Newsletter: Casework Hasn’t Always Been This Way
Happy new year! We hope you got some well-deserved time off to spend with family and friends, and that your re-entry has been smooth and steady.
The new year is always a great time to look backwards: what worked, what didn’t, and what are we hoping for in the future? In that spirit, we’re kicking off our 2024 Casework Navigator webinar series with a very cool talk from Senate Associate Historian Daniel Holt on the history of casework. Some things might surprise you!
Registration for that is below, along with (as always) news you can use on upcoming hearings and federal agency updates.
I am always here for questions, comments, suggestions, or just to chat about casework. Please feel free to reach out by replying to this email, or shoot me a note at anne@popvox.org.
Anne Meeker
Deputy Director
POPVOX Foundation
Webinar: Casework History
Direct constituent service has been part of Congressional responsibility since the nation’s founding, but casework has looked very different through the last two hundred years. Did you know that in the 1970s, some Senators employed shared casework staff? Or that between 1905 and 1907, private bills on behalf of constituents represented 89% of laws passed by Congress? Or that casework has survived multiple attempts to remove it from Congressional duties entirely?
Join us for the kickoff of the 2024 Casework Navigator webinar series with special guest Daniel Holt, Associate Historian from the Senate Historical Office on Wednesday, January 17 at 3 PM ET.
Casework History: How Did We Get Here?
This free webinar will put modern casework in context, exploring how we got here, and what we can learn from previous iterations of casework to chart the future of democratic representation in America.
Casework News
It’s been a great few weeks of casework end-of-year reviews! Here are a few favorites that caught our attention, in no order:
Rep. Claudia Tenney [R, NY]: 2023 Annual Report
Rep. Elissa Slotkin [D, MI]: Slotkin secures nearly $12M for district in 2023
Rep. Kathy Castor [D, FL]: Castor Announces Her Office Secured $1 Billion in Federal Grants for Tampa Bay
Sen. Jacky Rosen [D, NV]: 2023 In Review
Rep. August Pfluger [R, TX]: Congressman Pfluger reports on successful 2023 for 11th District of Texas
Music for your ears
We’re very excited about the new Dishin’ With the District podcast from the CAO coach team!
Stay safe out there
Our thoughts are with the staff of Rep. Pat Ryan [D, NY] after a frightening encounter with protestors in their district office last week. As always, offices should talk with Capitol Police about any concerns. We also have a safety guide with some starting points for best practices.
Constituent stories
Wonderful format for this sweet video of a constituent helped by the Sen. Ossoff [D, GA] team.
New format for the mail
Sen. Ricketts’ [R, NE] team launches a new mail response format, having the Senator read and reply to a selection of constituent letters every month. Love seeing new ideas!
We hope this is our last Rep. George Santos casework headline
Rep. Anthony Esposito [R, NY] talked to Politico about taking on extra casework from constituents of former Rep. Santos’ district.
News You Can Use
Upcoming Hearings
Jan 10, 10 AM ET, Senate Homeland Security Committee: Harnessing AI to improve government services and customer experience (with previous Casework Navigator guest Jennifer Pahlka!)
Jan 11, 10 AM ET, House Financial Services Committee: Oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration
Jan 11, 10:15 AM ET, House Committee on Veterans Affairs: Rural Access: Is VA Meeting All Veterans Where They Live?
Jan 30, 10:30 AM ET, Committee on House Administration: Artificial Intelligence: Innovations in the Legislative Branch
Is your office handling ERTC cases? Let’s chat!
We’re hearing that ERTC cases are partly responsible for record-high dollar amounts returned to constituents this year. If your office is seeing these cases, we’d love to hear more! Please feel free to reach out at anne@popvox.org.
IRS to waive penalties for overdue 2020 and 2021 taxes
BUT: it is not waiving interest on 2020 and 2021 taxes that were not paid timely. Taxpayers will receive a special letter in January with an official notice of their penalties waived and how to pay remaining liabilities.
Guidance for federal employees on expressing political opinions
The Office of Special Counsel released guidance on how the Hatch Act impacts federal employees expressing their personal opinions on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
New FAFSA
The Department of Education is “soft launching” the new and simplified FAFSA form. The site will be intermittently unavailable as it’s tweaked for prime time
Passport processing has hit pre-pandemic times
The State Department reports that passport processing times have returned to pre-pandemic averages.
Which retirement benefits are taxable?
Worth a reminder as we enter tax season: some Social Security retirement benefits are taxable. Being aware will help retirees make solid financial plans to handle tax liabilities.
Congrats to the new Commissioner
Speaking of Social Security benefits, congratulations to former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on his confirmation as the new Social Security Commissioner.
Benefit eligibility tool for Colorado
A new tool launched in Colorado aims to help constituents determine their potential eligibility for state benefits in under six minutes.
