Congressional Institute
Encyclopedia
Mission and Projects
Member and Staff RetreatsThe Congressional Institute sponsors retreats for Members of Congress and their staff. Since 1987, the Institute has organized an annual retreat for all Republican Members of Congress. Members pay their own travel and lodging expenses, but the Institute pays for other expenses including staff costs as approved by the House or Senate Ethics Committees. In January 2010, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
accepted the Institute’s invitation to appear at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore, MD. This was the first time a Democratic president had attended the annual event. Some compared this event to Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
in the British House of Parliament. Others who spoke at the event included Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, former coach Lou Holtz
Lou Holtz
Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker in the United States...
, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey
Dick Armey
Richard Keith "Dick" Armey is a former U.S. Representative from Texas's and House Majority Leader . He was one of the engineers of the "Republican Revolution" of the 1990s, in which Republicans were elected to majorities of both houses of Congress for the first time in four decades. Armey was...
, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren
Michael Oren
Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States...
, Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and pollsters Frank Luntz, Rich Thau, David Winston and Kellyanne Conway.
The 2009 "Congress of Tomorrow" retreat featured major Republican leaders including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
, and Governors Mitch Daniels
Mitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
of Indiana and Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
of Minnesota. Numerous policy experts in attendance included health care expert and Harvard Business School professor Regina Herzlinger, terrorism and foreign policy experts Drs. Frederick Kagan
Frederick Kagan
Frederick W. Kagan is an American resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute , and a former professor of military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from Hamden High School before earning a B.A. in Soviet and East European studies and a Ph.D. in Russian and...
and Kimberly Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
, Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and public opinion experts Frank Luntz
Frank Luntz
Frank I. Luntz is an American political consultant and pollster. His most recent work has been with the Fox News Channel as a frequent commentator and analyst, as well as running focus groups after presidential debates...
, David Winston and Linda DiVall.
In addition, the Institute sponsors Congressional staff training events such as the 2009 Bicameral Chiefs of Staff Retreat that had noted management expert Stephen Covey
Stephen Covey
Stephen Richards Covey is the author of the best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Other books he has written include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families. In 2004, Covey released The 8th Habit...
as the keynote speaker.
Studies on Congressional Communication
The Institute publishes unique studies aimed at helping Members of Congress better communicate with their constituents. In 2007 the Institute sponsored a study on Congressional websites and e-newsletters. In 2008, a groundbreaking study on Tele-Townhalls was made public, and in 2009 the Institute released a study on the Congressional applications of Facebook. In 2010, the Congressional Institute released: "Helping a 221-Year-Old Institution Harness Cutting-Edge Communication Technologies: Research Findings to Enhance Congressional Contact with Constituents and the Media." The study focused on the dramatic changes in the way constituents communicate with their representatives, and how Congress is communicating back.
Surviving Inside Congress
In January 2009, the Institute released its staff handbook, Surviving Inside Congress, aimed at educating new and prospective Hill employees in the fundamentals of Congress. Surviving Inside Congress provides essential and non-partisan educational information to new Congressional staff and fills in some gaps for those who are not so new to the Hill. The book is distributed to Capitol Hill offices of both chambers and both parties.
“We wanted to write a book for staff — a lot of people write books for Members and just about Congress,” said Mark Strand, one of the authors and president of the Congressional Institute. “Staff members, he said, “are the glue that holds Congress together.”
Elizabeth Kenigsberg of Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
wrote in a review that "The book is perhaps most valuable for its understanding of the new challenges that legislative staff must face and its in-depth look into the ever-changing and increasingly rapid realm of Congressional communication." She went on to say, "Special attention to political strategy and the undeniable challenges of working on Capitol Hill...play a critical role in the book, and the authors' advice is easy to read and comprehend."
Nick Catanzaro, Program Advisor for the Political Leadership Program at the Washington Center said, "Surviving Inside Congress provides a great foundation for students looking for direction from an insider's view of how Congress works... The book will provide our students with the knowledge relevant to their internships and academic experience while here in Washington DC." The Washington Center conducts one of the largest Congressional Intern programs on Capitol Hill.
