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Capitol Hill Workshop: Politics, Policy, and Process

 Capitol Hill Workshop: Politics, Policy, and Process

Congressional decision-making is driven by politics, policy and process. In this engaging workshop, Washington-based experts discuss these 3 P's and help you understand the complete policy-making process.

This intensive 3-day course is held in Washington, DC.

Attend a congressional hearing and see the process in action. Materials include the Early Edition of the Congressional Directory and the Training Edition of the award-winning Congressional Deskbook. This course is designed for GS-12 and above, military officers, supervisory personnel, and Leadership Development participants.



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January 18, 2009 12:47 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process

 Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process

Do you need to understand, or train others in, how a bill becomes law, basic congressional operations, the amendment tree or where in the legislative and public policy process you can have an impact? Do you have questions about Capitol Hill dynamics that no one can answer (or that you’re too afraid to ask)?

This seminar provides an in-depth examination of congressional operations, House and Senate legislative procedures, the work of committees, floor procedures, reconciliation of differences between houses and presidential action.

If your job requires you to understand and follow legislation, or if you’re new to government affairs, here's your chance to get up to speed in one information-packed day



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September 1, 2008 03:57 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Congress in a Nutshell: Understanding Congress

 Congress in a Nutshell: Understanding Congress

Our Washington insiders provide an exceptional overview of the process, the leadership and the politics of Congress for those who need to know more than the basics about the legislative branch.

Our basic Congressional primer is an intensive half-day session covering the House and Senate, their differences, congressional leadership and more. This class is an excellent introduction to Congress for anyone new to government affairs or needing a refresher.



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August 27, 2008 04:47 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Advanced Legislative Strategies

 Advanced Legislative Strategies

This advanced 3-day course in Washington, DC builds on the skills of those who have already learned the legislative process and basic congressional operations. In this course, participants learn how to develop high-level strategies and tactics to help educate Congress and influence legislation.



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July 19, 2008 12:27 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Bills, Resolutions, Committee Hearings, and Committee Reports

Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Bills, Resolutions, Committee Hearings, and Committee Reports

A Telephone Seminar

If you are researching legislative histories, you need a thorough understanding of federal legislative documents. During this program, you will learn about:

Open Q&A with the faculty included: Bob Gee.

 Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Bills, Resolutions, Committee Hearings, and Committee Reports
Capitol Learning Audio Course
Includes seminar materials.
Audio Course on CD: $47 plus shipping and handling Buy this Audio Course on CD

July 2, 2008 12:47 PM   Link    Comments (0)

How to Research and Compile Legislative Histories: Searching for Legislative Intent

 How to Research and Compile Legislative Histories: Searching for Legislative Intent

This full-day course in Washington, DC, explores effective, professional methods for locating and compiling legislative histories of federal laws.

Our experienced, up-to-date, and independent faculty demonstrate and discuss:

Also see our web page, "Legislative History Reference and Research Tools."



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June 21, 2008 09:37 AM   Link    Comments (0)

Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Statutory and Code Research

Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Statutory and Code Research

A Telephone Seminar

If you are researching legislative histories, you need a thorough understanding of the sources and publication of laws, i.e., statutes and codes. During this program, you will:

Open Q&A with the faculty included: Bob Gee.

 Researching Federal Legislative Histories: Statutory and Code Research
Capitol Learning Audio Course
Includes seminar materials.
Audio Course on CD: $47 plus shipping and handling Buy this Audio Course on CD

June 17, 2008 06:17 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Legislating in the U.S. Senate

Legislating in the U.S. Senate

A Telephone Seminar

Martin Gold, a former floor advisor and counsel to Majority Leader Bill Frist will analyze how legislating in the U.S. Senate differs from legislating in the House of Representatives. He will share his personal experience and knowledge of the history of the Senate during this program. Mr. Gold will focus on the four pillars of Senate procedure:

Open Q&A with the faculty included.

 Legislating in the U.S. Senate
Capitol Learning Audio Course
Includes seminar materials.
Audio Course on CD: $47 plus shipping and handling Buy this Audio Course on CD

June 15, 2008 09:47 AM   Link    Comments (0)

Gridlock

Gridlock is the natural gift the Framers of the Constitution gave us so that the country would not be subjected to policy swings resulting from the whimsy of the public. And the competition - whether multi-branch, multi-level, or multi-house - is important to those checks and balances and to our ongoing kind of centrist government.

Bill Frenzel, Guest Scholar, Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution (Congressman for the 3rd District of Minnesota from 1971-1991)

Training

Congressional Deskbook 2005-2007, by Judy Schneider and Michael L. Koempel
Congressional Deskbook 2005-2007, by Judy Schneider and Michael L. Koempel

January 20, 2007 06:47 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Capitol Hill Workshop

Our next Capitol Hill Workshop, scheduled for September 13-15, 2006, is for anyone whose work requires that they have a broad understanding of Congress and Capitol Hill.

