Did you know that Congress’s August recess is required by law? (I know, I know, it’s not THAT shocking that Congress gave itself a vacation mandate, but humor me.) 

Back in the olden days, being a senator or congressional representative wasn’t a full-time job, and these elected officials only traveled to Washington a few times each year. And because district summers would have been completely unbearable in a time before air conditioning, they never met in August.

Fast forward to the late 20th century: Congress was meeting year-round, with no breaks longer than a three-day weekend. Legislators wanted to ensure that there was one point in the year when they could all go home and spend time with their families and constituents and not worry about missing an important vote. Thus, the Legislative Reorganization Act was born in 1970, which mandated that Congress take the majority of August off.*

(For those of us who stick out the humid weather and stay in DC in August, it’s a great time to enjoy the city. Not only does Congress leave town, but so does about half the city’s population—or so it seems. Just douse yourself with bug spray and four layers of sunscreen, and you can have the Lincoln Memorial practically to yourself!)

That’s not to say that the August recess is a vacation for lawmakers. Many of them spend the month meeting with voters, hearing about issues in the district that need addressing. This provides a golden opportunity for constituents: for most of the year, you would have to make the trek to DC to meet with your elected officials, but in August, you have a chance to visit them at their district office.

While emails and phone calls are easy ways for voters to make their voices heard, the number-one most effective method is to have an in-person meeting. Few people make the effort to do so, so when someone does, the politician takes note. The issue must be really important if someone cared enough to go to their office for a meeting!

 If you and your family did that this past month and discussed anything related to education freedom with your Senator or Representative, let us know—we’d love to hear about it!

But it’s also the time to start about preparing for next year. Since this November is a midterm election, Congressmen will spend the fall campaigning rather than legislating. So lobbyists like me are busy talking to Capitol Hill offices about their agendas for the 2023 congressional session; we’re busy talking up bills that HSLDA Action would like to be introduced (or reintroduced) to help families and making it clear what policies we won’t support. By working on these policies now, our allies on the hill won’t have to start from scratch in January. That puts us in the best position possible to continue advancing our mission—protecting the future of homeschooling—in the coming year.

*“But didn’t Congress pass a major bill this month?” Yes, Congress loves loopholes: by not stating that the *whole* month has to be taken off, legislators can be called back to town to vote on bills deemed particularly important by congressional leadership or the President.