Greg Sangillo of the National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
wrote: “Are you lost on Capitol Hill? Are you mindlessly nodding along during meetings, with no idea what your chief of staff is even talking about? Three Republican former Capitol Hill veterans have just published a book called Surviving Inside Congress, devised to help new congressional staffers and others learn the ropes. The book gives plenty of tidbits on how congressional offices are staffed, parliamentary procedure, ethics guidelines, and the e-mail and snail mail systems. All current Hill staffers can get the first edition of the book free. It's a project of the Congressional Institute and is co-authored by the organization's president, Mark Strand, who served as chief of staff to then-Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo; former institute President Jerome Climer; and Michael S. Johnson, staff chief to then-House Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill.”.
“I worked in Congress for 23 years, as did both of my colleagues. You want to give something back and make the institution better,” said Strand. There is no doubt people who work on the Hill work in a fishbowl. There are a whole bunch of people waiting for them to make mistakes. We really emphasize learning the rules. We’re trying to keep good and decent people working on the Hill.
“There is nothing else in the world like it,” Strand said about working for Congress. “There are not many jobs where you can help change the world and make it a better place by going to work every day.”
House Floor Procedures Manual
Every Congress, the Congressional Institute publishes a nonpartisan House Floor Procedures Manual. The manual is distributed to all Capitol Hill offices and is available online. It contains detailed information on the rules of process and debate in the House of Representatives.
Bipartisan Congressional Debates
In 2008, the Congressional Institute joined the Democratic Leadership Council
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council was a non-profit 501 corporation that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
in co-hosting bipartisan Congressional debates. Each debate was moderated by a member of the media and had four members of each party debate a specific topic. All three debates were televised by C-Span
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
.
Then-Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
said the debates led to “serious, civil conversations” that have helped to produce “great results, such as bipartisan economic stimulus package and a bipartisan Medicare package.” Then-House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam
Adam Putnam
Adam H. Putnam is the current Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2001 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
said, “The ‘Congress Debates’ series has been successful in providing a forum for Members of Congress to break through the Beltway clutter and engage in a healthy exchange of ideas.”
The first debate was held at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
Graduate School of Political Management on February 25, 2008 and was moderated by Ron Brownstein of the National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
. The topic was the economic stimulus, and included respective party conference chairs, Rahm Emanuel and Adam Putnam. The video and transcript of the debate can be found here. Other participants were Republicans Eric Cantor
Eric Cantor
Eric Ivan Cantor is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011...
, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan (politician)
Paul Davis Ryan is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been ranked among the party's most influential voices on economic policy....
and Democrats Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews
Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....
, Artur Davis
Artur Davis
Artur Genestre Davis is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for , serving from 2003 to 2011 when he was succeeded by Terri Sewell, also a member of the Democratic Party....
and Steve Israel
Steve Israel
Steve J. Israel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located on Long Island and includes the towns of Huntington, Babylon, Islip, and Smithtown in Suffolk County, part of the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, and the...
.
The second debate centered on health care and was held at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 28, 2008. It was moderated by Julie Rovner of National Public Radio. The Democrat debate team included Reps. Xavier Becerra
Xavier Becerra
Xavier Becerra is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Los Angeles.-Early life, education and career:...
, Marion Berry, Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
and Kathy Castor
Kathy Castor
Kathy Castor is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district covers most of the city of Tampa, most of south St...
. The Republicans participating were Reps. Charles Boustany
Charles Boustany
Charles William Boustany, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
Jr., Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Moore Capito is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Republican Party...
, Nathan Deal
Nathan Deal
John Nathan Deal is a United States politician, the 82nd and current Governor of Georgia. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1992 but switched to the Republican Party in 1995...
and John Shadegg
John Shadegg
John Barden Shadegg is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district, numbered as the 4th District before the 2000 Census, includes much of northern Phoenix....
. The video and transcript of the debate can be found here.
The third debate focused on energy policy and was held at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
on July 28, 2008. The debate was moderated by Jeanne Cummings of The Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
. The Democratic Caucus participants were Reps. Earl Blumenauer
Earl Blumenauer
Earl Blumenauer is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1996. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Portland east of the Willamette River. A native of Portland, he previously spent over 20 years as a public official representing the city.-Early...
