Opinion: Rep. Hayes' Lack Of Responsiveness Cannot Be Tolerated

Perhaps Representative Jahana Hayes should spend less time updating her facebook page and more time responding directly to her constituents.

Last year it took approximately three months to get her to sign on as a co-sponsor to the Safeguard American Food Exports Act, a Bill that would have prohibited the transport to and slaughter of American horses outside of our borders. Sadly, the Bill did not make it out of the House. Speaker Pelosi had indicated that she would call it to a vote since there were 237 co-sponsors, higher than the number needed for a Simple Majority. But then came the attack on the Capital Building.

There are over 47,000 horses in Connecticut. And yet, once again Ms. Hayes has been totally unresponsive to emails and phone calls with her staff as is indicated in the following email:

"Sat, May 22 at 10:48 AM

Dear Representative Hayes,

I have called and emailed multiple times re the Safe Act. Although a press release went out on 5/19 around 9:30 am per a call from Rep. Schakowsky's office around 11 am on the 19th, I have never had a response from you or your office concerning the fact that a Bill had not been introduced.

Never in my memory or the memories of other advocates has a Bill taken so long to be introduced. I had asked if you might confer with your House colleagues to try to determine what the problem was. No response from your office at all. Yesterday I informed your aide that HR 3355 had been introduced, that it needs co-sponsors as quickly as possible since the introduction was so late....and, of course, requested that you co-sponsor.

Since I am not a constituent of Rep. Himes, Delauro, Courtney or Larson, I further asked if your office might alert them to the Bill. Representative Himes always co-sponsors in a timely fashion, that is not the case for the other three Reps who always co-sponsor but do not do so as quickly.

I appreciate your co-sponsoring the Horse Transportation Safety Act. I would really appreciate your co-sponsoring SAFE as quickly as possible and having one of your aides give the other Reps a heads up. I find it rather ironic that Representative Schakowsky's office (IL) was terrifically responsive after my initial calls to her office. Given the urgency of alerting CT Reps, I requested a call by the end of Friday to update me on the status of my requests that you co-sponsor and others be notified. Of course no call was forthcoming.

I look forward to learning that my requests have been honored. Thank you, Diane McEvoy"

Well, I have still not heard anything from Ms. Hayes. I am a constituent, my concerns are the concerns of horse advocates and horse owners alike. "Members are elected to the House to represent the constituents of their congressional district in the federal government, and to attend to their particular needs. To this end, Representatives and their staff devote individual attention to requests from people of the district."

Perhaps Representative Hayes should review just exactly what her responsibility is insofar as the constituents in her district are concerned. I should note that I am by no means the only person who has contacted her regarding the "SAFE" Act and received no response.

I would encourage both horse advocates and horse owners to contact the office of Representative Hayes and to essentially request that which I have addressed in my email: co-sponsorship of HR 3355 and the alerting of other CT Reps to the fact that a Bill, HR 3355, has finally been introduced.