Tips for August Recess Meetings
The August recess gives members of Congress the chance to spend time in their districts/states for several weeks. Please plan to take advantage of this opportunity and invite your member to an event or schedule a special meeting with your member.
- Plan ahead. Members of Congress have very busy schedules and their calendars fill up quickly. Send your invitation several weeks in advance of the requested date.
- Contact the right person. Call your member’s office to find out the proper procedure for sending an invitation. Most members have executive assistants in their Washington offices who are responsible for scheduling requests. Invitations are generally requested to be in writing. Send the invitation to the attention of the executive assistant who is responsible for the member’s calendar. This will expedite the process. You should also send a copy of the letter to the member’s district office. The Washington and district offices usually coordinate when the member is travelling in the state.
- Be flexible. If at all possible, note in the invitation that you are willing to accommodate the member’s schedule.
- Invite your member of Congress to visit your schools.
- If you are from a Congressional district with many school districts, you might also want to join together with the other school districts and host a special meeting with your member of Congress to voice your concerns.
- You may want to also speak with the member’s communications director to help get the media to cover the event.