POLI-3110 The US Congress

Congressional Research Service. (2014). The Evolving Congress (S. Prt. 113–30). U.S. Government Printing Office. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-113SPRT89394/pdf/CPRT-113SPRT89394.pdf

The Evolving Congress Readings:

• Koempel, "Being a member of Congress: Some notable changes in the last half century," pp. 61-94

• Williams, et al., "The 113th Congress and the U.S. Population: Discussion and Analysis of Selected Characteristics," pp. 129-144

The Library of Congress web site, Congress.gov.

Explore the Congress.gov site for information about your Congressional representative in preparation for the module discussion.

If you do not know your representative’s name, begin by clicking on “Contact” at the top right of the homepage of Congress.gov, which will take you to a page with links to webpages of members of Congress, both Representatives and Senators. Your report/introduction should address all of the following:

• Member name and party affiliation.
• The names of committees, subcommittees, and caucuses on which the member serves in the 118^th Congress.
• Any leadership position the member currently holds, for example committee chair or ranking member, subcommittee chair, etc.
• Any bills the member has sponsored, i.e has introduced, in the 117^th or 118^th Congress; be sure to include a short summary of the status of the bills and list the name of any bills that have become laws.  
• A short explanation of constituent services the member offers to residents of the district, i.e, how members assist district residents. 
• Report how your representative voted on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, H.R. 5376 (P.L. 117-148) if he/she was a member during this prior session.
• After you’ve gathered information about your representative and some of their activities, use internet resources to find out whether your member held a town hall meeting in your district within the last year and how the public responded.