Congress will be in recess for the majority of August and into early September, which means for the next five weeks opportunities to speak directly to your members of Congress at Town Halls and similar events will abound, especially this year! Every House member and one-third of the Senate is up for reelection this fall, which means these members will be looking to connect with voters during this recess period.
The information below will show you how to find out about these priceless opportunities. And remember, no matter what the results are in the general election in November, if your member is retiring, or what changes may have occurred due to redistricting, your current members of Congress will be in office, representing you, until the next Congress begins, which isn’t until early January 2023. The only exception is if a seat is currently vacant, in which case the newly elected member will be seated soon after the November election, rather than at the start of the new Congress.
Because the Lymphedema Treatment Act has now been passed out of committee, meeting with members who are already cosponsors is just as important as meeting with members who are not supporting the bill yet. We need cosponsoring members to help us ensure that the bill gets a vote in the full House and Senate by the end of the year, and to vote for it when that time comes. If the bill is not signed into law during this Congress then we have to start all over in the next Congress.
Many Town Halls and other constituent events are announced with very little notice, but by following these simple suggestions you’ll be sure to know as soon as these opportunities are made public:
- Check the website Town Hall Project and subscribe to be automatically notified if one of your members of Congress has an upcoming event.
- Subscribe to your members’ newsletters. You can do this by visiting their website, which you can find using a search engine or by visiting the main Houseand Senate websites.
- Follow your members of Congress on social media. Sometimes events are announced there first, and some members even hold virtual Town Halls through Facebook Live.
- Watch for members participate in or make appearances at public events such as parades and county or state fairs.
Most members are hosting a mix of in-person and virtual events, and often these events require registration in advance. In many cases you can also submit questions in advance, and our advocates have had very good luck having their questions chosen when they do! Most members are eager to discuss a bipartisan issue that personally affects their constituent.
If you are planning to attend an event and would like help preparing please let us know, and we’d be happy to assist you. Thank you so much for your continued advocacy!
Heather Ferguson
Founder & Executive Director
Lymphedema Advocacy Group
LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
