Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
The office of Rep. Gus Bilirakis believes the best ideas come from those he serves and as such has embedded policies and practices throughout his office to maximize constituent engagement. All aspects of office operations revolve around a constituent-centered approach to public service. The office has cultivated a culture of excellence and continuous improvement that is supported by formal procedures. For example: intake and casework manuals that outline constituent response time of 24 hours; an organizational structure utilizing a shared intake drive that is checked by five intake staff members throughout the day to expedite processing; and routine weekly meetings between the legislative staff and district staff to identify trends in casework and in constituent feedback received through phone, letters, emails, outreach contact and survey results. The team actively seeks opportunities to find solutions through legislative action on issues that stem from constituent trends, often resulting in Dear Colleague letters, testimony at legislative hearings, and formal legislation. The Congressman's vote record is displayed on his website and the rationale for each vote is explained in his weekly newsletter. In total, the Congressman held approximately 100 in-person or tele-townhall meetings in 2023. Congressman Bilirakis hosts one tele-townhall each month during which he calls 100,000 constituents in the district.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
The office of Rep. Ayanna Pressley aims to practice "cooperative governing" and "keeping those closest to the pain closest to the power." This model of governing informs every interaction that the office has with constituents. Rep. Pressley leverages every congressional tool available to communicate important updates to her constituents, including a periodical newsletter with updates on her legislative work and upcoming events, and using social media platforms and press interviews to share federal resources. The office ensures that videos are captioned and photos include "alt-text" for constituents with hearing and visual impairments, and it is standard practice to use CART or live ASL translation for public community events. In 2023, Congresswoman Pressley held 4 in-person town halls, quarterly Traditional Telephone town halls, and at least 50 virtual town hall/round table or community meetings. Their office was also one of the first to use direct to camera videos and engaging social media graphics to update constituents on legislation, resources, and solicit feedback. In addition, all staff are trained on how to identify casework challenges or incoming letters that could be addressed through longer-term legislation, amendments, or appropriations requests. Finally, the office has inculcated into staff a mentality to look for and create access to constituents where barriers could exist. This includes language barriers, physically accessibility issues, even providing child care services at events so parents can attend.
Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
Since Rep. Sean Casten was elected in 2019, he's held over 70 town halls, averaging one per month. The Congressman does not shy away from controversial issues, often hosting town halls dedicated to topics such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the Trump impeachment, and government shutdowns. Town halls are live streamed, questions are not screened, and often there are guest speakers present, such as experts on housing or tax policy. The office's guiding policy is that their obligation to meet constituents where they are, and in addition to town halls, the office is active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, as well as through Q&As on Instagram and an AMA on Reddit. Through subscriber surveys, the office gauges specific information so that the information sent to constituents is tailored to their interests. During the weekly "SC Callback," Rep. Casten and staff regularly call back constituents to discuss their comments/concerns/questions.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
The office of Sen. Chuck Grassley follows a standard set by the Senator himself: constituents are the top priority. To hold themselves accountable, a twice-daily report goes out to the staff and Senator Grassley detailing the status of responses to constituent messages awaiting drafting or approval. To make sure Iowans' opinions on important issues are closely tracked, staff meet weekly with supervisors and the Senator to discuss message trends and account for the status of their responses. While in Washington, Senator Grassley sets aside at least eight 15-minute meetings each day for policy meetings with Iowans, in addition to meeting with school groups visiting their nation's capital. On an average week in Washington, Senator Grassley also sets aside nearly three hours to speak with local newspapers, radio stations, agriculture reporters and television stations, during which he discusses one news-of-the-day topic then opens the floor for questions. Taking the Senator's lead, staff ensure they are constantly accessible to Iowans. Iowans who visit Washington are always able to meet with a member of Grassley's staff, with or without an appointment. The state staff also hold traveling office hours in all of Iowa's 99 counties throughout the year as another way to keep in touch with Iowans across the state. Senator Grassley's most famous practice of accessibility is his annual commitment to holding at least one question-and-answer session in each of Iowa's 99 counties, the "Full Grassley," as this practice has become known. It has set the gold standard for constituent accessibility and representative government – so much so, that it's often emulated by presidential candidates, public officials, and other members of Congress.
