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The Institute for Civility in Government held its second national symposium on Monday, July 22nd, 2013 and Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013, bringing national attention to a growing problem while highlighting efforts addressing it. Participants gathered on Capitol Hill for the Citizens’ Civility Symposium, held at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. This year built upon the success of our first symposium and took our message directly to Capitol Hill, bringing together academics, practitioners, and concerned citizens from across the country.
The Symposium included keynote presentations by Institute co-founders Cassandra Dahnke and Tomas Spath. Two panel discussions were also included in the program. The first featured civility experts and practitioners who explored the connection between what happens on Capitol Hill and our communities and it raised challenges to increasing civility, and the opportunities that are ripe for fostering a deeper civility both locally and nationwide.
The second panel was comprised of former members of Congress speaking to their experiences of civility in their work on Capitol Hill, past and present. Current members of Congress were caught up in marking up legislation so many could not participate in the Symposium. However we were graced by the presence of Rep. Gene Green who was able to spend a few minutes with us.
Twenty-seven members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle signed on as honorary co-hosts for this event. They were:
| Emanuel Cleaver (D – Missouri) | Ann Kuster (D – New Hampshire) |
| Shelley Moore Capito (R – West Virginia) | John Lewis (D – Georgia) |
| Dan Benishek (R – Michigan) | Mike MCaul (R – Texas) |
| Suzanne Bonamici (D – Oregon) | Carolyn McCarthy (D – New York) |
| Kevin Brady (R – Texas) | Jim Moran (D – Virginia) |
| Bruce Braley (D – Iowa) | Thomas Petri (R – Wisconsin) |
| Corrine Brown (D – Florida) | C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D – Maryland) |
| Tony Cardenas (D – California) | Aaron Schock (R – Illinois) |
| Henry Cuellar (D – Texas) | Lamar Smith (R – Texas) |
| Chaka Fattah (D – Pennsylvania) | Jackie Speier (D – California) |
| Kay Granger (R – Texas) | Lee Terry (R – Nebraska) |
| Gene Green (D – Texas) | Fred Upton (R – Michigan) |
| Raul Grijalva (D – Arizona) | Frank Wolf (R – Virginia) |
| Henry Johnson (D – Georgia) |