How Hard Is It To Get Into The Audience At Hearings?

[ThomWV]

Being retired I can come and go as I please. Travel to Washington by car with a mid-morning arrival at at METRO station is not out of the question.

If I want to be able to sit in the audience of a scheduled hearning how do I go about it? I presume that a Pass of some sort is required, possibly the same one give out for the Gallery of either the House of Senate? Anyone know?

Oh, I want to take one of my grandaughters (I've already checked with her parnets about pulling her out of school for a day now and then) who has expressed a real interest in going too.

[NMDemDist2]

1. here's a link or contact the dear Mr. Byrd's office

http://www.house.gov/house/tour_services.shtml

[Hippo_Tron]

2. I'm told it's much easier to get into a subcommittee hearing

Than into a full committee hearing.

[ThomWV]

3. I Shot E-Mails Out To Both Byrd and Rockefeller's Offices

To see if there's anything they can do to help.

[nealmhughes]

4. A lot of lobbyists pay "place keepers" to stand in line to get into committee meetings.

Then they pack the audience with supporters of whichever corporate enabling legislation is under review.

It won't be hard to get tickets from your senators or your congress member. Let them know in advance and how many you need. Be polite and reasonable. It is good free advertising back in the home district when Joe and Shirley across the street come back from DC and tell everyone how "nice" Congressman X's staff is and how he posed for pictures with them and gave them gallery tickets... They may even hand out free geegaws from the home district at the office! I had some great Missouri ham dried tidbits once on a lobbying trip! The staff had a kid with a spit cup for his chaw behind the desk! It made me homesick...I was in DC lobbying for a NY company!