Call on Congress: A New/Free Telephone Service to Access Info About the U.S. Congress

Yet another impressive, important, and useful service from the Sunlight Foundation! Kudos!

The Sunlight Foundation created Call on Congress to help bridge the “digital divide” by giving anyone with a phone line a free and meaningful way to understand their government and hold elected officials accountable.

The Call on Congress web page mentions that the Sunlight Foundation would be willing to share more about the service with non-profits and community groups.
That’s exciting because this is the type of service many local libraries should be offering.
From the Call on Congress Announcement via Sunlight Fdn:

[On Monday] The Sunlight Foundation [launched] a free telephone service that helps people learn more about how their representatives in Congress are voting on bills and raising campaign money. All you need is a phone line.
Call on Congress is a toll free number — 1-888-907-6886 — that provides instant information, in both English and Spanish, on how lawmakers are representing their constituents. Users can also be connected directly to the DC office of their representative and senators and even get details on where to vote on Election Day.
Upon calling the toll free number for Call on Congress, users enter their ZIP code to hear:

The top campaign contributors for the member of Congress selected;

A biography and committee assignments for the lawmaker;

A direct transfer to the Capitol Hill office for the lawmaker; and

Contact information for the local election board in advance of Election Day.

Call on Congress also provides a simple way to look up congressional votes, hear the status of bills and review the House and Senate floor schedules for the week. It also has an option for callers to receive bill updates via text message.
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“In the new world of digital media and communications technology, it is essential for all Americans to have the tools they need to make informed decisions. Call on Congress makes it easier by putting legislative and electoral information at the other end of a phone line,” said Mike McGrath, chief information officer, National Civic League, which promotes government accountability, civic activism and grassroots, community democracy.

Call on Congress Toll-Free Number: 1-888-907-6886
Read the Complete Announcement
Direct to “Call on Congress” Web Site With More Info
See Also: Technology Behind Call on Congress (via Sunlight Labs)

Filed under: Libraries, Patrons and Users, Resources