Seeking Assistance from Elected Officials
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SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS J. Brett Keeter District Director Office of U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry WHY CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMAN OR SENATOR? 1. To advocate or express an opinion 2. To seek assistance Advocacy Q: Whose opinions do elected officials care about? A: The people who can vote them in or out of office! Contrary to popular cynicism, elected officials will give far more weight to opinions expressed by their constituents over those from outside their districts. Advocacy Advocacy Tips: - “Kitchen table letter” vs. boilerplate - Don’t rely on your national or state association or lobbyist to represent you - Remember, your elected officials have many competing priorities – you’re not the only important thing - Never make an enemy. The legislator that can’t help you on one particular issue may be your biggest ally on something else. Assistance •History of casework • Growth of Congressional Staff • Increase in Federal red tape • Approximately 200 open cases at any time • 1,500 – 2,000 cases disposed of per Congressional cycle (two years) What kinds of cases do we assist with?? Tracy Peek: David McCrary: Nancy Meek: • News Clippings • Citizenship and Immigration Services • Security • Front Desk and Phone Duties (CIS) • Academy Appointments (Academies) • Washington Visitors (Tours) • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) • Social Security Administration (SSA) • PMC Reference (Hickory DO) • General Services Administration (GSA) • Medicare (MEDICA) • Flag Requests (Flag) • Labor (DOL) • Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) • No Jurisdiction (NoJur) • State Department (STATE) • Health and Human Services (HHS) • Office of Personnel Management (OPM) • Education (EDU) Brett Keeter: • Equal Employment Opportunity • Treasury (TREA) •Emergency Services/Fire Grants Commission (EEOC) • Department of Justice (DOJ) Information and PMC Support Requests • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) •Local Government/Chamber/EDC Liaison • Commerce (COMMER) • Transportation (DOT) in Gaston, Cleveland, Lincoln & Rutherford • Agriculture (AG) • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) • Small Business Administration (SBA) • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Joe Bost: • Post Office (POSTAL) • Federal Communications Commission • Front Desk and Phone Duties (Gastonia • Passports (PP) (FCC) DO) • Grants Information Requests Not Related • Dept. of Housing Urban Development • Washington Visitors (Tours-Gastonia DO) to Emergency Services/Fire Grants (HUD) • PMC Reference (Gastonia DO) • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) • Flag Requests (Flag- Gastonia DO) Roger Kumpf: • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) • Passports (PP-Gastonia DO Walk-ins) • Front Desk Duties (Black Mountain DO) • Prisons (PRIS) • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) • Washington Visitors (Tours-Black Mtn • Housing (HOU) Gaston, Buncombe, Polk DO) • Patents & Copyrights (COPYRI) • Local Government/Chamber/EDC Liaison • Flag Requests (Flag- Black Mtn DO) • Healthcare (HC) in Catawba • Passports (PP-Black Mtn DO Walk-ins) • NoJur (Legal) • District Internships •Local Government/Chamber/EDC Liaison • Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Buncombe & Polk Joanna Rowe: • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Kunal Pahwa: Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, Rutherford • PMC Support Requests Not Related to • Military (MIL) Emergency Services/Fire Grants or • Defense (DOD) Economic Development Administration (EDA) Funding. Doug Nation: PMC Support Requests related to EDA Funding. Most common cases? • Veterans Administration issues • Social Security Disability • Passport expedites • Flag & tour requests Just Remember… •Congressional Courtesy •The Privacy Act of 1974 What can a Congressman or Senator NOT do? • In general, he or she will not personally work your case – and you do not want them to! • Interfere in judicial matters, child custody cases, local or state matters, etc. • “Put pressure” on other officeholders who are doing something that a constituent disagrees with. • “Make a call” – Congressmen are bound by the same rules as everyone else. Senator Richard Burr Senior US Senator • Republican • First Elected 2004 • Previously served in US House Committees: • Veterans Affairs • Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions • Finance • Intelligence Senator Thom Tillis Junior US Senator • Republican • First Elected 2014 • Previously as Speaker of NC House Committees: Not Assigned yet Congressman G.K. Butterfield 1st Congressional District • Democrat • First Elected 2004 • Previously served as a judge Areas Represented: Wilson, Washington, Durham Committees: • Energy and Commerce Congressmwoman Renee Ellmers 2nd Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2010 • Nurse by profession Areas Represented: Asheboro, Dunn, Southern Raleigh Committees: • Energy and Commerce Congressman Walter Jones 3rd Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 1994 • Previously served in NC House Areas Represented: Jacksonville, Outer Banks, Greenville Committees: • Armed Services Congressman David Price 4th Congressional District • Democrat • First Elected 1986 (defeated in 1994, reelected in 1996) • College professor Areas Represented: Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh Committees: • Appropriations Congresswoman Virginia Foxx 5th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2004 • Previously served in NC Senate • Was community college president Areas Represented: Boone, Statesville Wilkesboro, Winston Salem Committees: • Rules • Education and the Workforce Republican Conference Secretary Congressman Mark Walker 6th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2014 • Pastor by profession Areas Represented: Greensboro, Mount Airy, Elon Committees: • Not assigned yet Congressman David Rouzer 7th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2014 • Previously served in NC Senate and as Agriculture advisor to Sen. Helms Areas Represented: Wilmington, Smithfield, Wrightsville Beach Committees: • Not assigned yet Congressman Richard Hudson 8th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2012 • Previously served as Congressional Chief of Staff Areas Represented: Concord, Monroe, Lumberton Committees: • Homeland Security • Agriculture • Education and the Workforce Congressman Robert Pittenger 9th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2012 • Previously served in NC Senate Areas Represented: Charlotte, Mooresville, Matthews, North Mecklenburg Committees: • Financial Services Congressman Patrick McHenry 10th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2004 • Previously served in NC House Areas Represented: Hickory, Gastonia, Shelby, Asheville Committees: • Financial Services • Oversight and Government Reform Chief Deputy Majority Whip Congressman Mark Meadows 11th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2012 • Land developer Areas Represented: Hendersonville, Cherokee, Morganton, Lenoir, Banner Elk Committees: • Transportation and Infrastructure • Oversight and Government Reform • Foreign Affairs Congresswoman Alma Adams 12th Congressional District • Democrat • First Elected 2014 • Previously served in NC House Areas Represented: Charlotte, Lexington, Greensboro, Winston-Salem Committees: Not yet assigned Congressman George Holding 13th Congressional District • Republican • First Elected 2010 • Previously was a Federal Prosecutor Areas Represented: Raleigh, Nashville, Mt. Olive Committees: • Judiciary • Foreign Affairs QUESTIONS? .