A "Dear Colleague" letter is an official correspondence which is sent by a Member, committee, or officer of the United States House of Representatives or United States Senate and which is distributed in bulk to other congressional offices.U.S. Congress, House, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, HouseSmart: Reference Guide to Information and Services, 109th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: 2005), p. 29. (Hereafter HouseSmart.) A "Dear Colleague" letter may be circulated in paper form through internal mail, distributed on a chamber floor, or sent electronically.Internal mail circulation is handled by the House Postal Operations Office and the Senate Printing Graphics and Direct Mail Division. Electronic distribution of House "Dear Colleague" letters is available through a web-based e-"Dear Colleague" distribution system. Instructions on sending electronic "Dear Colleagues" can be found at http://e-dearcolleague.house.gov . The e-"Dear Colleague" website is available only to Members of the House of Representatives and their staff.
