WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23) released the following information for constituents and members of the media interested in attending the 56th Presidential Inauguration:

Tickets for the Swearing-In Ceremony:

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) is responsible for all aspects of the Swearing-In Ceremony for the incoming President and Vice President, which takes place at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 20th.  The JCCIC has announced that tickets for the Swearing-In will not be provided directly to the public but will go to Members of the 111th Congress.  Each Member of the House of Representatives, including Congresswoman Capps, will receive 198 tickets to the Inaugural Ceremonies for distribution to the public.  All official tickets to the Swearing-In Ceremonies are provided free of charge.  Please note that there have been widespread reports of fraudulent offers of various Inaugural tickets for sale.

Congresswoman Capps’ office will use a lottery system to distribute available tickets to constituents who request them through her Congressional website (www.house.gov/capps ) or by contacting one of her Congressional offices.  The deadline to request tickets from Congresswoman Capps’ Office is 5 pm P.S.T. next Friday, November 21st, 2008.  Congresswoman Capps’ office will notify constituents if they have been selected to receive a ticket by the first week of December. 

Please note that Congresswoman Capps’ office will only have tickets for the Swearing-In Ceremony and that her office has already received many more requests for tickets than will be available.  Her office will not have tickets to any other Inaugural events, including the post Swearing-In Parade or Presidential balls. 

The JCCIC also notes that constituents should be advised that January weather in Washington, D.C. is almost always very cold (low 30’s) and wet with a strong possibility of snow.  This is important to know because attendees to the Swearing-In Ceremony will be standing outside in the cold for at least three to five hours. Of course, all ticketed attendees will be required to go through a vigorous security screening.  In addition, the JCCIC has advised that due to security concerns, there will be no food, beverages, strollers, large backpacks or purses permitted in the ticketed viewing area.  Children old enough to walk will need their own ticket.

The JCCIC estimates that as many as two million people will be attending the Inauguration and related events in Washington, D.C., so local hotel rooms and flights to the Washington area will fill up very quickly and be costly.

For more information please visit the official website on the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony: http://inaugural.senate.gov/

Press Credentials for the Media:

Below you will find information regarding the credentialing process for the 2009 Inaugural Ceremony.

Website on Credentials for 2009 Presidential Inaugural Ceremony:
http://www.senate.gov/galleries/pdcl/inauguration.htm

1) If your organization publishes less than daily, please click here for the Inauguration Application Form. When you have successfully submitted your application form, you will receive a confirmation email back with additional instructions and a list of REQUIRED documentation that must be mailed to the Gallery. If you do not receive the confirmation email, your application was not successfully submitted. Please note that your application is not complete until all documentation has been received by the Gallery Director (This includes all mailed materials). Persons eligible must be bona fide correspondents of reputable standing, giving their chief attention to the gathering and reporting of news. For more information regarding criteria, please consult The Rules for the Senate Periodical Press Gallery.

2) If you work for a daily print organization, apply to the Senate Daily Press Gallery. Photographers must apply to the Senate Photographers Gallery. If you work for a web page and have significant technical requirements for streaming video and audio, you must apply to the Senate Radio/TV Gallery.

3) The online Inauguration Application Form must be submitted by December 15, 2008. All supporting materials must be received by this office no later than January 3, 2009. Any materials, whether emailed or mailed via USPS or express mail, received after the January 3, 2005 deadline will not be accepted. No exceptions will be made for difficulty with the United States Postal Service or failure to apply to the appropriate Gallery.

4) We recommend you have all material postmarked before December 15, 2008 in order to reach our office by the deadline. The number of media credentials issued for the swearing-in ceremonies will be limited by space constraints.  Completion of an application does not guarantee that credentials will be issued. 

Media credentials for other inaugural events (parade, balls, and any other inaugural events) will be handled by the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) once it is formed.  The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies expects that the PIC will be up and running by next week, and will post a link to its website as soon as it becomes available.

If you have additional questions, you may contact the Gallery Director at Periodicals@saa.senate.gov.

Information for Constituents Interested in Participating in the Inaugural Ceremonies:

Requests to participate in Inauguration day events for marching bands, marching units, mounted units, and other performers are collected by the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee. The Presidential Inaugural Committee, formed after the November election, selects the participants from the collected requests.

Further information and an application to participate may be found at the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee.  The application submission deadline ends at 5 p.m. (EST) on November 18, 2008.  For information on participating in the parade as a performing ensemble or marching unit, click here.

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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.