2009 NASBP Legislative Fly-in Day
“Bond Producers Take the Hill”
Tuesday, September 22
Table of Contents
Background
Hotel Accommodations
Visiting Your Members of Congress
Sample Meeting Request Letter for Bond
Producers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What to
do after NASBP's Legislative Fly-in Day
Register
Online
Background
Thank you for agreeing to attend the National Association of Surety
Bond Producers (NASBP) Legislative Fly-in Day, themed “Bond
Producers Take the Hill.” The purpose of this guide is to help you
prepare for your visit to Washington, DC on Tuesday, September 22. The
information contained in this packet will range from planning your trip
to Washington DC to making your congressional visits once you arrive in
our Nation’s Capitol.
NASBP has undertaken great efforts to increase its visibility on
Capitol Hill to advocate its federal government relations agenda and to
remind elected officials and their staff about the important role surety
bonds play in our Nation’s economy.
To that end, NASBP will continue to build its momentum and presence
on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 22, when it conducts the 2009
NASBP Legislative Fly-in Day. The event will include a morning briefing
and orientation program with key policymakers. Confirmed speakers
at that morning briefing include Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY),
Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and the U.S. SBA Administrator Karen
Mills. The day will culminate with an NASBP hosted
reception on Capitol Hill later that evening in the Rayburn House Office
Building room B-338. The reception will feature cocktails and reception
fare only.
The Legislative Fly-in Day is being organized for all NASBP members
and affiliates throughout the U.S. and is being held immediately
following the NASBP September 20-21 Regions 8, 9, 10 & 11 Meeting.
If you plan to attend the Legislative Fly-in and are arriving on Monday
evening, a reception hosted by Regions 8, 9, 10 & 11 will begin
at 5:30 p.m. and you are welcome to attend this Regional
Meeting reception held the day before the Fly-in.
Legislative Fly-in Morning Program—September 22
The morning of September 22 from 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. will consist of
a policy briefing and orientation session held at the Grand Hyatt
Washington Hotel, in Washington, D.C. A continental breakfast will
be served beginning at 7 a.m. NASBP members and staff will present on
pressing legislative issues that impact the surety industry and will
review materials members may choose to “leave behind” when
meeting with their Congressional representatives later that
afternoon.
The morning program also will include an update from invited federal
policymakers who will discuss the current legislative environment and
important and timely issues, such as the revitalization of the Small
Business Administration (SBA) Surety Bond Guarantee Program, and
legislative efforts to assist small businesses in preparing themselves
for surety credit so they may compete for construction contracting
opportunities.
The afternoon of September 22nd is reserved for NASBP members and
affiliates to visit with their congressional representatives to discuss
issues that impact the surety industry. Finally, the day concludes with
an NASBP-hosted reception with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails only on
Capitol Hill beginning at 5 p.m. Our invited list will include key
members of Congress and their staff.
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Hotel Accommodations
The NASBP Legislative Fly-in morning program will be held at the Grand Hyatt
Washington Hotel located at 1000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC and
convenient to congressional offices.
To reserve a room, please dial 202-582-1234 and request the NASBP
room block. The NASBP rate is $275 plus applicable taxes. The room
cutoff date for this price is Wednesday, August 19, 2009.
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Visiting Your Members of Congress
Scheduling Your Visit
Below are helpful directions and pointers to schedule your
congressional appointment(s):
- Call or email the congressional representative’s office. All
offices may be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202)
224-3121. (The operator will answer the call saying, “Capitol
Switchboard;” the caller requests, “Will you please connect
me to Senator/Representative ______’s office.”) You should
do this at least one month prior to your intended visit.
- Once connected to the congressional representative’s office,
request to speak with the scheduler or appointments’
secretary.
- Identify yourself as a constituent of the congressional
representative and let the scheduler know that you will be visiting
Washington, DC on September 22nd and that you are seeking an appointment
with the legislator.
- When setting up an appointment, ask for an appointment with the
member of Congress. If your congressional representative is unable to
meet with you, ask for an appointment with the staff person that handles
the issues you wish to address. This might be the chief of staff, the
legislative director or a legislative assistant. If you receive an
appointment with a staff person, be sure to confirm the name and title
of the staff person before thanking the scheduler and ending the
call.
- If you are not successful in securing a meeting, follow-up with a
phone call a few days later, and continue to contact the office until
you secure a meeting time with the office.
- If you are unsure who your members of Congress are, please
visit the NASBP Grassroots Action Center by clicking here.
This page includes tools to identify and contact your federal
elected officials to make an appointment with them. With a few
simple steps, you can send a letter to your elected officials by
using the sample letter NASBP has drafted, titled "A Request to Meet In
Person." Select this letter after you've selected "More
information" about your elected official. The text of this
sample letter is also below. See the "Sample Meeting Request Letter for
Bond Producers" by clicking here.
