NATCA Bookshelf

D I D Y O U K N O W ? Established under the Constitution of 1789, Congress has 535 voting members: 435 Representatives and 100 Senators. via government-and-constitution.org This is an in-depth guide to ensure a successful meeting with your members of Congress or their staffs. Please remember that your message is important to them. They want to hear from you, their constituents. First, thank the member of Congress or staffer for meeting with you. INTRODUCTIONS Introduce yourself as a constituent or a constituent representative if you are not from their home state or district. Include your position (e.g. controller, engineer, test pilot, drug abatement officer). Tell the members or staffers where you work and where you are from. Elected officials and their staffs are very interested in hearing directly from their constituents and this information reminds them that you are not a professional lobbyist, but a constituent with concerns. THANK YOU It is important to acknowledge what the member has done for NATCA in the past. Before the meeting, check the Voter Guide to see how the member voted on ending the furloughs (Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013), ending the government shutdown (Continuing Appropriations Act of 2014), and the amendments to eliminate official time (Gingrey Amendment to THUD Appropriations and Hice Amendment to Mil-Con-VA Appropriations). Thank members for their support if they voted with us on those issues. If they voted against our position on all of these issues, be polite and simply thank them for meeting with you. THE ASK An "ask" is the request we make to members of Congress. EDUCATE During the course of the meeting, remain focused on the main message. As in any conversation, other issues will arise. Treat these as opportunities to educate your elected officials and their staffs. You are aviation safety professionals and subject matter experts. REPEAT OUR ASK Before you leave the office, it is important to repeat our ASK one final time. During the course of your meeting, you may have touched upon several other subjects in which the congressional office is interested. This is also the perfect time to hand the staffer your leave-behind materials and your contact information. CLOSE End the meeting by thanking the member or staffer(s) for their time. This is a good opportunity to suggest that they tour the local ATC facilities in their districts. This will allow them to see firsthand the critical work our members do. While most members of Congress are frequent flyers, they may not be familiar with the "behind the scenes" operation that allows them to travel safely. FULL MEETING OUTLINE 15

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