Tom Daschle

If you’re planning a trip to Washington, D.C., follow some basic recommendations for protocol when visiting with a member of Congress or a White House staffer. Plan your trip to the Capitol Building around Congressional recesses, and be sure to have all the correct contact information for the House of Representatives and Senate to make travel easier and quicker.

After Congress passes a bill, it doesn't become law without the president's signature, and if he vetoes it, it may not be enacted at all (although Congress has the option of overriding the veto). Thus, the president is an immensely powerful presence throughout the legislative process despite his small constitutional role.

As soon as you start working with the United States Congress, you begin hearing about this bill or that bill. It's as if someone named Bill is everywhere in Washington. In the congressional context, a bill is simply a proposal, an idea, that's written up in legislation and presented to the Congress. Starting with an idea It all starts with an idea, a simple concept.

Usually when people refer lobbyists, they're talking about professionals, people who hire themselves out to clients to work on their behalf. Frequently, lobbyists started their careers either as members of Congress or as congressional staffers, leaving government service and then using their contacts on behalf of their clients.

As part of a balanced, three-branch system, with the American people serving as the big boss who hires them and can fire them at election time, Congress has to maintain working relationships with various bodies and constituencies. House-Senate relations Having been set up to provide checks and balances over one another, members of each chamber of Congress tend to get annoyed with each other.

A congressional recess is a time when congress isn’t meeting but will meet again. The recesses usually fall around a major holiday (usually lasting a week or two) and the month of August. Check your current year’s calendar for exact dates of recesses: Presidents Day: February Passover/Easter: March or Apri

If you’re trying to meet with your Senator or Representative to lobby for a cause, these tips can help you prepare for your trip to Capitol Hill (or to your local government offices) and make a lasting first impression: Be prompt, brief, and concise. Know your goals. Prepare the ground. Do your homework.

You can gather information about your representative from his or her Web site, but if you need to contact another member or staffer of the House of Representatives, try the email formula below. Of course, you can always call or go the old-fashioned way and mail a letter. Here’s the House contact information you'll need: The House of Representatives Web site: www.

If you need to contact your Senator or a Senate staffer, use the following information, which provides a variety of options, including phone, e-mail, address, and location of Senate offices: The Senate Web site: www.Senate.gov Senate e-mail addresses consist of the person’s first name and last name, separated by a dot, followed by @[last name of senator].