Thoughts on District Trips

During my 13 years on #capitolhill Hill, I was privileged to have the opportunity to regularly conduct work trips to the states and districts my principals represented. Some of my best memories of my time serving as a #Congressional staffer came from these trips. Additionally, these trips allowed me to help me to better understand the issues of importance to my bosses’ constituents and to develop ideas on ways to address those issues. They also helped me better understand the constituents’ perspective and to find common ground with them during meetings.

In my experience, trips were most productive when they were planned carefully and collaboratively. The Chief of Staff and district staff colleagues can provide valuable feedback on what people and places it would be good to visit, and which issues are worth exploring further to better understand. Additionally, it can be helpful to have district staff colleagues accompany you on some of your visits.

If the budget and Congressional schedule allow, I recommend spending a week in the district and scheduling events in each of its regions and major communities. This will allow you to see the actual geography of the district and understand its traffic patterns. It also will allow you to experience its residents’ lives to some degree as you will eat in the same restaurants they do, listen to, and read the same news, and watch the same television stations. Ideally, you will make time to see some well-known local attractions like the Madonna Inn, the Bakersfield Condors, or the Bakersfield Fox Theatre.

Trips to the district also allow you to hear firsthand what local community leaders want and need. For example, after visiting a rural hospital, I was able to successfully secure an earmark to help purchase a much-needed MRI. Similarly, I was proud to help one of my bosses secure an earmark to equip the state police with dashboard video cameras to better protect them and the public after doing a ride-along. I will never forget watching the trooper I was riding with put his hands on the trunk and side of the patrol car before confronting the driver. When he returned, he asked me if I knew why he had done so and explained that if he had been killed, at least his prints would be on the culprit’s vehicle.

Travel to the district also allows you to build invaluable relationships with district colleagues and constituents that can develop into friendships. It is so valuable to be able to call a local community leader regularly to check-in and receive feedback on local event, legislation, and national issues. When you know the executive director of the chamber or the police chief or a hospital administrator, it is much easier to speak with them before a scheduled meeting with your boss to understand what they will be asking for and help your boss be well-prepared.

These relationships will add to your knowledge base. I will never forget the nights I spent traveling throughout the Central Valley under the starry skies with my friend Don Ludy as he visited different harvesting locations. Not only did I get to see the harvesting first-hand, I saw the Central Valley and its small towns like Corcoran, Delano, Shafter, and Wasco and its vast array of agricultural crops and operations. And, I was able to learn a great deal about issues of importance to Central Valley and American agriculture like ag immigration, water availability, farm credit, funding to combat plant pests, and disaster relief.

Likewise, when you spend time with your district colleagues, it helps to build office cohesion and collaboration. There are times when a caseworker colleague can use some help with responding to a difficult constituent case and can benefit from your assistance with an agency. There are also times when a district representative is going to speak to a group to represent the member and will benefit from a quick call or email with the latest policy update. You will also benefit as well by being able to check in with your district colleague before the member conducts a meeting with a constituent leader or group.

As for the mechanics of a district trip, I recommend drafting a detailed schedule with as much information as possible such as names, addresses, phone numbers. Once you return from the trip, I recommend turning your schedule into a trip memo for your member and supervisor, whether that is the Chief of Staff or Legislative Director. Include in the memo what was discussed, any impressions you have, and any ideas you have as to actions that could be taken to address the priorities, concerns, and challenges shared with you. These actions could be a bill, cosponsorship, appropriations request, or letter to an agency, etc. I would further recommend sharing that memo with your district colleagues as well so that they know where you have been, who you met with, what you learned, and what you learned.

While writing the memo will take some time, it will be a great resource for your boss and colleagues. It also will be a tool that you can call upon in the future when you are looking for a bill idea, preparing a cosponsorship or vote memo, or trying to prepare the boss for a meeting with constituents or a district event.

Keep in mind that advancement in your career will often come in the form of recommendations from people with whom you have worked. People are often asked who a good fit for a role that has come open would be. Additionally, you will need references when you pursue other jobs. Thus, it is in your best interest to update your contacts with the appropriate information for the people you meet with in the district and to send them quick emails to thank them and provide them with your contact information electronically.

In addition to helping you, this will also help your boss as his or her constituents will remember your follow-up email. In the end, this is the most important thing as when you travel to the district, you are representing your boss. You are serving as an extension of them and going places and meeting with people that they simply do not have the time to meet with or do not have the time to meet with regularly. In closing, be intentional, strategic, and collaborative and make your trips to the district matter.