Advocacy

Events

ASTHO Hill Day: Setting Up Capitol Hill Appointments

Join other State and Territorial Health Officials in Washington as they spend the day meeting with members of their congressional delegation, and other influential leaders in Congress and the Administration. A strong showing of ASTHO members sends a clear message that we are players in public health policy deliberations and serious about advocacy.

Go to the U.S. House and U.S. Senate websites, www.house.gov and www.senate.gov, respectively to find out who are the members of your congressional delegation,. At these sites, you will be able to get phone numbers, addresses, fax numbers and other information about your congressional leaders.

Please fax, don’t mail, a letter to each Representative or Senator you wish to meet with asking for an appointment. Since 9/11, mail takes weeks and weeks to get to congressional offices. Fax your letter early; Members of Congress have busy schedules.
Most Members will try and meet face to face with their State Health Official. If the Member of Congress cannot meet with you, it is always good to meet with the legislative aide who handles health issues. The Chief of Staff, sometimes called the Administrative Assistant, is another important person to get to know i
Be strategic about the appointments you make if you don’t have time to meet with all of your congressional leaders. For example, if you want to discuss public health funding be sure to meet with your Members on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. If you are interested in discussing public health legislation, see if you have any Members on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee or the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Always try to meet with Members of your delegation who are part of the House or Senate leadership. Find out about your Members of Congress before you meet with them.
Assume that most appointments will last 30 minutes. Sometimes a congressional leader or staff may request more time.
Schedule 15 minutes of travel time between appointments. It takes a few minutes to go between congressional buildings and there is a metal detector at each entrance that everybody must go through. ONE EXCEPTION – If you are going from a House appointment to a Senate meeting or visa versa allow 30 minutes to walk from one side of the Capitol to the other. If you are running late and don’t have 30 minutes, you can generally catch a cab and be at your appointment in 10 minutes.
Most congressional office buildings have cafeterias in their basements. These are good places to sit between meetings. While the cafeteria food is not exactly gourmet, it is fine. Sometimes the cafeterias are open only to congressional staff and members. Generally you can get a quick bite to eat at any of the places.
Try to be flexible. Some congressional leaders may ask for early morning, lunchtime or late afternoon meetings. If you are going home that day, make late afternoon-early evening travel plans.
Report your visits to ASTHO using the Hill Day Reporting Form. This ensures we prepare enough legislative packets for Hill Day and get you your packets in advance of your first visit.

Sample Visit Schedule

8:30 am	Travel from hotel to Senate Side
9:00	Meeting with Senator X
9:30	Travel to Senator Y’s Office
9:45	Meeting with Senator Y
10:15	Travel to House Side
10:45	Meeting with Representative X
11:15	Travel to Next House Appointment
11:30	Meeting with Representative Y
Noon	Lunch at Rayburn or Longworth House Cafeterias
1:00pm	Meeting with Representative Z
1:30	Travel to Next House Appointment
1:45	Meeting with Representative A
2:15	Travel to Next House Appointment
2:30	Meeting with Representative B