Keeping government accessible

Visiting with Nebraskans gives me the opportunity to hear their questions, concerns, feedback, and ideas. During my travels across the Third District this August, it has been refreshing to see how well-informed our fellow citizens are on the pressing issues facing our country, which is vital to strengthening our republic.

I firmly believe it is the government's responsibility to keep its end of the bargain by being accessible to the people it serves. Since 2011, when Republicans assumed the House majority, it has been our policy to post each bill in its entirety online for three days before it can be considered on the floor for a vote. This process allows Americans to read the bills and express their thoughts to their representatives before a vote takes place.

Bills are first posted on the Committee on Rules' website at Rules.house.gov. This site is also the best place to see which amendments have been proposed and made in order for debate.

To help keep Nebraskans up to date, the Issues & Legislation tab of my website at AdrianSmith.house.gov includes a list of several tools for gathering information about the proceedings of Congress. One of these tools is Congress.gov, which provides extensive information on each bill introduced in Congress including who introduced the bill, the bill's cosponsors, the full bill text, where the bill is in the legislative process, whether the bill has been voted on, and the full roll call of votes from each member.

Other tools provide links to websites where you can view official transcripts of the proceedings of the House, current floor debates, daily committee schedules, and the list of bills being considered on the floor for the week.

My website also provides archives of my weekly columns, press releases, and statements sorted by legislative issue. You can sign up to receive my weekly e-newsletter at AdrianSmith.house.gov/Newsletter or follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/RepAdrianSmith for more frequent updates.

For any questions about the legislative process, please always feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-6435. You can also use my website to email me or to share your story about experiences you have had with the federal government.

If you are in need of assistance dealing with a government agency such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security, Medicare, the U.S. Department of State for passports and visas, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or the Internal Revenue Service, please contact my Grand Island office at 308-394-3900 to reach my congressional caseworkers. Casework concerns may also be emailed to me through my website. We are happy to do all we can to help Nebraskans navigate the federal bureaucracy.

Our founders intended Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, to be the branch of government connected most directly with the people. As your representative, I am proud to represent a district in which so many Nebraskans participate in the political process.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any of your questions or concerns. I look forward to continuing our dialogue.