13th Annual NADCP Training Conference
Capitol Hill Day
Thursday, June 14, 2007

Drug court funding is in jeopardy. Two years ago, funding for the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Office was cut 75% from $40 million to $10 million. The President’s budget for 2008 eliminates funding for the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program altogether.

The time to act is now. The time to take drug courts to scale is now. The time to restore funding for drug courts is now.

We need your voice! There has never been a more critical time for drug court professionals to be heard in the Halls of Congress. Register to attend the 13th Annual NADCP Training Conference and take the opportunity of being in Washington, DC, to meet with your members of Congress.

On Thursday, June 14, NADCP will sponsor Capitol Hill Day, where drug court professionals can “Make our Mark!” Thousands of drug court professionals will schedule meetings with their Members of Congress. NADCP will provide bus transportation to Capitol Hill from the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on Thursday afternoon. Conference attendees will receive legislative packets, complete with the most current information on the efficacy of drug courts, to take to their meetings on the Hill. Capitol Hill Day will culminate in a rally on Capitol Hill Thursday evening, where Awards will be presented to Members of Congress for their exceptional support of drug courts throughout the nation.

This page offers more details on Capitol Hill Day, including tips for scheduling meetings with your Members of Congress, websites for critical information, and frequently asked questions.

We look forward to seeing you in Washington, DC, in June!!

SETTING UP A MEETING
WITH YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

As you prepare to attend the 13th Annual NADCP National Training Conference in Washington, D.C., we hope you will take the time to schedule a meeting with your representatives and senators to inform them of the work your drug court has done, and to urge them to support full appropriations to the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program. If more than one member of your drug court team is attending the conference, you may want to coordinate in scheduling and taking your message to Capitol Hill.

On Thursday, June 14, NADCP is organizing Capitol Hill Day – “Making our Mark!” Drug court professionals are encouraged to schedule meetings with their representatives and senators for that afternoon. (If your senator or representative is not available on Thursday, however, we encourage you to schedule a meeting for whatever time is possible while you are in Washington, D.C.) After a day of meeting with Members of Congress, conference attendees will rally on Capitol Hill to support funding for drug courts in the Upper Senate Park, where we will present several key Members of Congress with the NADCP Congressional Leadership Award. Buses will shuttle conference attendees between the Marriott Wardman Park and Capitol Hill from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm. The first buses will leave the conference hotel for Capitol Hill after the Capitol Hill Day luncheon, where a member of the United States Congress will address the audience.

Scheduling a meeting with your senator or representative may be difficult, but this guide is designed to help you make the most of your opportunity.

To find the names and contact information for your members of Congress, go to http://www.house.gov/ and http://www.senate.gov/

As Soon As Possible

1) Call the Washington, D.C., Office of your Members of Congress

Each Member of Congress maintains a staff, and specific issues are assigned to individual staff members. In your initial call, ask for the person who is “responsible” for the Member’s Justice Department Appropriation work.

When you reach the staffer, tell them who you are and that you would like to set up a meeting with your Member of Congress. Tell them what dates you will be in Washington, and what you want to discuss. It is important that you clearly identify the issue(s) you want to address in your meeting. If the staffer thinks you’re only dropping in to have your picture taken, they may be less willing to follow up on your request. Some good topics for discussion would be:

1. Provide an update on your local and state’s drug court activity;
2. Provide an update on state and national drug court research;
3. Encourage your Member of Congress to support full funding for drug courts

Important note: Make sure you get the name of the staffer, because you will be sending them a follow up letter.

Another important note: The Member’s schedule is actually set by a staffer called the “scheduler”, who will NOT be the same person as the staffer in charge of drug courts. Ask for their name as well, and ask if a copy of your follow up letter should be sent to the scheduler.

As Soon As Possible

2) Send a follow-up letter

Congressional offices field hundreds of phone calls a day. To ensure your request does not get lost in the shuffle, you need to send a follow-up letter. The follow-up letter is a formal request for a meeting, and should clearly spell out who you are, what you want to talk about, and when you will be available for a meeting. The letter should be addressed to your Member of Congress, and should carbon copy the staffer with whom you spoke in your initial phone call. The request letter should be short and simple.

Important note: Due to security concerns, mail addressed to Congress can take weeks to arrive. Thus, you should, email and fax a copy of the letter to the Washington office, to the attention of the staffer responsible for drug courts.

3) Make a follow-up call

A week or two after you fax your request letter, you should follow up with a phone call to the staff person. Ask them if they received the request letter. If they did not, fax it to them again.

The staffer may ask you for additional information about your drug court, or about drug courts in your state. If you do not have the information, please contact NADCP, and we will try to assist you.

If the staffer tells you that the Member of Congress is not available on the days you’ve requested, don’t despair. Meeting with the staffer can still be productive.

If the staffer offers to meet with you, accept their offer and try to set up the date and time.

Before June 8, 2007

4) Re-Confirm Meeting

Before you leave for Washington, D.C., contact the staff person to confirm your meeting date and time. Life moves pretty quickly on Capitol Hill, and staffers often rearrange their schedules at the last minute.

5) Prepare for your Meeting

NADCP will provide you with a Legislative Packet at the National Conference. The Legislative Packet will include basic information about drug court and the needs of the programs nationwide. You are also encouraged to bring information about your local program to share with your representatives and senators.

Know what you want to say. Regardless of who you meet with, you may have no more than 10-15 minutes to state your case. Also, be prepared to listen! Sometimes Members of Congress and their staff are content to hear you out, but they may also come to the meeting with questions of their own. If you can answer their questions, do so. If you cannot, tell them you’ll get back to them with the information.

6) Follow-up after your Meeting

Following-up on your meeting is a good way to ensure that your meeting has a lasting impact. You should send a letter to your Member of Congress and the staffer thanking them for taking the time to meet with you. If there were any unanswered questions during the meeting, try to send them that information as well. Again, be sure to fax or email your follow up letter.