From OpenCongress Wiki

Overview

An article by Jacob Straus written in 2009 for the annual Midwest Political Science Association meeting gives some valuable background on Dear Colleague letters.  Dear Colleague letters are circulated among Members of Congress via internal mail, the chamber floor, or electronically via Member websites.  The web-based distribution platform was introduced in 2008 and replaced the email system.  While it is still hard to get comprehensive data about the letters due to the impossibility of tracking those sent on paper, it is possible to track and analyze those sent electronically.  Between 2003 and 2008 there was a 238 percent increase in letters sent electronically.  Since paper letters are impossible to track, it is unclear whether this suggests an overall increase in letters being sent or an increase in Congressional reliance on technology.

Dear Colleague letters are sent mainly by Members of Congress but they can also be sent by:

1. House officers
2. Committees
3. Commissions

Their main purpose is to encourage other Members to cosponsor a given bill.  They can also be used for other reasons such as:

• Ask Members to cosign letters to be sent to Congressional leadership or Executive Branch officials
• Invite staff or Members to attend briefings, events, or join caucuses
• Share information, news, or floor proceedings
• Announce House administrative positions or policies

As outlined in a CRS Report, Dear Colleague letters are centrally administered by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer in the House and can be distributed to the following groups:

• Members only (including leadership)
• All Members (including leadership and full committees)
• Members, full committees and subcommittees
• Republican Members, leadership, and full majority committees
• Republican Members and leadership only
• Democratic Members, leadership and full minority committees
• Democratic Memers and leadership only
• All House mail stops
  

In the Senate, Dear Colleague letters are not centrally regulated and can be distributed to either Senators only or Senators and Committees.

According to the C-SPAN Congressional Glossary, a Dear Colleague letter is defined as:

A mass-produced letter sent by one member to all fellow members.  Dear Colleagues usually describe a new bill and ask for cosponsors or ask for a member's vote on a bill.  Used in House & Senate.

Background Resources

• CRS Report for Congress - January 4, 2005
• Dear Colleague Letters in the House of Representatives: The Tracking of Internal House Communications - April 2009
  
• Committee on House Administration Member's Handbook
  

Dear Colleague Letters in Action

• "Dear Colleague" Letters to Support Nursing Workforce Development Programs Funding
  
• NEH Dear Colleague Letter Circulating in the House - March 2009<span style="text-decoration: underline;" />
  
• American Nurses Association Dear Colleague letter - March 2010
  
• Congressional ‘Dear Colleague’ Letter to Stop Mental Health (MEI) Cut - August 2010
  
• Dear Colleague Letter Being Circulated on Capitol Hill in House of Representatives on Avastin Issue (CMS Reimbursement) - October 2009
  
• House and Senate "Dear Colleague" Letters on LWCF and FLP - April 2010
  
• Dear Colleague: Sustain a Doubling Path for the National Science Foundation in FY2011 - March 2010
  
• <span style="text-decoration: underline;" />Dear Colleague in Support of Senior Mobility Programs - April 2009
  
• Dear Colleague Letter: NASA Cuts Threaten National Defense - Invitation to Important Defense Staff Briefing Next Week - March 2010
  
• Dear Colleague Letter to Sign Letter to Obama: Ease Gaza Suffering - January 2010
  
• 20 Senators Sign Letter in Support of National Endowment for the Arts - April 2010