- When making multiple appointments, it is important to remember to
keep in mind where offices are located. It is approximately a 20-25
minute walk from Senate office buildings to House office buildings.
- House office buildings are coded by a number; a meeting in a 3 digit
room is in Cannon, a meeting in a 4 digit room beginning with a 1 is in
Longworth; and a meeting in a 4 digit room beginning with a 2 is in
Rayburn (for example, if you have a 2 p.m. meeting in Room 1233 and a
2:30 p.m. meeting in room 303, your first meeting is on the second floor
of Longworth followed by a meeting on the third floor of Cannon. Click
here to
download a map of Capitol Hill including the Senate and House Office
Buildings.
- If the office asks what issues you would like to discuss, tell them
you would like to discuss issues relating to federal construction
contracting and surety bonding, including preserving the Federal Miller
Act and prohibiting the practice of contracting bundling so that small
construction firms can compete on federal construction projects. NASBP
will provide attendees with “leave behind” materials
describing these issues succinctly.
- Call to confirm your meeting two or three days beforehand.
- Please plan on arriving at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled
appointments, as you will be required to enter through security at each
of the House/Senate Office buildings.
- Please remember to bring a government issued photo ID.
Visit Dos and Don’ts
- Don't be disappointed. Even though your meeting is with the
congressional representative, expect to meet with a member of his/her
staff instead. Senators and Representatives rely heavily on the opinions
of their staff when making decisions.
- Don’t expect to meet with the congressional representative or
his/her staff for more than twenty to thirty minutes.
- Be flexible. Your meeting suddenly may take place in the hallway on
the way to a vote or may be cancelled with no warning. Members'
schedules are constantly changing, which may end up affecting your
meeting.
- Be concise with your points.
- Do connect with your congressional members and their staff. Ask them
to share their goals and the issues they care about. Try to find common
ground between their priorities and yours.
- Don’t be argumentative. Do be polite and extend the courtesy
you yourself would expect.
- Do thank your congressional representative. Thank them for
supportive actions they have taken or simply for meeting with you.
- Be prepared to speak to opposing positions. Know opposing
viewpoints, so that you can more effectively articulate and defend your
points. If you don't know the answer to a question or how to respond to
your Congressperson, tell him/her that you will get more
information.
- Make specific, clear requests and ask for an answer. Your
congressional representative ultimately works for you, and he/she needs
to know specifically what you want, whether it is to sponsor a bill,
vote a certain way, or speak with another Representative or Senator. In
addition to your requests, don't be afraid to ask your congressional
representative what he/she feels can be done for your issue.
- Do leave behind concise information. If you leave large amounts of
reading material, your main message will get lost in the volume of
paper. Put this information in a file folder with your organization's
name on the label. Make sure that your website address and contact
information are on every piece of correspondence that you leave or send
to the office.
- Do follow-up after the meeting with a brief thank you note and any
information that you agreed to furnish the congressional
representative.
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Sample Meeting Request Letter for Bond
Producers
The Honorable <Member’s Name>
c/o <Scheduler’s Name>
<Number><Office Building Name>
Washington, DC <Zip>
Dear <Member Title><Member’s Last Name>:
I am a surety bond producer who resides/works in <your state>
and an active member of the National Association of Surety Bond
Producers (NASBP), representing more than 450 companies engaged in
placing surety bonds for the Nation’s construction projects. I
will be visiting Washington, DC on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 as part
of NASBP’s Legislative Fly-in Day, and I would like to schedule an
appropriate time that afternoon to meet with you to discuss issues of
importance to the surety bond community.
One issue NASBP has been advocating for on Capitol Hill this session
is increasing the participation of emerging construction firms in the
federal procurement environment. NASBP believes this only may be
accomplished by Congress expressly including the procurement of
“construction” within the scope of current anti-bundling
rules. In the 110th Congress, H.R.1873 included language amending the
statutory definition of contract bundling to include the procurement of
construction, so that these procurements are scrutinized to eliminate
improper bundling of contracts into ever larger procurements, thereby
providing more small construction firms with the opportunity to
participate as prime contractors on federal construction projects.
Another issue of concern to NASBP is the strict adherence to and
observance of the Federal Miller Act, an Act first passed in 1935 to
require that, before any federal construction project is awarded for any
public building or public works project, the construction contractor
must furnish a performance and payment bond to protect taxpayers,
suppliers and subcontractors in the event of contractor default or
insolvency. NASBP believes that now more than ever it is imperative that
bonding requirements in the form of bid, performance, and payment bonds
from certified or admitted corporate sureties are required for all
public construction projects and that any waiver of or reduction in
statutory bond requirements needlessly places at risk taxpayer funds and
the payment remedies of countless subcontractors and suppliers.
