A Guide to Working with Members of Congress: Building Stronger Relationships with Your Legislators

A Guide to Working with Members of Congress: Building Stronger Relationships With Your Legislators

The Importance of Building Hospital leaders tend to limit communications Relationships with Congress: with Congress when a key vote affecting hospitals is scheduled. But it’s just as important to build a Members of Congress are called upon to consider relationship with legislators and to offer your expertise and vote on a vast number of issues from health and counsel on a regular basis, so that when a burning care to energy to farm policy and more. While they issue arises, they’ll seek out your opinion and give may be an expert on one or two issues, it is impossible weight to what you say. to master every issue that comes before Congress. This guide provides tips on how to cultivate a Elected officials rely on their own staffs’ work, outside relationship with members of Congress and their staffs, experts, and, most importantly, constituent input to and advice for communicating more effectively and effectively represent the people of their district or navigating the halls of Congress. state.

An important note: Under federal tax law, 501(c)(3) That’s why they need, and want, to hear from you. organizations, like hospitals, can, within permissible As a hospital or health system leader, you represent limits, engage in lobbying about issues, including a cornerstone of your local community and your local communicating with any legislator or legislative economy. staff member, where the principal purpose is to An ongoing dialogue with your elected officials is the influence legislation. However, there is an absolute best way to ensure they understand how the decisions prohibition on 501(c)(3) organizations participating they make in Washington will affect their constituents or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of back home. No one can better explain the complexities or in opposition to candidates for public office. of health care delivery and the impact that changes in If you have questions about what is or is not Washington would have on your organization’s ability permissible, please consult with your lawyers and/ to continue delivering care than you. or AHA legal counsel.

©2019 American Hospital Association | August 2019 Page 1 | www.aha.org Introduce Yourself – Reaching Out to • On the day of the meeting, arrive at least 10 Your Legislators minutes early. Keep in mind that Capitol Hill office buildings have tight security procedures, and there Scheduling a personal visit – in either the member’s may be long lines to enter the buildings. Bring district or state office, or the Washington office if background materials, preferably a one-pager about you will be in town – is an effective way to introduce your organization – its size, history and role in your yourself to your legislators and key members of their community. Bring extra copies for staff, as well staff. as several business cards. Also, ask for staff’s business cards during the visit and ask whether Most members of Congress handle scheduling they prefer you to contact them by phone or email. requests through their website, which you can locate through either www.house.gov or www.senate.gov. • At the meeting, begin by introducing yourself and your organization. This is an opportunity to If you call the office to request a meeting, you’ll likely share your hospital’s story. Talk about the services be referred to the scheduler. Explain who you are, the you offer, your employees, your work within the organization you represent and the purpose of your community, and the economic impact you have on meeting. the community at large – vendors and other service providers, as well as local businesses. Invite your The health legislative assistant, legislative director or legislator and their staff to tour your organization the chief of staff will likely participate in the meeting as to learn more about the work you do and meet the well. (See “Who’s Who in a Legislator’s Office” at the people who care for their community. back of this guide for more on staff roles). If you’d like to take a photo with the member and A few tips to make setting up a meeting go smoothly: staff, please be sure to ask the scheduler about the policy in advance. Individual member offices set • Be flexible on the timing. Remember, legislators their own policies about photographs. are juggling priorities and have busy travel schedules. Many travel frequently between their • After the meeting, send a follow-up email home office and Washington and may have more thanking the legislator and staff for meeting with availability to meet with you back home. Others you and expressing your desire to work together in travel home less frequently and may have limited the months and years to come. This also is a good availability to meet outside of designated district opportunity to repeat the invitation to tour your work periods, like the August recess. Be as flexible hospital. And remember to thank the scheduler as possible with your time in order to make the who arranged the visit on your behalf. most of their time. Tips for Giving a Tour of Your Hospital • Explain the purpose of the meeting and how long it will take. If you need 20 minutes, ask A tour provides the opportunity to familiarize your for 20 minutes. Members will be eager to greet legislator with what you do and the challenges you constituents, and they will usually have between face. The purpose of the tour should be informative, 15 and 30 minutes available. not political. Hospitals are prohibited by law from employing resources to influence voter preferences or • If you’ve scheduled a meeting by phone, send the outcome of an election. Please see the “Legal Do’s an email to the scheduler confirming the date and Don’ts” at www.aha.org if you have questions and time. If you’ve scheduled online, you’re likely about permissible activities, or consult with your to receive a confirmation email from the office. lawyers and/or AHA legal counsel.

