in 1972, Rep. Otis Pike (D-NY) explained that his female staffer came in starry-eyed to report her softball team, Hatfield’s Herd (sponsored by Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR)), had won the game against Packwood’s People (sponsored by Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR)). Both Senators went to her apartment afterward for a victory party. The Democratic congressman added, “She has been with me only six months and has entertained two Senators at her home. Republicans, too.” Representing New York’s first congressional district from 1961 to 1979, he said, “I didn’t tell her I had been here 10 years and hadn’t entertained any.
Oh, I do miss my bipartisan life in the 1970s and 1980s.
3. Dropping a Visit in MC’s Office UNEXPECTEDLY !!!
Like Deaf-cultured individuals using the habit, I often dropped visits unexpectedly to make an appointment for a later date.
Today, the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services has provided sign language interpreters for MCs. It installed the captioning technology to help Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania legislate.
I strongly suggest that you visit on the first full day of your stay and tell them your last visit day so they will make an appointment for you during your stay.
For example, one of my unexpected dropped visits was at the President’s Commission on Olympic Sports headquarters in November 1976. It led to Congress passing legislation in 1978 called the Amateur Sports Act, which was mentioned in Rene Henry’s article above.