, Jay Inslee
Jay Inslee
Jay Robert Inslee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes many of Seattle's northern suburbs in King, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties...
, Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
and Bart Stupak
Bart Stupak
Bartholomew Thomas "Bart" Stupak is a lobbyist and American politician of the Democratic Party. He served as the U.S. Representative from from 1993 to 2011....
. The Republicans were Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
, Denny Rehberg
Denny Rehberg
Dennis R. "Denny" Rehberg is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education and career:...
, Fred Upton
Fred Upton
Frederick Stephen Upton is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The district, based in Kalamazoo, stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.-Early life,...
and Zach Wamp
Zach Wamp
Zachary Paul "Zach" Wamp is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...
. The video and transcript of the debate can be found here.
The debate series is expected to resume in September 2009.
Congressional Art Competition
In June 2009, the Congressional Institute once again participated in the Congressional Art Competition. The Institute has played an organizing role for the past five years along with the Congressional Arts Caucus. Over 390 Congressional offices participated in the competition, with the winners of each district’s competition being flown into Washington DC to attend a reception sponsored by the Congressional Institute. The winning artwork hangs in the tunnel between the U.S. Capitol and the House Office Buildings for a year. Rep. Rick Larsen
Rick Larsen
Richard Ray "Rick" Larsen is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
(D-WA) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) served as the 2009 Congressional Art Competition chairmen. The winning entries for 2008 and 2009 can be viewed online.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz
Jason Chaffetz
Jason E. Chaffetz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Provo and includes large portions of central and west-central Utah.-Early life, education and career:...
(R-UT) and Rep. Steve Driehaus
Steve Driehaus
Steven L. "Steve" Driehaus is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
are serving as co-Chairmen for the 2010 Congressional Art Competition.
The 2011 Congressional Art Competition, co-Chaired by Rep. Donna Edwards
Donna Edwards
Donna F. Edwards is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
(D-MD) and Rep. Lawrence Lance (R-NJ), featured American artist Greg Mort
Greg Mort
Greg Mort is an American artist and amateur astronomer whose paintings have been the subject of numerous exhibitions. His portraits, still lifes, and landscape paintings are represented in public collections, including the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Smithsonian...
as the keynote speaker. Mort's theme, the Art of Stewardship, stressed how young artists could use their talents to enrich their communities.
Governance of the Congressional Institute
The Institute receives its funding primarily from annual dues paid by corporations and associations. The Institute does not employ lobbyists, nor does it engage in lobbying on behalf of itself or others. Many members of the Board of Directors are registered lobbyists and almost all of them were once Congressional staff members.Mark Strand became President of the Congressional Institute in 2007, succeeding founding President Jerome F. Climer. Besides being a coauthor of Surviving Inside Congress, Strand is also is an adjunct professor of legislative affairs at George Washington University. Strand spent nearly 24 years on Capitol Hill, most recently serving as Jim Talent
Jim Talent
James Matthes "Jim" Talent is an American politician and former senator from Missouri. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. He identifies with the conservative wing of the Republican party, being particularly outspoken on judicial appointments,...
’s Chief of Staff in both the House and Senate. Strand served as the Staff Director of the House Committee on Small Business when Talent was Chairman. He has also been a Legislative Director and a Press Secretary. Strand obtained a B.S. in political science and history from Excelsior College of the University of New York, an M.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Phoenix, and a master’s in legislative affairs from George Washington University. Strand regularly speaks to organizations about how Congress works. He has been a frequent participant in seminars on Congressional ethics as well as strategic planning and Congressional office management, often on behalf of the Congressional Management Foundation.
The Institute’s Board of Directors is made up mostly of individuals who served in high-level Congressional staff positions. Chairman Dan Meyer is the former Chief of Staff to Speaker Newt Gingrich (a post also held by Board member Arne Christenson) and the Director of Congressional Affairs for President George W. Bush. Member of the Board and past Chairman, Michael S. Johnson was the Chief of Staff and Communications Director to former Republican Leader Bob Michel.
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