Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, this site provides information on how my office can help you arrange tours of historical buildings, landmarks and other sights in Washington, DC. On the Tour Information page, you can download a Word document or PDF file with a comprehensive list of tourist attractions and opportunities in the Washington, DC, area.  That may help you to make the best use of your time visiting the city.  You will also find the attractions broken out into various interest groups, like Museums, Civil War Sites, Presidential Homes and others.  Some sites, like the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress, provide guided tours that will make your visit more interesting.  My office can assist in making tour arrangements.  You will also find a Metro (subway) map and advice on how to plan your trip to our nation's capital.

Please first visit the About the Senate section on this site. It has a lot of resources that can help you narrow down your search for information. Additionally, the Internet provides many sources of information on legislation pending before Congress. One of the best sites on congressional legislation is maintained by the Library of Congress. The site, called Thomas after Thomas Jefferson, provides a searchable database of all legislation presented in Congress. It also provides information on the current status of each bill and its text.

With seven state offices located throughout Idaho, one should be close to you and can serve your needs. You can find the office closest to you here.

Ask me, write to me, call me, FAX me, e-mail me. I'm happy to respond on any issue that is important to you. You are welcome to stop by one of my Idaho offices as well. You can also visit the issues page on this site where I've posted my position. You can also view the What You Are Writing About section, which features the top five issues of concern from Idahoans and my response on each; it is generally updated weekly.

You can also use various social media websites to learn more about my work in the U.S. Senate. Sign up to be a supporter on my Facebook page, where news releases, video and audio are posted regularly. You can watch videos of my efforts in committee and on the Senate floor on my YouTube channel. And you can subscribe to my audio feed through iTunes.

Each week that the Senate is in session, I conduct a teleconference with several Idaho reporters. An audio file from each Tuesday call is posted in the Audio/Radio section of this site under NewsRoom. The calls generally last 15-20 minutes.

Several times a year, I host a Tele-Townhall meeting, using telephone and Internet technology. During this hour-long meeting, participants are invited to ask me questions in a forum that is similar to a town hall meeting. If you want to sign up to participate in future townhall meetings, please do so here. If you want to listen to past Tele-Townhall meetings, please visit the Tele-Townhall Meeting Archive.

If you need to schedule an appointment with me or invite me to an event in the Washington, DC area, please FAX your request to my Executive Assistant Karen Brown at (202) 228-1375. Please be sure to include all pertinent information in your request. For detailed information, please visit the Scheduling Information page on this website. There is a PDF-fillable form there available for your use.

It is always great to meet with Idahoans in my home state. If you wish to meet with me while I'm in Idaho or wish to invite me to an event in Idaho, please contact the nearest local office. Please be sure to include all pertinent information in your request. For detailed information, please visit the Scheduling Information page on this website.

To receive a photograph of the President and/or First Lady, please make your request in writing to the address below and provide a complete return mailing address.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

The White House has limited the number of photos per household per year to a maximum of three.

Yes, I am happy to send birthday greetings to anyone in Idaho. If you have another special occasion (retirement, anniversary, special recognition), I am happy to assist on those as well. Please send the name of the individual, address and birthdate (or other pertinent date) via email. Please allow two to four weeks for processing.

Presidential Greetings can also be requested for major life events, which include the following:

• Birth of a child (sent after birth of the baby)
• Adoption of a child (sent after adoption of the child)
• Milestone birthdays (70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 and every year thereafter)
• Veterans birthday (70 years and older)
• Weddings (sent after wedding date)
• Civil Unions (sent after ceremony date)
• Wedding anniversaries (50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and every year thereafter)
• Retirement: For civilians with 30 or more years, military with 20 or more years, and flag officers.
• Girl Scout Gold Award
• Eagle Scout Award
• Anniversaries of religious leaders (25 years and every five years thereafter)
• Anniversaries of churches (25, 50, 75 and every five years thereafter)
• Anniversaries of schools (100 and every 25 years thereafter)
• Family reunions (25 and every five years thereafter)
• Serious illness
• Condolence

Such requests must be submitted five weeks prior to the date of the eventunless it is noted that the greeting will be sent after the event. The White House has set some restrictions on the requests:

• Each household is only allowed one greeting request per year.
• Requests for event which occurred before January 20, 2009, will not be honored.
• In lieu of a greeting, you may request a photo for any of the events on the greetings list.  You may only request one greeting or one photo per event.  Please see additional information in the FAQ above regarding photo requests to the White House.

Yes, it is always a pleasure to commend Idahoans for their efforts and recognition. Please send your name, address and the special occasion via email or regular mail, although regular mail may be delayed. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing.

I appreciate all comments from Idahoans and try to represent those views as best I can. You can contact my offices by phone, fax, e-mail, or you can do it the old-fashioned way and stop by. You can find the addresses and phone numbers to all my offices here.

My office is happy to assist with orders for U.S. flags. If you wish, you can request that the flag be flown over the U.S. Capitol. You can specify a special occasion or commemoration or simply request the flag be flown. To order a U.S. flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol, please fill out the forms on my Flag Requests page and follow the directions for mailing the form and payment.

Unfortunately, only U.S. flags are available through my office. If you want to purchase an Idaho flag, the Idaho Governor's office generally maintains a list of companies that provide state flags. Please call the Governor's office at (208) 334-2100.

The process is complex and differs from case to case.  In the section on this website called Help With Federal Agencies, there are answers to frequently-asked questions about the immigration issue.  Please check to see if your question is answered there.  Other resources include the Citizenship and Immigration Service, which provides general information on its website. If you need assistance with a personal immigration issue, please contact my local office nearest to you. You will need to complete a privacy release form, which is available on this website.  Please note that the request must be made by the individual who needs the assistance, not a relative or family friend.

Unfortunately, yes, and it is likely to remain so. The delays began in late 2001 when concerns were raised about hazardous biological agents being sent to congressional offices. As such, all mail sent to Capitol Hill addresses is now screened for harmful substances before it is delivered to Senate and House offices. That results in a delay of about a week. In addition, all packages sent through overnight delivery services like FedEx, UPS, USPS, Airborne, and others are delayed 1-2 weeks for screening as well.

Another note to remember: The screening process includes irradiation, which will melt tapes, CDs, videos, DVDs, and other items. It can also be damaging to photos and color prints, causing them to stick together or lose their definition. It can also make envelopes stick to letters and invitations.