SpeakOut.com - Figuring Out Who To Talk To

Communicating effectively depends on your ability to communicate your message to the right person. But how do you figure out which Representative or Senator to call? And what about all those staff? Who does what and how can you be sure to get to the right one? Click on the links below to learn more:

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		Resources & Ideas 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, and you vote. 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.		You can easily identify your representative using SpeakOut.com's GovSeek activism tool.
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 "How to Track Federal Legislation." Call your Congressional office and ask them to send you CRS report number 98-461C 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. Find a range of links to ratings at the Library of Congress' ratings site.
What Committee or 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.		Use SpeakOut.com's GovSeek activism tool to committee lists, and to see what committees your representatives and senators serve on. For more detailed information about the history and function of Committees, check the House Rules Committee page on Committees.
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 on their site in the Special Features section.
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 SpeakOut.com's GovSeek activism tool.
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.

The best thing to do is to call your Congressional office and ask for the name of the staff person who handles your issue. Use GovSeek to find the phone number. 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.

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