©2019 American Hospital Association | August 2019 Page 2 | www.aha.org Be patient with the scheduling process. It may take • Set aside a place for the members of Congress some time to fulfill a time-intensive and not time- and staff to make a phone call, or relax for five sensitive request like a tour; but also be persistent minutes before the tour begins. An uncluttered so the office understands this is important. Once a office or conference room will suffice. date and time have been set, you’re ready to plan a successful and productive visit. Here’s a list of things • Set aside time for discussion. Either at the end you may want to keep in mind: or the beginning of the tour, set aside some time for you and possibly other key hospital staff to sit • Prepare a fact sheet about your hospital. Include down with the legislators to discuss any burning important information, such as services provided, issues and answer any questions they might have. number of personnel, other locations, services within the community, awards, information about • Send follow-up letters. Send a letter thanking key people and interesting facts. This will give your the legislator and staff for making the visit and legislator and his or her staff a quick and easy look reinforcing the points you made during the tour. at your organization and the role it plays in your A note about timing. Legislators are eager to meet community. with their constituents during congressional recesses. • Arrange for a photographer if you want photos Recesses generally occur the weeks before or after of the visit for your internal communications, and a major federal holiday and in the month of August. check with the legislator’s office about permissible Check www.congress.gov for the latest congressional uses of these photos for social media, etc. calendars. A standing invitation to tour your facility in August or other congressional recesses will increase • Determine if press will be allowed into your the likelihood of the legislator accepting the invitation. facility. Check with the legislator’s office to see if they plan to notify the press of the visit. If you or Nurturing the Relationship they don’t want the press involved, then tell your legislator that press is not allowed. If you agree A strong relationship needs to be nurtured, and to allow the press in, make sure your legislator’s maintaining a dialogue is essential. Now that you’ve office understands this tour is an opportunity met your legislator and key staff members, continue to to learn more about your organization and not a reach out to them on a regular basis on various issues campaign opportunity. Assign a staffer to work throughout the year. Because legislators rely on input with the legislator’s communications office and from constituents to inform their opinions on legislation the press. You’ll also need to determine in advance and policy, you can become a valuable resource to what parts of the visit are off-limits. Also, make them. sure all proper procedures are followed to maintain Because nearly every minute of a legislator’s day is patient privacy. scheduled, from breakfast briefings to evening events, • Notify your staff of the tour’s date and time. it may be difficult to reach members and staff by Make sure your employees are aware of the phone. Also, for security measures, all mail sent to legislator’s visit and the purpose for the visit – Capitol Hill via USPS, FedEx or UPS is delivered to an getting to know your organization, the great work off-site facility for processing – a process that may you do in your community and the challenges you delay delivery for several days. For that reason, email is face as you go about this work. Emphasize that this typically the preferred form of communication, but be is not a political or campaign visit but a chance for sure to ask your legislators and their staff how they like your employees to spotlight the great work they do to communicate. every day.

©2019 American Hospital Association | August 2019 Page 3 | www.aha.org The keys to writing an effective email are simple: you’re asked a question and you don’t know the answer, say you will get the answer as soon as • Personalize the message as much as possible. possible and follow up with them. Remind the legislator or staff member of your most recent meeting, visit to their office or phone call. • Follow-up your conversation with an email Personalization may mean your message is given referencing your conversation. Reiterate your closer attention. points and provide any additional information you’ve promised them. • Get to the point. Remember, each staffer may receive hundreds of emails each day. Try to limit Who’s Who in a Legislator’s Office the message to one or two matters. Explain your position as clearly as possible. If the issue is Commonly used titles and job functions of complex, attach additional material as background. congressional staff: Also, be sure to include your phone number for follow-up questions. • The chief of staff handles the overall office operations, including the assignment of work and • Share your personal experience. Use real-life the supervision of staff. The chief of staff reports examples to illustrate your points. directly to the senator or representative and usually is responsible for evaluating the political • Limit any formatting. Be sure to format the email implications of various legislative proposals and as simple as possible because most are read on constituent requests. mobile devices. Do not include extraneous graphics or signatures. • In most Congressional offices there are several legislative assistants with expertise in specific A note about social media. Nearly all members policy areas. Depending on the committee of Congress have social media accounts, such as assignments and interests of the member, an Facebook and Twitter. You can connect with Congress office may have a different legislative assistant for online to see what issues are most important to them. health care, the environment, foreign relations and tax policy. Reaching Out by Phone • The legislative correspondent manages the flow From time to time, when urgent matters arise, such of letters and emails. They draft responses and flag as a pending vote in the House or Senate, you may items of note for the legislator’s attention. need to make a phone call. Here are a few tips: • The legislative director monitors the legislative • Do your homework. Make sure you have your schedule in committee and on the floor and makes facts straight and your talking points ready. You recommendations to the legislator on positions may only have a few minutes to get your point and votes. In some offices, the legislative director across. supervises the legislative assistants.

