Senator Jeanne Shaheen Named Finalist for Democracy Awards
**Congressional Management Foundation Recognizes Sen. Shaheen for Outstanding Achievement**
(Washington, DC) -- Today, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) announced that Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is a finalist for a Democracy Award, CMF’s award recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices. Senator Shaheen was selected for outstanding achievement for the category of Constituent Service. The Constituent Service category honors offices for their outstanding practices or achievements acting as ombudsmen with the federal government or responding to constituent requests and inquiries.
“Providing accessible, responsive constituent services to Granite Staters is my top priority. I want New Hampshire residents to know that my office is always here to help. Whether that is accessing military records or commendations, veterans’ benefits, Social Security or Medicare claims, or if there are questions related to other federal agencies – my office is open and available to serve New Hampshire families,” said Shaheen.
“As a Democracy Award finalist, Sen. Shaheen’s office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. “This designation demonstrates that Sen. Shaheen has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for her constituents in New Hampshire. Sen. Shaheen and her staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for her colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work.”
Ten House and Senate offices were honored as finalists today in three categories: Constituent Service; Constituent Accountability and Accessibility; and "Life in Congress"-Workplace Environment. Representative and Senate personal offices nominated themselves using an online questionnaire. CMF followed up with offices as necessary to gather documentation and assess the office's adherence to the established criteria. The winners will be selected in August by a selection committee primarily comprised of former Members of Congress and congressional staff. The finalists and winners will be honored at a ceremony to be held in Washington, D.C. on September 15, 2023 during Constitution Week.
Details on the process and the history of the Democracy Awards can be found here: https://www.congressfoundation.org/projects/democracy-awards
Among other noteworthy items, CMF included the following reasons for selecting Sen. Shaheen for an award:
“From her two-plus terms in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has demonstrated how important it is to help people navigate government agencies and identify resources in a time of need. The office measures and tracks success on how accessible they are to our constituents and how many constituents they have worked with to solve their problems. Casework metrics are shared in a memo each week with Sen. Shaheen, including the total number of open cases, the number of cases that each caseworker opens/closes in a particular week, and the number of cases in a given issue area (e.g. immigration, veterans, housing, etc.). Approximately 35% of total cases are constituents who contacted the office multiple times for assistance.”
The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 1977 dedicated to strengthening Congress and building trust in its work with and for the American people. CMF works to revitalize Congress as an institution; promoting best practices in congressional offices; and helps Congress and the people they represent engage in a constructive and inclusive dialogue toward a thriving American democracy.
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