The ARS Legislative Affairs Office can help you decide on the best date to schedule an event at your facility and also help write the invitation letters to Members of Congress and congressional staff, and Decision Memorandums to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Under Secretary. If you are not scheduling an event such as a groundbreaking, open house, or building dedication in the near future, you should issue an invitation to your congressional delegation to visit the laboratory.
During the holiday and recess periods, most Senators and Representatives return to their State or District offices. Use this time to make acquaintances with newly elected officials and/or to maintain/renew contacts with re-elected Members of Congress. Look at the congressional calendar provided on this webpage so you can suggest dates and options in your invitation letter. Work with and invite the staff in the district/state offices to visit the labs. They are often a good resource for knowing when the elected official is going to be home for another event and helping you piggy-back a visit to your lab. You may also want to contact the Agricultural Legislative Assistant (Ag LA) and brainstorm on how to target the invitation so the boss will readily see the importance and connection of this lab visit with an issue that is important to his/her constituents.
Objectives of the congressional visits are multiple:
- Make Members of Congress aware of or remind them of the lab's presence and existence
- Showcase how Federal investments in ARS are paying dividends to their districts/state/nation
- Help them understand the organization affiliation with USDA-ARS
- Outline in lay terms the lab's research program scope and goals (emphasize problem solving, outcomes, public benefits)
- Identify customer/user groups who benefit from the research conducted in the lab
Discussion can also be expected to deal with new program needs and resource issues (e.g. staffing, funding, facilities, land). At the request of the visitor, this information can be provided in writing as a follow-up to the visit but the nature and content of this communication should be cleared with the Area Director and in some cases with headquarters. This will help insure consistency in the numbers and information provided to Congress. Copies of the information provided should be forwarded to the ARS budget office and legislative affairs office.
On this webpage is a table listing the congressional representation for each ARS location as well as staff and office information. This is a good starting point for issuing invitational letters and making contact with the Ag LA in the Senators and Representative's offices. Please bcc your invitational letter to the Area Director and my office. After the congressional visit, please report the details on the ARS-213 form which is provided in electronic format on this webpage and can be emailed to the required offices with a mouse click.
Feel free to contact me if you need assistance in setting up a congressional visit or planning an event.
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