Entry 5: Chapter 5, Lesson 5 – Staff and Support Agencies

As you read this chapter lesson’s Reading Essentials, you’ll encounter the following questions.
Please answer them as you read and use this checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything.

☐ What do legislative assistants and caseworkers do? How are their roles different?

A: Caseworker - Most offices have several caseworkers that divide up the federal
agencies and deal with constituent questions and problems (a lost Social Security
check, a denied veterans’ benefit, etc.) associated with those agencies’ programs.
Some caseworkers also do legislative research or correspondence on matters
relating to the agencies in which they have specialized.

Legislative Assistant (LA) - The LA typically monitors legislation through the

committee review stage and on the floor, and works under the supervision of the
Legislative Director to initiate and advance legislation sponsored or supported by
the lawmaker. The LA must be knowledgeable of the committee system and the
rules of the House and Senate, and meets with lobbyists and constituents
interested in the proposed legislation. In addition, the LA typically performs other
tasks such as handling the Member’s legislative correspondence, drafting
legislation, writing floor speeches, monitoring Committee activity, and meeting
with constituents and special interest groups.

Look at the web page of your Representative or one of your Senators. Does it
show the names, titles, and contact information of the staff? If so, what can you
learn about the staff’s experience and responsibilities? If not, why do you think
some or all of the staff might be “invisible”?

☐ How do personal staff and committee staff differ?

A: The difference between the personal staff and the committee staff is that the
personal staff deals directly with the Congress person that they are employed with
and manage things that deal with the Congress person’s constituencies.
Committee staff draft legislation, evaluate information, work out compromise
language and perform the nitty-gritty technical work in legislative markups. They
frequently specialize in specific legislative areas within a committee jurisdiction.

☐ Attach your personal notes.

☐ Reminder: if you want, take the optional mini quiz for this chapter lesson to check your
understanding.

If you’ve checked all the boxes, move on to the Chapter 6, Lesson 1 reading!