The Many Roles of a Member of Congress Glossary

 

Capitol Hill: Refers to the area encompassing the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate office buildings, and the surrounding residential area of townhouses and apartment buildings.

 

case worker: The staffer who helps a Representative or Senator solve constituent problems with the federal government. Most "cases" involve social security benefits, veterans issues, or immigration or visa/passport problems.

 

Chief of Staff: The top aide to a Senator or Representative. The chief of staff is responsible for managing the Member's entire staff and also acts as the Member's chief political strategist. He/she is viewed as the Member's alter ego and often attends meetings on behalf of the Member and speaks for him or her.

 

constituents: A group of residents represented by an elected official.

Today, a congressman/woman has an average of 650,000 constituents. A Senator represents an entire state, and the number of constituents varies widely by state. A California Senator, for example, has over 35 million constituents, while a Senator from Wyoming has only about 499,000.

 

district: The specific geographical area within a state represented by a House member. Congressional districts are drawn so that each has an average of about 650,000 citizens. States with small populations may have only one district (for example, Alaska) while a large state like California has 53 districts.

 

district work period: A scheduled recess when the House or Senate are not in session; it usually lasts a week to ten days. Members of Congress use this break to travel around their districts and states, meeting with local officials and constituents, holding town meetings and open office hours.

 

incumbent: Refers to the official currently holding a public office. In congressional races, the sitting Member of Congress running for re-election may be referred to as the incumbent and his/her opponent as the challenger.

 

Legislative Insider: Legislative Insiders are Members of Congress who are effective negotiators and alliance builders. They typically have good people skills and like to get things done. They are interested in mastering the details of the legislative process to pass important bills.

 

legislator: : An elected official who serves in the legislative branch of his/her state government [the state legislature], or in the legislative branch of the federal government [the U.S. Congress]. Legislators represent an assigned group of citizens in the legislature, and help make laws for the state or for the nation.

 

lobbyist: Individuals who represent the cause of a group, organization, association, or industry " or just themselves - and express those views to Members of Congress and/or congressional committees considering legislation in their areas of interest. Lobbyists must formally register with the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate and reveal how much money they spent in lobbying.

The term comes from the first years of Congress, when many Members of Congress lived in hotels during congressional sessions. People seeking to influence legislation would hang out in the lobby of the hotels seeking to speak to the Members as they came and went.

 

Ombudsman: Ombudsmen are Members of Congress who like to help people, and give top priority to the interests of their constituents. They are more interested in obtaining specific benefits for the people back home than in debating broad policy questions.

 

Outsider: Outsiders are Members of Congress who tend to be independent, outspoken, and impatient. They don't enjoy courting colleagues and have excellent media skills. They like to shake things up, and often advocate major changes in the way Congress works.

 

Party Insider: Party Insiders are Members of Congress who tend to have firmly held political views. They have strong Republican or Democratic loyalties. They have an interest in organizing, strategizing, and promoting the interests of their party.

 

Statesman: Statesmen are Members of Congress who enjoy developing ideas and speaking out to promote them. They tend to be more interested in the big picture than the details of legislation. They like to take stands for what they view as right rather than what is politically popular.

 

U.S. Senator: An elected person who represents citizens of a particular state in the Senate.

 

U.S. Representative: An elected person who represents citizens of a particular district in the House of Representatives.