Reaching out to Members of Congress—particularly newly elected Members and those on key committees—is a great way to introduce them to bicycling as a transportation issue, and to learn about them and any views they may have on bicycling issues.
Transportation Reauthorization on the Agenda in 2026
Transportation is on the congressional agenda right now with the next transportation bill to be passed in 2026. The transportation bill is a five-year spending authorization bill, which supplies millions of dollars to states and localities for bicycling and walking projects. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the current transportation bill, expires on September 30, 2026.
Federal funding for bicycling is on the chopping block
We need your voice to speak up for bicycling.
When Congress is in recess in Washington, your elected representatives are typically back on home in your district. This presents the perfect opportunity for you to meet with your senators and representative to discuss bicycling issues.
You can visit with your Member of Congress right in your home district.
Every Member of Congress has at least one office in their district, and some have several. The district office(s) will be listed on their website or you can use Congress.gov to find your elected officials.
District Offices vs. Washington, DC Offices
Senators and Representatives have offices both in Washington, DC, and in their home state. As you would expect, the Washington office staff are mostly focused on federal legislation and issues. The district office staff focuses on constituent services and how federal programs affect their state or district.
A district visit is very effective because it helps you build a relationship with the Representative and local staff at a time when the member and staff may have time for a more relaxed meeting. It’s also a good time to introduce an issue and yourself (as an expert resource) before legislation is drafted. District staff often informs the Member as to how legislation may affect their constituents.
The Benefits of a District Visit
- You are more likely to get time with the member of Congress
- Very few constituents take advantage of contacting their district office about legislative issues, so when you meet in the district you will make an impression
- If you build a rapport with staff at the district office, you’ll have a better chance of getting your member to an event in the district.
The Challenges of a District Visit
- The staff are often more focused on constituent services than the intricacies of certain policies or the current debate on a specific piece of legislation.
Scheduling an In-District Meeting
First, call the district office and ask for the scheduler. Ask the scheduler how to request a meeting. They will likely ask you to send a written request, by mail or email, but while you have the scheduler on the phone, ask them:
- What days the Representative will be in the district office
- What information should be in the written request
- The scheduler's name and email, as well as for the name and email of the transportation staffer
Next, send a letter or email requesting a meeting with your representative. Be sure your letter includes:
- An ask to meet
- What issue you want to talk about
- Who is coming to the meeting
- A couple of dates that work for you and your team
Address the letter to the Member of Congress, but email it to the scheduler and transportation staffer.
Prepare For Your Meeting
Even before you've scheduled a date for your in-district lobby visit, you can be preparing for your meeting.
Background research on your representative will help inform what stakeholders will have the biggest influence. Does your representative prioritize small businesses? Think about local bike shop owners or Bicycle Friendly Businesses that might be eager to join your meeting. If your Member really cares about education, think about teachers, parents or even kids who bike that could be great advocates.
Think locally and be able to make the case for why bicycling and walking are important to your community, whether that is an anecdotal story about a neighborhood coming alive or facts and figures about increased access to transit. If you have newspaper articles or examples of how local elected officials or business have voiced their support this issue, bring those along with you.
Gather data from our Bicycle Friendly America award database about communities, businesses, and universities in your area. Also be sure to print off copies of our Bicycle Friendly State report cards to brief the Member of their staff.
Most lobby meetings don’t end with the Representative changing their mind and endorsing your agenda whole heartedly. If that happens, great! If it doesn’t, don’t worry. Remember this is just one step to building a relationship. Most of the time though, district visits are friendly events.
Worried about what to say? Or how to respond to spontaneous questions? Or what to wear? Watch our webinar about how to be a successful lobbyist. We've also prepared a detailed toolkit with tips on logistics, answering tough questions, making your case, following up and more.
Finally, Follow Up!
Always write a follow up thank you letter referring to the most significant points covered. If they committed to vote your way, arrange for thank you letters supporting your issue to be sent to their office—you may be able to convince a long-standing supporter of bicycling-related issues to assume a leadership role influencing other legislators.
If you found your legislator on the fence, find out what concerns them, and ask if there is any information you can get for them that would help make up their mind. Make every effort to organize delegations and letters to swing their vote and consider setting up a local “show me” event in your community to highlight the benefits of bicycling.
Then, share what you learned: write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the meeting. (Make sure to send a copy of the published article to the staffer you met with.) Post on social media thanking the Member for the meeting (we hope you snapped a picture!) and keep the language positive.
Lastly, use the sample feedback form in the toolkit to record what you learned and please let the League know what your lawmaker had to say. We utilize your feedback in Washington to guide who we target in our efforts here!