The Job Description for a Member of Congress is the first detailed description of the key responsibilities of a Member of Congress, outlining several functions: Representation, Legislation, Investigation/Oversight, Management, Politics, Collaboration, and Leadership. CMF envisions the document as a means for current and future Members of Congress and staff to prioritize and assess certain aspects of their jobs, as well as a tool for citizens to assess their lawmakers. The job description is the product of more than a year of research and included the input of both current and former congressional staff with a combined 140 years of congressional experience.
"While there are countless sources of information about Congress – how Senators and Representatives vote, how a bill becomes a law, how the performance of a particular Congress can be measured – no document exists that outlines the actual responsibilities of a Member of Congress – until now," said Bradford Fitch, President and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. "The Job Description for a Member of Congress fills that gap and offers a foundation for future assessment of Member performance."
In addition to the Member job description, CMF's suite of resources for Members-elect include new editions of Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide and the 90-Day Roadmap to Setting Up a Congressional Office, as well as Life in Congress: The Member Perspective, the "New Member Resource Center," and the "Congressional Office Toolkit."
About the Congressional Management Foundation
CMF is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to build trust and effectiveness in Congress. Since 1977, CMF has worked internally with Member, committee, leadership, and institutional offices in the House and Senate to identify and disseminate best practices for management, workplace environment, communications, and constituent services. CMF also is the leading researcher and trainer on citizen engagement, educating thousands of individuals and facilitating better relationships with Congress.