• Get straight to the point. Explain who you are • The communications director or press secretary and why you are calling. Ask to speak to the manages the legislator’s relationship with the legislative assistant who handles health care. media and the public. They are expected to know the benefits, demands and special requirements • Be ready to answer questions. Don’t expect a of print, electronic and social media, and how to one-sided conversation. Anticipate questions the most effectively promote the member’s views legislator or staff could ask and have answers. If

©2019 American Hospital Association | August 2019 Page 4 | www.aha.org or positions on specific issues. Many press A note about district staff. A legislator also maintains secretaries double as speech writers. staff in the district or state office. It is a good idea to get to know these staffers, given that they may be • The scheduler is usually responsible for allocating more familiar with your organization and its role in a legislator’s time among the many demands the local community. The district staff director is the that arise from congressional responsibilities, legislator’s main point person back home and keeps constituent requests and political activities. The the legislator informed about the local community scheduler also may handle travel arrangements and and can help move along meeting requests and other speaking requests. information you may wish to convey. The district office staff organizes town hall meetings that may provide • The executive assistant/office manager often you and your employees the opportunity to weigh in on handles scheduling as well as the day-to-day issues of importance. management of the office.

Democratic House Leadership: Republican House Leadership: Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi Minority Leader: Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) (R-CA) 1236 Longworth House Office Building 2468 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4965 | pelosi.house.gov 202-225-2915 | kevinmccarthy.house.gov @NancyPelosi @SpeakerPelosi @RepKevinMcCarthy @GOPLeader

Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Minority Whip: Steve Scalise (R-LA) 1705 Longworth House Office Building 2049 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4131 | hoyer.house.gov 202-225-3015 | scalise.house.gov @WhipHoyer @LeaderHoyer @RepSteveScalise @SteveScalise

Majority Whip: James Clyburn (D-SC) Conference Chair: Liz Cheney (R-WY) 200 Cannon House Office Building 416 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 202-225-2311 | cheney.house.gov 202-225-3315 | clyburn.house.gov @RepLizCheney @WhipClyburn Policy Committee Chair: Gary Palmer Assistant Speaker: Ben Ray Luján (R-AL) (D-NM) 207 Cannon House Office Building, 2323 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4921 | palmer.house.gov 202-225-6190 | lujan.house.gov @CongressmanGaryPalmer @RepBenRayLujan @USRepGaryPalmer Caucus Chair: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) 2433 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-5936 | jeffries.house.gov @hakeem.jeffries @RepJeffries

Rebublican Senate Leadership: Democratic Senate Leadership: Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell Leader & Chair of the Conference: (R-KY) Charles Schumer (D-NY) 317 Russell Senate Office Building 322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 202-224-2541 | mcconnell.senate.gov 202-224-6542 | schumer.senate.gov @mitchmcconnell @McConnellPress @SenSchumer

Whip: John Thune (R-SD) Whip: Dick Durbin (D-IL) 511 Dirksen Senate Office Building 711 Hart Senate Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 202-224-2321 | thune.senate.gov 202-224-2152 | durbin.senate.gov @SenJohnThune @SenatorDurbin

Conference Chair: John Barrasso (R-WY) Assistant Leader: Patty Murray (D-WA) 307 Dirksen Senate Office Building 154 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510 202-224-6441 | barrasso.senate.gov 202-224-2621 | murray.senate.gov @johnbarrasso @SenJohnBarrasso @PattyMurray

Conference Vice Chair: Joni Ernst (R-IA) Chair of Policy & Communications 730 Hart Senate Office Building Committee: Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Washington, DC 20510 731 Hart Senate Office Building 202-224-3254 | ernst.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510 @SenJoniErnst 202-224-4822 | stabenow.senate.gov @SenatorStabenow @SenStabenow Policy Committee Chair: Roy Blunt (R-MO) Chair of Steering Committee: Amy 260 Russell Senate Office Building Klobuchar (D-MN) Washington, DC 20510 425 Dirksen Senate Building 202-224-5721 | blunt.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510 @SenatorBlunt @RoyBlunt 202-224-3244 | klobuchar.senate.gov @amyklobuchar Senatorial Committee Chair: @SenAmyKlobuchar Todd Young (R-IN) 185 Dirksen Senate Office Building Chair of Outreach: Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Washington, DC 20510 332 Dirksen Building 202-224-5623 | young.senate.gov Washington, DC 20510 @SenatorToddYoung 202-224-5141 | sanders.senate.gov @SenToddYoung @senatorsanders @SenSanders