Guatemala Adoption Information and News: Congressional Meeting Packet

August 13, 2003

Congressional Meeting Packet

The Bay Area Group (CA) has been very successful with convening meetings with high-ranking staff members in the offices of Senators and Representatives in their area. They have pulled together information on a wide range of topics and put it into a format for use in meetings with our elected officials. The packet, which is currently 95 pages long (so don't just download and hit print unless you're really ready for that), is most effective when placed in a binder and left with the staff member after the meeting. They have also provided helpful hints about scheduling meetings, what you should bring, how you should prepare, etc.

Some notes about the packet:
(1) you will have to revise sections of it based on the composition of your own group - for instance, there is space for a list of group members, pictures, etc that will be different for each group. If you don't use a section of the packet, make sure to remove mention of it from the table of contents.
(2) there are portions of the packet that use color - for changing the color of text directly, highlighting sections of text, a map, etc. If you are using a black and white printer, go through the document carefully to make sure that these areas are still legible and differentiated from the rest of the text.
(3) this is a large file (95 pages) and might take a little while to download. Please be patient.

Please, feel free to use this packet in your meetings with senators and representatives.

Congressional Packet Kit - ms word

The Bay Area group indicated that they didn�t start seeing what they really need from the reps (calls/ letters) until they began meeting with them. The dozens of letters their office received prior to the request for a meeting got their interest, but it was the meetings that really have been the golden nugget in terms of getting officials to ACT on our concerns.

Julie Nicholson has put together some pointers that the Bay Area Group has learned from these meetings. You can find it at:

Helpful hints for Congressional meetings - ms word

Julie is willing to correspond with anyone who wants further information on setting up a meeting, how theirs have gone, etc. She can be reached at: juliemn@earthlink.net.

If you simply want to know what to ask for when the congressional offices call in response to your repeated letters, a list of "action points" (which is also found in the packet) has been compiled. Remember that meeting directly with a staffer is the best way to get action, but you can start with the action points here:

Action Points

A big thanks to all of the people who have worked on this packet, and provided documents or information for inclusion. We hope that it will be put to use by many people as senators and representatives all over the country are faced with requests for meetings on this issue!

Posted by at August 13, 2003 12:05 AM

Comments

Can anyone advise me how to acquire my case number so that I may check my progress in PGN. My lawyer has not released it to me. Thanks.

Posted by: Pam at August 13, 2003 02:38 PM

Anyone else having trouble opening the large file?

Posted by: Chelsea Flitton at August 13, 2003 06:39 PM

I am an adoptive mother of a child from Guatemala and have been sending letters to congressman, etc. on behalf of parents currently involved in the adoption process. I recently received a phone call from Brenna Finley (not sure if this is the correct spelling), an aide to Iowa Representative, Steve King at his Washington, D.C. office. She expressed the fact that Congressman King is a strong advocate of adoption and wishes to help those involved in the Guatemalan adoption process. Ms. Finley specifically asked about any Iowan families in need of assistance and Iowan families living in the fifth district currently in need of assistance. I was unable to supply her with this information so I am posting this message urging any Iowan families directly involved in Guatemalan adoption to contact Congressman King's Washington, D.C. office. I also think that Congressman King would be an adovcate for U.S. families in general, from Iowa or not, so it might be wise to request a meeting with him, if possible, or at least call his Washington, D.C. office ASAP. The telephone number to Steve King's Washington, D.C. office is 202 225-4426.

Posted by: Cherie at August 14, 2003 08:58 AM

what lawyer did you use? I want to make sure we don't use them. We are in the process of starting adoption of a guatemalan child. What agency did you use and have you been satisfied?

Posted by: jamie at January 20, 2004 03:03 PM

Posted by: propecia at May 11, 2004 05:31 AM

Posted by: debt consolidation loan at November 3, 2004 08:46 AM

Posted by: debt consolidation loan at November 3, 2004 08:47 AM

Posted by: debt consolidation loan at November 3, 2004 08:48 AM