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Congressional Capacity
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Increase Staff Diversity and Inclusion
It's important that the staff doing the "People's work" reflect the People. For too long connections, race, and socio-economic background have played an outsized role in the makeup of the Congressional workforce. A diverse staff, with varied experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives can improve both legislative work and constituent serves.
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Expand Member Office Staffing
Member office staff was capped at 18 permanent staff and four additional staff over 45 years ago. Unfortunately, these staff levels have not kept pace with more populous congressional districts and expanding workloads. Expanding the cap to 22 permanent staff and six additional staff will help Member offices develop much-needed expertise and better respond to district needs.
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Improve Congressional Staff Data
Apart from a one-time survey on staff diversity and some studies conducted by outside groups, little data is available on a regular basis about the makeup of congressional staff, including pay, benefits or demographics. The new Human Resources Hub should make regular surveys and solicit input from congressional staff so that staffing decisions can be more data-driven.
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Committee on House Administration |
Requires funding in legislative branch appropriations. Included in FY2020 and FY2021 legislative branch appropriatons bills committee reports. |
Update Members' Representational Allowance Formula
In the House, the MRA pays for staff salaries, supplies, rental for district offices, travel and any other work-related costs a member might have. Some of the information used to allocate these funds is dated or based on faulty logic. Updating the allowance formula would help better reflect real-world costs and tailor the allowance to individual district needs.
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Central Human Resources Hub
Hill staff benefits and resources are scattered across different offices, making it hard to use or even know what might be available to staff. Likewise, personnel policies can vary widely between congressional offices. This has led to a patchwork approach to employment where too many good staff fall through the cracks. Creating a central human resources office will help streamline access to staff services and promote best practices for a more professional workforce and work environment.
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Modernize Staff Payroll System
Unlike the Senate and other areas of the federal government, House staff are payed on a monthly - rather than the more typical bi-monthly - pay schedule. This creates added economic uncertainty for already underpaid office and committee staff. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House should undertake a review of the payroll system and move toward updating this practice.
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Committee on House Administration |
No legislation required. |
Onboarding and Training for New Employees
Because each Congressional office is essentially its own small business, onboarding and training for new employees can vary widely from excellent to non-existent, with many offices lacking the time or expertise to give new employees the best possible start. Providing institution-wide onboarding and training for constituent-facing roles will help both employees and their offices get up to speed quickly.
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Committee on House Administration |
P.L. 116-94 adjusted the maximum rates of compensation for certain congressional staff (2 U.S.C. §4532). The Order of the Speaker of the House (issued January 27 |
Establish New Staff-Only Pay Cap
Current law prevents House staff from earning more than their member of Congress, whose own salary can be subject to political wrangling. Decoupling member pay and staff pay could help retain more staff over the long-term, building expertise and institutional knowledge.
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Committee on House Administration |
No legislation required. |
Rethink New Member Onboarding
The time between election day and swearing-in can be a whirlwind of new information, urgent decisions and meetings - and it's even more overwhelming for anyone without those intervening days, such as the winner of a special election. There's a lot that could be done to improve the onboarding process and give new members a better start to their time on the Hill. That could include more input from freshmen members who just went through that ringer, a full-time paid staffer to help members-elect navigate and delegate, and better timing of specific orientation information. Onboarding should also be sure to include continuity, telework and cyber-security training.
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Continuing Education for Members
Being a Member of Congress requires numerous skill sets beyond a policy vision and ability to stick to talking points. Congress, staff, and constituents would be better served if Members had the opportunity to take professional development courses covering everything from office management to ethics.
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Congressional Research Service
By providing non-partisan information on congressional issues and legislation, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a great source for members to be properly informed on bills that may be under consideration in congress, however, the process of acquiring and delivering the information can be slow. Rather than wait for multiple member requests before preparing research on a given issue, the CRS should proactively generate timely fact-sheets with relevant and current information. This would give members, staff and constituents access to better information ahead of debates or other decision-making.
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Committees on House Administration and Appropriations |
This change would require funding in the legislative branch appropriations act. It might also impact committee funding allocations adopted in the biennial committee funding resolutions. Depending on detail |
Expand Staff Capacity on Committees and Organizations That Support Congress
Members' personal offices aren't the only ones seeing major brain-drain. Committees and the ecosystem of organizations that support the work of Congress, such as the Congressional Budget Office, Government Accountability Office, and Congressional Research Service, are also in need of expanded staffing, better paid staff that will stay in place and develop expertise, and updated technology to better serve their important roles.
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Committee on House Administration |
May require no legislation |
Standardize Staffing for Eligible Congressional Member Organizations (ECMOs)
Staff who work for official Member organizations within the House should have access to the same benefits as those who work for other offices.
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Committee on House Administration |
No legislation required. |
Certifications for Staff Roles
The creation of a certification system for key staff roles, from legislative correspondent to chief of staff and everything in between could help standardize these roles, better equip staff and help staff gain the skills they need to achieve promotions.
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Increase Staff Diversity and Inclusion 