These are two issues of importance to the surety bond community that
I would like to speak to you about, if your schedule permits. If you are
unable to schedule a meeting, I would welcome a meeting with the staff
person within your office who handles these matters.
Thank you for your continued leadership in Congress.
Sincerely,
|
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NASBP’s Legislative Fly-in Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)
What is the closest airport to Capitol Hill?
The closest airport to Capitol Hill is Ronald Reagan National Airport in
Arlington, Virginia. The two other DC-area airports are BWI Thurgood
Marshall Airport (Baltimore, MD) and Dulles International Airport
(Chantilly, VA). Reagan National Airport is less than five miles from
Capitol Hill and is accessible by public transportation. BWI and Dulles
are not accessible by DC public transportation, but do have shuttle
service to DC.
How can I get to/from the airport to the hotel?
If you take the Washington, DC Metro system (DC's subway,) the hotel
is near the Metro Center stop which is accessible by the Red, Blue,
Yellow and Green Lines. Taxis and other transportation are available
from Reagan National to the Grand Hyatt. For additional information
concerning maps and directions to the Grand Hyatt please click here.
Where is the event taking place?
The NASBP Fly-in legislative briefing and orientation program will
be held on the morning of Tuesday, September 22 at the Grand Hyatt
Washington located at 1000 H Street, NW, Washington, DC.
What time does the event start?
The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude at 11:30 a.m. (a
continental breakfast will be served beginning at 7 a.m.) Feel free to
set up your hill visits any time after the meeting concludes at 11:30
a.m. It takes less than 30 minutes by Metro from the Grand Hyatt to the
Senate and House Office Buildings on Capitol Hill.
How do I get from the Grand Hyatt to Capitol Hill?
If your Hill visits are with a House member of Congress, take the Orange
Line from Metro Center to Capitol South. If your Hill visits are with a
member of the Senate, take the Red Line from Metro Center to Union
Station. To download a map of Capitol Hill including the Senate and
House Office Buildings, click here. Taxis are also available for a nominal charge
to Capitol Hill.
Where is the NASBP Reception?
A reception will be held after your visits beginning at 5 p.m. on
Tuesday, September 22 in the Rayburn House Office Building room
B-338.
What is the dress for the event?
The appropriate dress for visiting a Congressional office is business
attire.
What do I need to bring with me for the event?
What will NASBP provide for me? NASBP will provide a U.S. Congress
Handbook (which includes all the contact information for all members of
Congress), NASBP briefing material/issue briefs on issues of concern, a
name tag, and folders for your visits to your members of Congress that
you may leave behind. Also, please bring plenty of business cards for
networking and to leave behind on your Hill visits.
What restaurants are nearby the Hotel and Capitol Hill?
The Hotel has the Cure/Bar Bistro and the Grand Slam which caters to
sports entertainment and light dining. Within close walking distance of
the Grand Hyatt are Bobby Van's Grill, (Steak House) 1201 New York Ave.,
Tosca Ristorante, (Italian) 1112 F Street, McCormick and Schmicks,
(Seafood) 901 F Street, Oceanaire, (Seafood) 1201 F Street, Chef Geoff's
Downtown, (American) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., the Old Ebbitt Grille, (a
DC Institution) 675 15th Street, TenPenh, (Pan Asian) 1001 Pennsylvania
Ave, NW and Zaytinya, (Mediterranean Tapas) 701 9th Street. You may also
refer to the concierge for additional options.
If your meetings are on the House side of the Capitol, there is
Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, (American) 223 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, and
the Thunder Grill, (Southwestern) 50 Massachusetts Ave, SE.
If your meetings are on the Senate side of the Capitol, for more
formal dining there is B. Smith’s at Union Station (American),
Bistro Bis, (French) 15 E Street NE, Charlie Palmer’s Steak, 101
Constitution Ave, NW or the Monocle, (American) 107 D Street, NE. For
more casual dining there is the Union Station Food Court, Capitol City
Brewing Company, 2 Massachusetts Ave, and the Dubliner (Irish), 520
North Capital Street.
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What to do
after NASBP’s Legislative Fly-in Day
Thank you for participating in NASBP’s Legislative Fly-in Day
for 2009, themed “Bond Producers Take the Hill.” The
following are the steps you need to take after your participation in the
event:
- Let NASBP know how your visits went. This is critical to
NASBP’s advocacy efforts and allows us to ensure that any
questions posed by Congressional staff can be answered in a timely
manner.
- Please let NASBP know of any feedback you may have concerning the
Fly-in event. What might you have changed about the program, reception,
materials, etc.? Your feedback allows NASBP to make changes accordingly
to next year's program
- Keep up to date with NASBP advocacy efforts through our government
relations web pages and communications, by clicking here.
- Stay engaged by volunteering to serve on NASBP committees, such as
the Government Relations Committee.
