How Your Congressperson Can Help You

By Tara Kwan on September 1, 2015

The White House. Source: whitehouse.gov

Politics may seem distant to college students whose main concerns range from finals that loom larger than life to attending the biggest parties. However, like it or not, politics play a big role in people’s lives and having the knowledge of what it can do will help you out. An example of how being politically knowledgeable is advantageous is learning how your Congressperson can help. Find out how your Congressperson can help you!

As a quick refresher of American Government 101, we all reside in a district where we are represented by a Congressperson. Your Congressperson is your representative in Congress- speaking up for you and working to pass policies for your benefit. There are 435 representatives representing all 50 states who are elected to 2 year terms. The number of representatives that each state has depends on its population but each state has at least 1 representative.

If you do not know who your Congressperson is, just click here to find out. From there, you can click on your representative to go to his/her website and learn more about them.

1. You need an internship.

Taking tough college classes and participating in various extracurricular activities are wonderful but you need the real-life work experience only an internship can give. It looks great on your resume when you are applying for your dream job!

Your Congressperson provides internships at his/her office. These internships may be unpaid, but do not write them off because they are  fantastic opportunities that also offer chances to earn academic credits. A Congressional internship allows you to learn basic office skills such as answering the phone, sharpening your writing skills from drafting emails to constituents to memos for staffers, gaining event-planning experience by helping out at events, making valuable connections, and so much more. Just look up your Congressperson’s website or call his/her office for available internship opportunities.

2. You have to help your favorite cousin immigrate to the United States but the paperwork is lagging.

Your Congressperson acts as a liaison between their constituent, you, and a federal agency. This means the office can facilitate the processes involved  and advocate on your behalf to encourage a favorable outcome. Issues dealing with federal agency can involve immigration, passports, veteran affairs, IRS, etc. You can get help regarding an issue with and only with a federal agency (local and state issues would concern your local and state representatives respectively) at your local Congressional office.

Due to the Privacy Act, you must first fill out a form giving your consent for the office to open up a case for you. You will then need to mail/fax the form with all of the supporting documents to the office or personally drop it off at the office during office hours. Please take in consideration that it will take some time for the information to be processed and keep in mind that the office will do its best to help you but they cannot guarantee results.

3. You want to fly a flag over the U.S. Capitol in the honor of your uncle who is returning from Afghanistan.

You can purchase an U.S. flag or you can purchase an U.S. flag to be flown over the U.S. Capitol from your Congressperson’s office. To do so, simply call the office or visit their website to fill out a form. You can choose from a variety of flags as well as specify the time period for the flag is flown. Depending on your specifications, the prices will vary. Contact the office several weeks ahead if you want the flag to be flown at a certain date because it takes time for the form and payment to be processed.

4. You want recognition for your club’s philanthropic efforts in raising money for the animal shelter.

Your Congressperson offers commendations to deserving organizations and individuals. Examples include grand openings, graduations, attaining Eagle Scout, acts of heroism, and much more. All you need to do to in order to receive your well-deserved certificate is to contact the office online or by phone with the necessary details. Make sure you contact the office well in advance before the certificate is to be presented so the office can prepare the certificate for you.

There is also another commendation your Congressperson can help you with and that is a Presidential Commendation/Greeting. You can request for this type of commendation for birthday greetings to persons 80 years or older, anniversary greetings for couples celebrating 50 years of marriage or greater, wedding greetings, and/or birth recognition of babies. To do so, you will need to fill out a form online or call the office and provide the needed information.

5.  Your family is planning to visit the Washington D.C. this summer and they want to tour the White House.

Touring the White House is a popular tourist activity. However, there is a high demand and the White House cannot admit everyone due to security concerns. If you would like to tour the White House, please inform your Congressperson’s office as soon as possible because there are a limited amount of tickets and they go out on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can look up the form request for tickets on their website or you can call their office.

6. You want to urge your Congressperson to vote yes on a bill that would help college students pay for tuition.

As your representative, your Congressperson is there to represent you and what you want. Your wishes are important to them. After all, without your votes, they could not have been elected. So, the lesson here is to be more proactive about politics! You can not expect your Congressperson to know what you want if you do not inform them.

To let your Congressperson know how you feel about a bill or issue, you can either call or write to their office. Be professional when expressing your opinion and supporting evidence that backs you up makes a stronger statement!

You can find out about the position of your Congressperson on issues on their website and you can look up whether a support a certain bill or not here.

7. Your brother wants to attend a service academy.

Congratulations to those of you taking the step to attend a U.S. service academy and serving the country! People who wish to attend a service academy can be nominated by their Congressperson. You will need to fill out a form on their website and either mail or drop off the form along with the required documents to the office. Check with your office when the deadline is. You do not want to miss that deadline!

A complete Military Nomination packet includes a current photo, high school transcript, ACT/SAT scores, resume of extracurricular activities, an essay stating why you wish to attend a service academy (500 words or less), and a minimum 3 letters of recommendation.

The main point is your Congressperson is there to help you. Do not forget this and let them help you!

Sources: House of Representatives and my Congresswoman’s website 

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