Understanding the Role of Party Leaders

Given the size of Congress, consisting of 535 members, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the role of various members and how Congress goes about establishing agendas. photo credit: dougww Just after each election, members of each political party for both Congressional chambers meet in order to elect party leaders. These positions are important … Read more

Glossary of Legislative Terms: “Well”

See Well (CongressionalGlossary.com)     Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Custom, On-Site Training Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony and Oral Presentations, a Five-Course series on CD Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a Nine-Course … Read more

2010 Congressional Hearings Set New Lows in Witness Performance – Testifying Before Congress, Update October 7, 2010

Special note to readers of Testifying Before Congress and anyone searching for information about congressional hearings, witnesses and testimony: The following information is made available to you as part of the author’s promise to provide periodic updates, revisions and additions to the content of the book (see Appendix Thirteen, page 398, “Keep Up-to-Date”), and especially … Read more

Understanding Federal Legislative History

Legislative history involves the proceedings in Congress that relate to a law before it was actually enacted. This can include official reports prepared by congressional committees as well as official statements that are issued by members of Congress. Legislative history may also include testimony given at legislative hearings, and different versions of the text of … Read more

Legislative Process Flowchart, from the Congressional Deskbook, § 6.01

The Legislative Process Flowchart is from § 6.01, Legislative Process Flowchart, in Congressional Deskbook, Copyright © by TheCapitol.Net. See LegislativeProcessFlowchart.com This Legislative Process Flowchart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution—NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available: www.thecapitol.net, 202-678-1600. TCNLPF.comLegislativeProcessFlowchart.com Related PostsHow America Governs: Essentials of U.S. Governance … Read more

The 7 Types of Congressional Hearings

If you have been called to testify before a Congressional hearing or think that you might be called to do so in the future, it can be helpful to have a basic understanding of the various types of Congressional hearings and their purposes. photo credit: Tarter Time Photography The main purpose of any Congressional hearing … Read more

Kevin O’Connell Completes Congressional Operations Certificate from TheCapitol.Net

Kevin O’Connell Completes Congressional Operations Certificate from TheCapitol.Net Kevin O’Connell has completed his certificate in Congressional Operations from TheCapitol.Net. The Certificate in Congressional Operations is awarded to participants in the program who have completed more than 75 hours of training about how congress works. Kevin O’Connell is the Congressional Affairs Officer at the Institute of … Read more

Glossary of Legislative Terms: “Teller Vote”

See Teller Vote (CongressionalGlossary.com)     Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Custom, On-Site Training Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments in a Nutshell, Audio Course on CD Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals of Lawmaking Series, a … Read more