Senator Steve Daines (R-MT)
Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03)
Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
Representative Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ-01)
Senator Steve Daines (R-MT)
The office of Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) views technology as a powerful tool to connect with Montana constituents, and has implemented innovative approaches to bring together key stakeholders, decision makers, and industry experts. The Senator encourages staff to continuously identify opportunities to leverage new technology for traditional purposes.
The office has been a lead innovator in Congress with both the introduction of his Summit Series and the technology used therein to plan and execute these events. To allow for greater constituent interaction and information sharing, the Senator has co-hosted and moderated four summits in Montana in his three and a half years in the U.S. Senate, to include two Energy Summits (2015 & 2018), an Agriculture Summit (2017) and two High Tech Jobs Summits (2015 & 2017). In order to bring together key stakeholders, decision makers, and industry experts the Senator used a variety of technology.
Senator Daines' background prior to serving in Congress was within the field of technological development, and he brings that drive to innovate to his public service. Within the Senator's Summit series, a variety of new applications for traditional technology have emerged. For instance, ahead of each summit, an attendee will receive an e-invitation providing them with important details such as anticipated guest speakers, constituent roundtables and stakeholder discussions. These are further coordinated by identifying electronic feedback responses to better provide high-interest topics with additional dialogue and discussion.
Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03)
Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) office's dedication to working for and connecting with constituents drives their focus on technology modernization and innovation. They are working continuously to identify ways to make their operation more efficient and to improve their effectiveness of their outreach and constituent services activities.
The office's training program sets them apart by including interns into their constituent services program over the course of the year, both in the Washington and district offices. They've developed a comprehensive manual for new hires and interns to use as a reference point, to provide training opportunities for them throughout their service with the office.
The management team has established a process to supervise how actions are handled and processed, enabling them to review opportunities for improvement with new and old staff alike and address sub-optimal practices. By standardizing their input through customizing their CRM, they have developed a process which is more intuitive for interns and staff and, as a result, has reduced the likelihood they will forget to incorporate key information regardless of the type of constituent services operation they need to utilize.
Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
For most of his career, Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11) was a small businesses owner who operated restaurants. It was there that his love for service and community was born. As he transitioned into elected office, he carried those same values with him at every level of government. He believes that his office ought to be run like a small business, serving its constituents like you would serve a customer. It is here that all opinions and voices are welcome and heard, and where new ideas are born from the direct experience of those in the community they represent. Ensuring excellent constituent service is the hallmark of what they do.
The office believes Americans deserve an efficient and effective government that works on their behalf each and every day. In order to build public trust, Congressman DeSaulnier and staff strive to be transparent and accountable to constituents by providing a higher-level of customer service.
The office believes that constituents should know what to expect from their Member of Congress when they reach out with an issue, to share an opinion, or with a request. The office holds itself accountable by adhering to specific and targeted performance standards. These standards are publicized to constituents on their website, at town halls, via email, and with physical mailings.
Additionally, in the past four years, Congressman DeSaulnier has hosted 83 town halls and mobile district office hours in every corner of the district and across a variety of platforms. During every town hall, the Congressman has his constituents write their questions on cards and he answers as many as he can. They respond in writing to all questions he did not answer, ensuring that each and every question submitted receives a response. Congressman DeSaulnier and his staff never leave an event or town hall until every constituent wanting to speak with the Congressman has had a chance to do so. It is the Congressman's priority to ensure that no constituent feels rushed. All town halls are livestreamed on the Member's social media channels to ensure that residents who are unable to attend in person can engage online.
Representative Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ-01)
The office of Representative Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ-01) represents Arizona's First District, the tenth-largest congressional district in the country and an unusually culturally diverse area of the Southwest, encompassing 12 Native Nations and over 58,000 square miles. As such, Rep. O'Halleran and his team work tirelessly to ensure that everyone in the district is heard.
Throughout his time as a police officer and a public servant, Congressman O'Halleran has always led by the highest ethical standard. First elected in 2016, Rep. O'Halleran spent countless hours over the course of his first two years in Congress meeting with community leaders from across the First Congressional District to learn about the needs of the rural areas he serves. These meetings, as well as meetings in his Washington, D.C. office, are disclosed on the "Meet Tom" tab of his website to ensure transparency.
Over the course of these discussions, Rep. O'Halleran realized that rural voices were not being heard. As such, the Congressman worked to identify programs and funds critical to the livelihood of communities in Arizona's First Congressional District. In the fall of 2017, Congressman O'Halleran's office engaged in a door to door district canvas to better engage communities across rural Arizona.
Further, to demonstrate his commitment to transparency and open discourse, Congressman O'Halleran hosts town halls in many rural Arizona communities to hear directly from constituents about the issues affecting them and their families.
