Get active! Capitol Hill is the place for
eating disorder advocacy in April! The Eating Disorders Coalition is hosting our biggest-ever EDC Lobby Day, including a Congressional Briefing. Join us as we launch the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act. The FREED Act is comprehensive eating disorders legislation for promoting research, treatment, education and prevention programs.

To register to attend Lobby Day, you will need the name of your representative in the House, and his or her office address and phone number. To find this information, visit USPS to get your full nine digit zip code, and then enter that zip code on the top left corner of the House of Representatives homepage. Your local representative will then be displayed. When registering for Lobby Day, we ask that you enter your full zip code and your representative's name and contact information in the comments field.

When you have all of this information ready, please Click here to register for Lobby Day. Early registration ends on March 18. If you are a first time advocate, you must also register separately for our free basic training on April 1 by clicking here.

Wednesday, April 1

Basic Training
4-6 PM
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Parish Hall
3rd & A St SE, Washington DC 20003 

Basic Training is required for all first-time advocates. You will learn what lobbying is, how to do it effectively, and the role of advocates in the creating sound public policy.  If you have participated in a previous EDC Lobby Day, this session is optional.

Reception and Meet and Greet Social
7-9 PM
National Criminal Justice Association
720 7th Street, NW, Third Floor
Washington, DC  20001

We also invite  you to our EDC Reception and Meet and Greet Social featuring a casual supper buffet immediately after EDC Lobby Day Basic Training. Admission is $50 for adults and $20 for children. Click here to register.

Thursday, April 2

Message Training
9-11 AM
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Parish Hall
3rd & A St SE, Washington DC 20003 

Message Training is REQUIRED of everyone joining us for this EDC Lobby Day. You will review the talking points for the day and will practice your messages with your EDC Lobby Day team members. If you miss this brief session, you will not know your specific points nor your role in the team. A light breakfast will be served prior to Message Training.

EDC Lobby Day
11:30 AM - 3:30 PM
U.S. Capitol Complex

At the U.S. Capitol, you will work in teams meeting with elected officials and their staff. No one will lobby alone. Lobby teams will arrive for each appointment, deliver a packet of materials, and talk about how Congress can help.

To end the day, we will gather for a Congressional Briefing to discuss the FREED Act. Members of Congress and the media will also be invited to the briefing.

Congressional Briefing, The FREED ACT
A Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders
4-5 PM
Rayburn House Office Building Room 2168
U.S. Capitol Complex

The EDC, in cooperation with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), invites you to attend a Congressional Briefing, The FREED ACT, a Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders. You will learn about a new comprehensive eating disorders bill to address research, treatment, and prevention services. Speakers include Jillian Croll, Ph.D., RD/LD, MPH, Ted Weltzin, M.D., Lisa Lilenfeld, Ph.D., and Johanna Kandel. This briefing is free and open to the public.

If you are not able to attend Lobby Day, but wish to come to the briefing, please email manager@eatingdisorderscoalition.org with your name and contact information to register.

Click here to read Jillian Croll's speech at the briefing.

Click here to read Lisa Lilenfeld's speech at the briefing.

Hotels in Washington, DC:

Hotels in Washington, DC can be expensive, so we encourage everyone to book early. Using kayak.com, we found the following hotels which were some of the best bets – keep in mind if you try and book directly with the hotels you wont get these prices so we suggest using kayak.com. Prices are always changing, so these could change without warning. The EDC doesn’t endorse any of these hotels specifically – but this is only intended to serve as a guide if you are new to the Washington, DC area.

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel $230

Comments: Nice hotel and near metro so commute to EDC events will be quick. This is in an office complex so there might not be many food or amenities in the area during the evening.

Savoy Suites Hotel $139

Comments: Nice Hotel but  not near any metros and the furthest from EDC events – you will need to take a cab there and back to EDC Events. Cab should run between $10-$20 each way. There will be lots of restaurants and amenities in the area.

Red Roof Inn $189

Comments: Very Basic Hotel but within walking distance to the EDC Reception on April 1st and lots of subways near by to get to all DC events. There will be lots of restaurants and amenities in the area.

Capitol Skyline Hotel $119

Comments: Newly Renovated Hotel and on Capitol Hill, there are metros nearby but this is a very quiet neighborhood at night with few amenities and we do not recommend walking in this area – you need to take cabs to EDC Events.

Capitol Hill Suites $322

Comments: Nice Hotel and right on Capitol Hill and within walking distance of many EDC Events (except for the optional reception). There will be some restaurants and amenities nearby as well.

Transportation From Airport:

Ronald Reagan / Washington National (DCA)

• Distance: 4 MI/ 6.44 KM N

• Taxi Fee: $20.00 (USD)

• Time by taxi: 10 to 15 minutes (non-rush hour)

• Time by METRO train: 22 minutes

• METRO train fee: $1.85 (USD)

Dulles International (IAD) 

• Distance: 35 MI/ 56.33 KM E

• Taxi Fee: $55.00 (USD)

• Time by taxi: 45 minutes

• Alternate transportation: Super Shuttle

• Super Shuttle fee: $30.00 (USD)

Baltimore-Washington International (BWI)

• Distance: 40 MI/ 64.37 KM SW

• Taxi Fee: $50.00 (USD)

• Time by taxi: 45 minutes (non-rush hour)

• Train time: 60 minutes

• Amtrak train: $35, daily (see TRAINS)

• MARC Train (M-F) $9 (see TRAINS)

• Super Shuttle fee: $35.00 (USD)

Tools for Participants

Map of Event Locations
U.S. Capitol: List of Prohibited & Allowed Items

Advocate Packet

*Bags can be stored and locked for the day at St. Mark's Church on the morning of April 2nd for the duration of Lobby Day activities, and can be accessed again after the Congressional Briefing.  Please note that this is a courtesy service and the EDC is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.