Expedited Delivery of Letters to Congress

Whenever time sensitive material must be delivered to a member of Congress without delay, you can use expedited delivery. Security procedures permitting, expedited delivery can be used to send unsealed mail through the Senate or House mail distribution facilities. These deliveries are accepted at the Congressional Acceptance Site, aka Congressional Courier Acceptance Site, 160 D Street NE, Washington, DC.

photo credit: Neenabeena

A specific note can be placed at the top of the correspondence dictating that the letter is Time Sensitive or directing it to the attention of a specific individual. The House location will not accept expedited material for the Senate and the Senate location will not accept expedited mail for the House.

For the Senate, items are typically sorted during the early afternoon for delivery the following day. Unsealed letters or packages no larger than 4″ x 14″ x 18″ are accepted. Postage made payable to the U.S. Postmaster must be included, and checks will not be accepted. 202-224-5600

For the House, mail is usually delivered within 24 hours of being received provided all necessary requirements are met. Mailings should not be placed in envelopes, folders or any other types of containers. Accepted sheets of paper may be folded or stapled, but no sealed items are accepted. 202-224-7007

Mail that is directed to members of the House, House offices or House staff without postage affixed are subject to a delivery fee. Payment for House mailings must be sent in the form of a check or money order and made payable to the United States Treasury.

All mailings must also include a cover letter. The cover letter should be written on your letterhead and include the following information:

• Distribution requirements
• Individual weight of each piece
• Number of pieces
• Rate per piece
• Total money sent
• Check or money order number
• Name and phone number of contact person
• An address where a receipt may be mailed

There are delivery services in DC that can arrange for expedited delivery, including:

• Washington Express, 301-210-3500, 703-698-4400
• Capitol Hill Delivery, 202-547-8657
• Quick Messenger Service, 240-223-2245

To learn more about effective communications with members of Congress, consider taking TheCapitol.Net’s 1-day course, Strategies for Working with Congress, or the 3-day Capitol Hill Workshop.

Reference: Lobbying and Advocacy, by Deanna Gelak, Section 8.23 Expedited Delivery of Letters to Congress

Courses

• Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop
• Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process
• Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments
• Understanding Congressional Budgeting and Appropriations
• Advanced Legislative Procedure

Publications

CongressionalGlossary.com, from TheCapitol.Net