Host a Facility Tour
NATA encourages its members to host a Congressional tour of their facilities.
What’s at Issue:
Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives work in Washington, but they also spend valuable time in their states and districts during scheduled congressional work periods. Members of Congress take these opportunities to visit with constituents, making this the perfect time for NATA members to invite their Senators and Representatives to tour their facilities.
It’s important to educate the public and especially Members of Congress and their staffs on the important role general aviation plays, including its economic value to our country.
A tour of your facility is a valuable way to educate congressional leaders on the issues confronting our national air transportation system and other issues affecting your business. This one-on-one interaction will give Members of Congress and their staffs a better understanding of the value of America’s aviation businesses.
To implement this program at your facility, it is best to schedule a tour when Congress is not in session. In the link below are the tentative dates that Congress will be in recess the rest of this year. Additionally, Congress is often not in session on Mondays and Fridays during the week, so tours could potentially be arranged on those days.
What to Do:
We have drafted a sample letter you can use to invite your Member of Congress for a tour:
- Select a date, time and place. While you will only put one date and time option in the letter, please remember that you will need to be flexible if the Member of Congress is going to agree. We suggest that you select a time between the following dates, as the Congress will be in recess (House in their constituent work periods and Senate in their state work periods) and Members will most likely be home in their home districts and states: https://www.congress.gov/days-in-session.
- Print the draft letter on your letterhead, filling in the date, time and place. Also, we encourage you to add a few sentences to personalize the form letter to address specific concerns related to your company and/or airport. Feel free to share a draft of the letter with NATA before sending.
- When sending the letter, be sure to send both a hard copy of the letter as well as an email through your Senator’s or Representative’s web page. To make sure the letter reaches the proper assistant, it is best to send your letter to both the official’s Washington, DC office and the nearest local office.
To contact your Senator, visit www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm. To find your member of the House of Representatives, go to www.house.gov. In the upper right-hand corner, enter your zip code. On the next page, clicking on the representative’s name under their picture will take you to their website. You should use the “Contact” tab to send them an e-mail. - Please provide a copy of your letter to NATA at khuggard@nata.aero. Upon receiving a copy of the letter, NATA will work with the Congressional office to ensure that the letter was received and properly routed. This will also enable NATA to gauge the interest and availability of the Member and begin the negotiation process. Following this contact, NATA may call you to discuss what steps need to be taken to ensure that your Member of Congress accepts your invitation.
- After your Member of Congress accepts the invitation, NATA will work with you regarding the actual tour, specific points you will want to make with your Member of Congress, background information on your Member of Congress, the status of current aviation issues, and other issues that may arise. NATA can provide you with applicable fact sheets, white papers and informational handouts to enhance the exchange of information with your Member of Congress.
Thank you in advance for your time in sponsoring a congressional tour of your facility. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Karen Huggard at 800.808.6282 or by email at khuggard@nata.aero.