Founded in 1987, the Congressional Institute is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping Members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature. The Institute sponsors major conferences as well as a number of smaller gatherings for the benefit of Members of the U.S. Congress. All events are devoted to an examination of important policy issues and strategic planning. The Institute also conducts important research projects consistent with its mission and develops resources such as the House Floor Procedures Manual and sponsors Oxford-style bipartisan Congressional debates.
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Mission and Projects
Member and Staff Retreats
The 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 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 in the British House of Parliament. Others who spoke at the event included Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former coach Lou Holtz, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren, 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, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Governors Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Tim Pawlenty 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 and Kimberly Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and public opinion experts Frank Luntz, 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 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 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 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 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.
Then-Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rahm Emanuel 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 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 Graduate School of Political Management on February 25, 2008 and was moderated by Ron Brownstein of the National Journal. 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, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Paul Ryan and Democrats Rob Andrews, Artur Davis and Steve Israel.
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, Marion Berry, Allyson Schwartz and Kathy Castor. The Republicans participating were Reps. Charles Boustany Jr., Shelley Moore Capito, Nathan Deal and John Shadegg. The video and transcript of the debate can be found here.
The third debate focused on energy policy and was held at Tulane University on July 28, 2008. The debate was moderated by Jeanne Cummings of The Politico. The Democratic Caucus participants were Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Jay Inslee, Hilda Solis and Bart Stupak. The Republicans were Michele Bachmann, Denny Rehberg, Fred Upton and Zach Wamp. 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 (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 (R-UT) and Rep. Steve Driehaus are serving as co-Chairmen for the 2010 Congressional Art Competition.
The 2011 Congressional Art Competition, co-Chaired by Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), featured American artist Greg Mort 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 an adjunct professor of legislative affairs at George Washington University. Strand spent nearly 24 years on Capitol Hill, most recently serving as Jim Talent’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.