Congressional Visit Pointers

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Visiting your Members of Congress or Senator is a very effective way to make the case for biomedical research. Legislators value interactions with constituents — those who don't usually don't last very long as elected officials. Here are some points to consider as you prepare for the meeting.

  1. Do your homework; learn about the legislator. A good place to start is his/her website. Go to www.house.gov or www.senate.gov and follow the links to the legislator's personal site.
  2. Think out ahead of time what you want. Rehearse a brief opening statement covering what you want and why. Keep it short and to the point.
  3. As part of your case for biomedical research, you should probably discuss its economic benefits. NIH's site with historical data on grants by state is here.
  4. On the day of the meeting, show up on time.
  5. When you arrive, you may meet with a staff person. Don't be offended; this is common. It is also common for staff to be quite young. (You have a better chance of meeting with the legislator personally if you come as part of a group).
  6. During the meeting, be courteous (even in the unlikely event they are not).
  7. Avoid overly scientific jargon and acronyms. This can create a barrier to understanding and diminish the effectiveness of the presentation.
  8. Don't threaten, or claim to have vast political influence.
  9. Don't argue. Instead, try to determine the reasons for opposition and what it would take to change the Member of Congress's mind.
  10. In the face of disagreement, do NOT assume the Member doesn't understand the issue.
  11. Keep on message; don't get distracted.
  12. If you get questions, answer them as clearly and truthfully as possible.
  13. If you don't know the answer, say so and promise to get the answer to the person you met with as soon as possible.
  14. The meeting will likely go 15–20 minutes. Be aware of time; don't prolong the meeting if it seems forced to do so.
  15. Ask for a business card and if you have one, give it to the person you met with. Try to arrange some sort of follow-up — invite the staffer or legislator to visit your lab or institution, for example. Or offer to provide additional information.
  16. After the meeting, discuss it with your colleagues. What was the tone of the meeting — supportive or not? Sympathetic or not? Did you get any new information? Did you make all your points? Did you get questions you couldn't answer?
  17. Write a thank-you note as soon as you can that also restates your talking points. Reiterate your offer of follow-up.
  18. Don't forget about your meeting afterwards. You can keep up the dialogue with the staff once you're home. When appropriate, keep staff in the loop and always follow up on any questions they asked you couldn't answer at the time (see number 13).
  19. If you want help or have questions, please contact the staff with your society.