Government Relations Toolkit

Resources for advocacy at the state and federal levels. 

Finding your Representative and Senators

Committees

Most of the work of Congress is conducted through committees. If your representative or one of your senators is on one of these committees, make a special effort to keep in touch on our issues. You can see committee assignments for your representatives at the House and the Senate

The most important committees for our purposes are the so-called “authorizing” committees, which approve new legislation on a set of issues and provide oversight of relevant agencies, and the appropriations committees, which allocate funding in the budget to line items created by the authorizing committees. For most of our core areas of concern, the education committees are the authorizing committees.

Furthermore, on issues related to student lending and university finances, other committees may occasionally hold hearings and jointly approve new legislation with the education committees.

Advocacy Guides

Tip sheets

Webinars

Background reading on legislative and administrative processes

Issue Advocacy Toolkits