1. Staff and Support Agencies
Chapter 5: The Organization of Congress

2. Congressional Staff Role
Staff members do most of the important work on legislation
Lawmakers rely on their staff for:
Handling the growing workload of Congress
Communicating with voters
Helping with committee hearings
Drafting new bills
Helping with reelection

3. Congressional Staff Growth

4. Personal Staff
Personal Staff members work directly for individual senators and representatives.
Both houses receive an allowance for staff.
Lawmakers can hire and fire staff members at will.
Administrative Assistants (AA):
The AA runs the lawmaker’s office, supervises the lawmaker’s schedule and gives advice on political matters.
Deals with important people from lawmaker’s district or state.

5. Personal Staff Legislative Assistants (LA): Caseworkers:
Makes certain the lawmaker is well informed about the many bills with which she or he must deal.
Also assist with committee meetings & track the work that is taking place on the floor.
Caseworkers:
Staff members that handle the requests from people in the lawmaker’s state or district.

6. Committee Staff
Every committee and subcommittee in Congress has staff members.
Committee staffers:
Draft bills -- study issues
Collect info --write memos
Plan hearings --write reports
Too much power?

7. Support Agencies The Library of Congress
Created in 1800
One of the largest libraries in the world
Contains more than 100 million items
Including: books, journals, music, films, photos, & maps
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Established 1974
Coordinates the budget-making work of Congress

8. Library of Congress

9. Support Agencies General Accounting Office (GAO)
Established 1921
Nation’s watchdog over spending of funds Congress appropriates.
Government Printing Office (GPO)
The largest multi-purpose printing plant in the world, prints for the entire federal government
Prints: Statistical Abstract of the United States every year since 1878.
Also, Congressional Record (daily)