Schedule a Meeting with a Legislator

How to Schedule an Appointment

Contact the office 2-4 weeks in advance to arrange a legislative meeting—do not drop by and expect to meet with someone.
Email your meeting request and follow up with a phone call and fax.
To find your U.S. House Representative visit: https://www.house.gov/representatives
To find your U.S. Senators visit: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Submit a Meeting Request & Follow-Up

Submit a meeting request via email. It is important to follow-up on that request with a phone call a week later.
Call the Washington D.C. office or home office of your Senators and or Representative; identify yourself, where you are from, the school, university or other organization you represent.
Tell the receptionist that you are following up on a schedule request and ask him or her to direct your call to the appropriate staff person.
When you are connected, again identify yourself and your affiliation.
If the scheduler is not available, leave a clear, concise message. An example of a conversation would be:

“Hi, my name is ____. I’m calling from <<university/school>>. I am following up on a scheduling request I emailed earlier requesting to meet with Senator/Congressperson <<X>> while they are at the home office. I would like to talk with him/her about education policy issues that affect students in <<town or state>> and social studies educators. Is there a time the Senator/Representative would be available to sit down with me for a few minutes?”

Please note: This call could very likely result in a conversation with the staffer assigned to education issues in the office of the Representative or Senator.

Determine Meeting Logistics

Tell the scheduler or staffer if anyone will be attending the meeting with you.
Establish a time and place to meet. Keep in mind, most meetings are scheduled in 15-minute increments.
Don't forget to thank the scheduler.
If speaking with a staffer, confirm her/his fist and last name, thank her/him and express that you are looking forward to meeting.