The Experience of a Hill Staffer
Stephanie Katz, J.D.
Senior Congressional Affairs Specialist
Structure of a Standard Congressional
Office
Member of Congress
District Director
Chief of Staff
District Representative(s)
Legislative Director
Campaign Manger
Fundraiser(s)
Scheduler
Communications Dir.
Legislative Assistant(s)
Legislative Correspondent(s)
Staff Assistant
The Life of a Member of Congress
• On “fly-in” days, legislative business typically begins between noon
and 2 o’clock, with first votes beginning at 6:30 in the evening
• When Congress is in session, a standard day for a Member begins
around 8 o’clock and ends between 9 and 10 o’clock that evening
• During “appropriations season” Members may be on the floor as
late as 3 o’clock in the morning offering and voting on amendments
to the 12 appropriations bills
• Many of the Members sleep in their offices, and as such, so long as
votes have concluded for the evening, staff will ensure that they
have left the office by 8 o’clock in the evening to provide the
Member with privacy
– For many Members, their Congressional salary is their only source of
income, with which they are maintaining two separate households
– Very few Members have relocated their families to the Washington,
D.C. area and most fly home every or every other weekend
The Life of a Member of Congress in
the District/State
• When Congress is not in session, most Members return to their
District/State for “work week”
• Engaged Members will spend the entirety of this time taking
meetings with constituents and touring local businesses to
determine what the legislative priorities of the District/State are
• For Members in rural Districts/States, “work weeks” can be
incredibly challenging given the long distances that must be driven
to ensure the needs of the entire District/State are being addressed
• Additionally, Members must engage with their individual state
legislatures to minimize the impact of any federal and state policies
that are in conflict
– When federal policies impact counties and cities within the
District/State, Members must engage in a very focused manner to
mediate between impacted entities (i.e. retrocession)
Time Constraints on a Member of
Congress
• When Congress is in session, the Member’s schedule is completely
controlled by the scheduler (also referred to in some offices as the
executive assistant)
• The Member’s schedule is broken down into 15 minute increments,
leaving very little cushion for breaks or accommodating late meeting
arrivals
• The Member’s staff will meet in the beginning of each week to discuss the
upcoming meetings and indicate priorities
• The staffer who handles the issue area that the scheduled meeting relates
to will always attend the meeting with the Member and will always be
available to take the meeting alone if the Member is suddenly unavailable
for the meeting
– All paper materials provided to the Member will be immediately turned over
to the staffer upon completion of the meeting for research/analysis purposes
– If it is at all possible, offer to provide the staffer with an electronic copy of
your meeting materials
Time Constraints on a Member of
Congress
• Meetings with Members/staff in Washington, D.C. are often set
months in advance
– Engaged members will try to accommodate last minute requests from
constituents, but this is simply not always possible
– Members typically try to meet with both “friendly” and “unfriendly”
parties – especially new members of Congress
– Members are unable to predict exactly when votes will be called
throughout the day which often results in scheduled meetings being
“bumped” to staff
• Meeting with Members/staff in the District are often set out even
farther in advance to accommodate the driving times necessary for
Members to engage throughout the District/State
– If your Member cannot accommodate you in the District/State, engage
with the District/State Director and do not be apprehensive to first
meet with local staff – these individuals can be key to making your
request a priority when the Member is next in the District/State
Duties of a Legislative Assistant
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Legislative Analysis
Legislative Research
Constituent/Interested Party Meetings
Creation of Legislation
– In Collaboration with the Legislation Director and
Legislative Counsel
– Duplicative legislation occurs often
• Focus on the piece of legislation with the power to move
– If the sponsoring Member retires/loses re-election
bid/passes away, push for re-introduction by your
Member/a Member on a committee of jurisdiction
Recommendation Process
• Legislative Assistants draft/orally present cosponsor recommendations for
Members of Congress
– Meetings with Legislative Assistants should contain enough background and
data to enable the Legislative Assistant to sell the legislation to the LD, COS,
and Member
– Always follow up with staffer (multiple times if necessary)
• Caucus Recommendations
• Vote Recommendations
– The Legislative Director and the Legislative Assistants write vote
recommendations for the pieces of legislation that correspond to their areas
of expertise
– If leadership is pushing forward with a piece of legislation that is counter to
your priorities, lobby against the legislation by expressing your concern to the
staffer who will be writing the vote recommendation
– Rarely will a Member go against the recommendation made by their staff
unless they are approached by their delegation or leadership on the floor
How Grassroots Advocacy Impacts
Legislative Decision Making
• If your Member or a Member you are working closely with
on legislation is a sponsor or lead on the legislation, work
with the staff to suggest/create a whip list
• Be willing to work with the staffer to whip the designated
Members on your end as well
• Always engage the staffer to get through to the member
– The staffer will be the one who educates the Member, so sell
the legislation to the staffer first
– If the staffer becomes passionate about the legislation they will
fight to get their Member on board
– Demonstrating to the staffer how the legislation, or the lack
thereof, has impacted your patients will help drive their interest
and willingness to push the issue to the Member
How Grassroots Advocacy Impacts
Legislative Decision Making
• Engage with the District Staff in an effort to draw focus to
your legislative priorities
– This is especially effective in rural areas where access issues are
at the forefront
– Set up a tour of your facility for the District Director or Member
• Utilize mail writing campaigns
– The mail system should suggest to the LC and LA what issues are
a specific priority to the District/State
• Whenever possible, present District/State specific
information in an effort to demonstrate how the legislation
specifically impacts the voters who are responsible for reelected the Member
Lobbying Democrats vs. Republicans
• While Republicans Control the House and Senate, without collaboration
legislation is unlikely to pass both chambers or be signed into law
• When lobbying a Democrat’s office, focus primarily on access issues
• Rural access can be a strong selling point to Members from rural
Districts/States
• When lobbying a Republican’s office it is imperative that you focus both on
access and on costs
• If the legislation has not been scored by CBO, be upfront about possible
cost issues and if possible present policy options that may mitigate costs
• If the legislation has been scored by CBO as budget neutral, sell this point
• If the legislation has been scored by CBO as having a cost, attempt to
mitigate this cost by demonstrating aggregate cost savings that will be
realized in the future
• If your organization has hired an outside party to do a cost analysis that
demonstrates long-term cost savings always present this information.