Capitol Hill Day 2013

Quicklinks: U.S. Senate and House of Representatives

If you can’t make it to Washington on Tuesday, 3/26, for Campus Fire Safety Capitol Hill Day, you can still take part in your own hometown!

For those of you that may not be familiar with Campus Fire Safety Capitol Hill Day, this is the sixth time we will be on Capitol Hill.  We put together a series of teams of students, parents, fire officials, campus officials and advocates and meet with Congressional offices to discuss campus fire safety legislation moving through Congress.  It is always and incredible experience for everyone.

Congress is not in session during that week, which means that all of the members and much of their staff is back home in their districts and this is a great time for you to meet with the staff to talk about campus fire safety legislation, just like we are doing in DC on Tuesday!!!

Meeting with the staff has a TREMENDOUS impact on raising the awareness of an issue and by doing it both in Washington and in their district has even more of an impact.

Hearing from constituents is incredibly powerful, so this is where you can play a vital role in our efforts.

Capitol Hill Day 2013

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  • Sign up using the form below to get a copy of the Campus Fire Safety Legislative Backgrounder. When I have it ready ready, I will email it to you along with some other helpful material.
  • Get familiar with the legislation before the visit.
  • Schedule a visit with your Member of Congress (click here to search for the contact information for your Senator and Representative) or with their staffer. You will have a much better chance of meeting with a staff member and, in reality, this is who you want to meet with. The staff are the ones who will help develop the position that the Member takes on legislation.
  • Get the email address of the staffer you will be meeting with and send them a copy of the backgrounder in advance. They might read it before your meeting, which will be good, or they might not. They are busy people!
  • Bring the backgrounder and an extra copy or two with you to the meeting and use it as talking points when you are talking with the staffer.
  • Make it personal, make it local. Tell them how this legislation will have an impact locally. This speaks volumes to the staffer and to the Member.
  • The meeting may very well be brief, about 15 minutes-don’t be offended. As I mentioned, they are busy and are probably meeting with a lot of constituents.
  • Say thank you by getting one of their business cards and email address and send them a thank you. Your mother was right-manners do matter and this makes an impression (not everyone does it, so you will stand out).
  • Drop me a note, let me know how it went and who you met with. We’ll be sure to stay in touch with them.
  • Follow us on Twitter @campusfirewatch and use the hashtag #caphillday.
  • Send an email – can’t make a meeting? Send an email through your Members’ “Contact Me” Page.