In 3 days, this seminar covers

Capitol Hill Workshop materials include the Congressional Directory and the award-winning Congressional Deskbook.

Clicking the CQ logo will open up the CQ home page in a new browser window. TheCapitol.Net is the exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences This CQ Executive Conference is approved for 1.6 CEU credits from George Mason University.

For more information, or to register, see www.CapitolHillWorkshop.com

July 24, 2006 07:27 AM   Link    Comments (0)

New blog, new books

Posting has been light at Hobnob Blog the last few months as we've been working on some large projects that are almost finished.

Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide is now in blog format

Next month we will publish two new books and a new poster:

Our quasi-regular "This Week in DC Reviews" will be back soon ...

May 22, 2006 10:57 PM   Link    Comments (0)

Earmarks

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation Ending Earmarks Express has hit the road!

Follow Americans for Prosperity Foundation as we tour the country visiting the sites that have received the most egregious wastes of taxpayer dollars and fight to end the process of attaching hidden earmarks to legislation by our elected officials.

The Ending Earmarks Express

[Alan Mollohan's] seniority on the Appropriations and ethics cmtes raises larger and fundamental questions about the use and abuse of earmarks.

"Mollohan Story: A Game-Changer?" Hotline on Call, April 7, 2006

Also see

April 10, 2006 07:37 AM   Link    Comments (0)

More on Earmarks

We have updated our Federal Budget Links and Research Tools (scroll down) with links to selected CRS Reports, legislation and articles on earmarks.

CRS Reports on Earmarks

Legislation

Articles

February 16, 2006 10:46 AM   Link    Comments (0)

Earmarks

Last week, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn sent this "Dear Colleague" letter

DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER FROM SENATORS COBURN AND MCCAIN ON EARMARKS
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006

Dear Colleague:

As you know, the American people are currently engaged in a vigorous debate about our country’s spending priorities. Many are openly discussing the propriety of earmarks and legislative policy provisions inserted into appropriations bills at the direction of individual lawmakers. We believe that the process of earmarking undermines the confidence of the American public in Congress because the practice is not open, fair, or competitive and tends to reward the politically well-connected.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the number of earmarks has skyrocketed over the past decade, from 4,126 in 1994 to 15,268 in 2005. We are committed to doing all we can to halt this egregious earmarking practice and plan to challenge future legislative earmarks that come to the Senate floor. This will give all Senators the opportunity to learn the merits of proposed earmarked projects and affirm or reject them. Even though votes on earmarks will undoubtedly be quite time-consuming, we sincerely believe that American taxpayers are entitled to a more thorough debate and disclosure about how their money is being spent.

We also believe that it is wrong to violate Senate Rules by inserting new provisions that are not included in either a Senate or House bill into conference reports at the last minute. The unsavory practice of inserting such provisions at the last minute stifles debate and empowers well-heeled lobbyists at the expense of those who cannot afford access to power. Decisions about how taxpayer dollars are spent should not be made in the dark, behind closed doors. Therefore, we also plan to challenge future violations of Senate Rules, and, as necessary, we will offer proposals to strengthen current Senate Rules in order to increase transparency and accountability in the expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

While we know that this course of action may not be popular in Washington, D.C., we believe that it is the right thing to do. We look forward to working with you over the next year, and we hope that you will join us in a spirited debate about the direction of our country.

Sincerely,


Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. Senator John McCain

And here is Kim Strassel's take:

Mr. McCain and House Republican Jeff Flake have already introduced a bill that would require more "sunshine" in the earmarking process, obliging Congress to produce a list of every earmark in the text of legislation. If these attempts fail, the senators from Arizona and Oklahoma say they will pursue their ends by other means. For instance, one concern is that porkers will seek to bypass any increased legislative scrutiny by inserting earmarks directly into Senate-House conference reports at the last minute. If this happens, the duo say they will challenge such earmarks as violations of Senate rules and insist that House-Senate conference procedures be updated to allow greater transparency.

"Who You Gonna Call?" by Kim Strassel, OpinionJournals' Political Diary, February 1, 2006

More

February 2, 2006 06:07 AM   Link    Comments (0)    TrackBacks (1)

Alito Filibuster Fails - congressional procedure

Republican senators, aided by 19 Democrats, cleared the path yesterday for Samuel A. Alito Jr. to join the Supreme Court and for President Bush to put his stamp firmly on the nine-member bench.

The Senate voted 72 to 25 to end debate on Alito's nomination and to allow a roll call on his confirmation today, shortly before noon. Alito's supporters garnered a dozen more votes than the 60 they needed to choke off a Democratic filibuster effort, which would have allowed debate to continue indefinitely.

"Senate to Vote On Alito Today: Confirmation Near as Filibuster Fails," by Charles Babington, The Washington Post, January 31, 2006

If you want to learn more about Congressional procedure, we offer several courses, audio CDs, and publications.

Also see our previous post, "CRS reports about presidential nominations"

January 31, 2006 11:12 AM   Link    Comments (0)