Page 9 - Microsoft Word - 2017 Spring Visit brochure DAC.dox.docx

Legislative Protocol

CBA has scheduled congressional appointments with four key members of the delegation

What do I do when I get to my scheduled appointment?

Pre-meeting
• Plan on arriving to your legislator's office approximately 5 minutes before your appointment time. Take this
time to visit with the bankers who are scheduled to be in the office with you and perhaps designate a
"group leader" who will be responsible for starting the conversation and moving it along should it lag.
• Upon arrival inside the office, identify yourself to the front desk person and let him or her know you have
an appointment scheduled with the Senator/Representative or with his/her staff.
• Sign the guest book. Remember, you are a constituent, and while legislators and their staffs are busy,
they're in DC to serve the people of their districts – that means you!
• If it turns out that your Senator/Representative is not able to meet with you, ask to visit with his/her
banking legislative assistant (L.A.) for a few minutes

During the appointment
• Introduce yourself, tell the legislator briefly about your bank – number of employees, years in business,
asset size, kinds of loans, etc. Doing this will let your Senator/ Representative know how important your
institution is to your community.
• Understand that your time with your legislator is brief, so try to focus on one issue you want to be sure to
hammer home. Please don’t waste valuable time making small talk (i.e. sports, weather, Donald Trump…)
Stick to the agenda at hand.
• Be sure to offer yourself as a resource should the member or his/her staff have any banking-related
questions they'd like answered in the future. Leave your card.

After the appointment
• Consider writing your legislator a quick thank you note following the meeting. If you met with staff, be sure
to mention that you look forward to working with both the legislator and his staff (by name) in the future.
• Again, offer yourself as a banking resource for your legislator – this will pay huge dividends in the future!

Other suggestions
• Be patient. Understand that legislators have huge demands on their time while they're in Washington, and
they usually run late as a result.
• Be a good listener. It's important for the legislator to have his/her views heard. Their comments and
questions should provide insight for follow-up materials. Your meeting is meant to facilitate an exchange of
ideas.
• Be appreciative. Again, schedule demands during session are great, so make sure to thank your legislator
for his/her time. Keep a friendly tone during the meeting; your legislator may not share your view; but it's
important to be respectful of their opinions.

• Be willing to step outside of your comfort zone. Don't hesitate to walk into an office without an
appointment, especially if you're a constituent or you have branches in the legislator's district. Legislators
and their staff are generally happy to meet with constituents without appointments, especially those who
are patient.

ABA Government Relations Summit | Spring 2017 | Participants’ Guide Page 9.