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Order Code RS21667
Updated January 4, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Dear Colleague Letters: A Brief Overview
R. Eric Petersen
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Summary
Dear Colleague letters are official correspondence distributed in bulk to Members
in both chambers. Primarily, they are used by one or more Members to persuade others
to cosponsor or oppose a bill (generally, prior to introduction). Dear Colleague letters
might also inform Members of an event connected with congressional business, of new
or modified House procedures, or of some other matter. The use of the phrase 'Dear
Colleague' letter to refer to a widely distributed letter among Members dates at least
to the start of the 20th century. New technologies and expanded use of the Internet have
increased the speed and facilitated the process of preparing Dear Colleague letters. This
report will be updated as events warrant.
Purpose
Dear Colleague letters are official correspondence distributed in bulk to colleagues
of a Member, committees, officers of the two chambers, and congressional staff
organizations. They are circulated in paper form through internal mail, distributed on the
chamber floors, or sent in electronic form via the Mailing Services websites in the House
and Member websites in the Senate.2
Dear Colleague letters are primarily used to encourage others to cosponsor or oppose
a bill. Additionally, they are used to inform colleagues of events connected with
congressional business and to set or modify procedures of the House. The Committee on
House Administration, for example, routinely circulates Dear Colleague letters to
1 U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, HouseSmart Reference
Guide to Information and Services, 108th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington:2004), p. 25.
2 Internal mail circulation is accomplished through the House Postal Operations Office or the
Senate Printing Graphics and Direct Mail Division in the Senate. Electronic distribution of
House Dear Colleague letters is available through the Mailing Services section of HouseNet, the
House's intranet site at [http://housenet.house.gov], visited Jan. 5, 2005. HouseNet is available
only to Representatives and House staff.
Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/crsuntaabkt0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)