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Rubio Wins Democracy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Constituent Service

May 30, 2019 | Press Releases

Miami, FL — Today, the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) recognized U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as a national leader in constituent services and a winner for the 2019 Democracy Awards. CMF’s honors program recognizes non-legislative achievement in operations and constituent service by congressional offices and Members of Congress. CMF recognizes Rubio for excellence in the Constituent Service category, which focuses on how an office interacts with and serves constituents, especially how it utilizes and leverages specific, methodical, and consistent processes for achieving measurable results in constituent service.
 
“One of my highest priorities is to ensure that my staff and I are available to help Floridians with whatever federal assistance they may need,” Rubio said. “Regardless of how tense or partisan the legislative process becomes in Washington, the dedication of our constituent services team is humbling. I am grateful for their service, and honored that the Congressional Management Foundation recognized the culture of service and compassion displayed by our teams in Florida and Washington.”
 
“As a Democracy Award winner, Sen. Rubio’s office is one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. “This designation demonstrates that Sen. Rubio has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents in Florida. Sen. Rubio and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work.”
 
CMF has created a detailed process to identify and recognize the best congressional offices in three categories: 1) Constituent Service; 2) Transparency, Accountability, and Innovation; and 3) “Life in Congress” Workplace Environment. House and Senate personal offices self-nominated in late 2018 using an online questionnaire. In early 2019, CMF followed up with offices to gather documentation and assess the office’s adherence to the established criteria to determine a list of finalists, which was announced on March 19, 2019.
 
Next, Selection Committees comprised primarily of former Members of Congress and former congressional staffers selected two winners (one Democrat and one Republican) for each category. To create even greater objectivity in selecting winners, all identifying information regarding the Member office was redacted, so the Selection Committee reviewed only the accomplishments of each finalist.
 
The finalists and winners of the Democracy Awards will be honored at a ceremony at 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM, June 20, 2019 at the Reserve Officers Association, One Constitution Ave. NE, Washington, DC. The winner of the Staff Lifetime Achievement Democracy Award will be announced at the conclusion of the ceremony.