Understanding Cloture in Senate Floor Proceedings

Filibusters may be ended by one of two ways: either through negotiation among senators or through a process known as invoking cloture. Cloture is the only procedure by which the Senate can end debate without rejecting the measure under consideration at the same time. Creative Commons License, Photo credit: Robbie1 Several stages for invoking cloture … Read more

Preparing for Congressional Oversight Testimony – Custom, On-Site Training from TheCapitol.Net

Our “Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony” course is commonly offered as a 2-day custom on-site training program for executives, scientists, managers, attorneys, and others who are involved with preparing for and delivering testimony at congressional hearings. For more than 30 years, TheCapitol.Net and its predecessor, Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences, have been teaching professionals from government, … Read more

Tips for Choosing an Effective Spokesperson

Regardless of whether it is a legislative press conference, congressional testimony or a television commercial, both your message and the person who delivers that message are critical. The person you place in front of the media on behalf of your organization might not be the obvious choice, like the association president or CEO. photo credit: … Read more

Pocket Constitution

The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Amendments to the Constitution, all in a handy pocket-sized booklet. Our Pocket Constitution is available for purchase in multiples of 30 copies. Single copies are available for $5 each. A free download of our Pocket Constitution is available on Scribd. Singles and sets of 25 copies available. … Read more

“Quick fix for Congress: Speak English!”

In his new book “A Better Congress: Change the rules, change the results,” Joseph Gibson proposes a novel idea, why don’t members of Congress use plain English when they write legislation. “If bills were drafted in clearer language, perhaps more members would read and understand them. If the bills then became law, the public might … Read more

Congress: Informal Groups, Caucuses, and Congressional Member Organizations (CMO)

Most people are quite familiar with the idea of committees and subcommittees within Congress, but there are also many informal congressional groups. These groups can include informal groups, caucuses and Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs). While they may be called by different names, all of these groups refer to ad hoc social or policy groups that … Read more

“A Better Congress” Author Joseph Gibson Interviewed by Doug McElvein and Debbie Monterrey on Total Information AM, on KMOX-AM, St. Louis, MO

“A Better Congress” Author Joseph Gibson Interviewed by Doug McElvein and Debbie Monterrey on Total Information AM, on KMOX-AM, St. Louis, MO Washington insider Joseph Gibson spoke with us about his new book “A Better Congress: Change the Rules, Change the Results”. Listen to the audio here: http://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/ABetterCongress.html From a reader: “Makes a great gift … Read more