Product Description

The Congressional Deskbook is the comprehensive guide to Congress, now in its Fifth Edition. This 15 chapter publication explains the legislative and congressional budget processes along with all aspects of Congress.

This comprehensive and practical guide to Congress is ideal for anyone who wants to know how Congress really works, including federal executives, attorneys, lobbyists, media and public affairs staff, government affairs, policy and budget analysts, congressional office staff and students.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #614436 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Review
"A valuable, detailed, and highly functional synthesis of information about the legislative branch. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." -- CHOICE

"I first came across the Congressional Deskbook in the spring of 2004 and can't imagine getting along without it in the future. The Deskbook contains an amazing amount of highly useful information for anyone who deals with Congress or wants to fully understand its workings. It has clear and pertinent information on legislative procedure and organization, how to contact members of Congress, committees, and subcommittees, and includes a chapter on the budget process, a chapter on "How to Monitor and Research Congress," and a comprehensive glossary of legislative terms. The Congressional Deskbook is of great value to academicians, public administrators at all levels of government, politically engaged citizens, lobbyists, and policy advocates. I know of no other book that explains the people, politics, policy, and procedures of Congress so completely, clearly, and skillfully. The authors are to be commended and thanked for giving us an all-in-one-place fabulous guide to Congress." -- David H. Rosenbloom, Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, School of Public Affairs, American University

"The Congressional Deskbook is a treasure trove of practical information on the U.S. Congress. It can be used effectively as a basic text on the operations of the legislative branch and as a reference guide for answers to simple and complex questions about the first branch of government. An essential resource for those working within, reporting on, lobbying, or just trying to understand our very complicated and essential national legislature." -- Thomas E. Mann, W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

"The Congressional Deskbook is perfect for anyone who wants to understand how Congress works. It is concise, clarion clear and comprehensive all at once. It is spare and crisp -- but it never oversimplifies. It is written in lay language, but it never 'dumbs it down.' The Congressional Deskbook is a unique tool, one that I use regularly." -- David Hawkings, Senior Editor, Congressional Quarterly

"The Deskbook is a highly readable, timely and comprehensive resource on Congressional operations and procedures. It is a consistently reliable tool for any student of Congress and any legislative practitioner, regardless of their level of experience." -- Martin B. Gold, Covington & Burling, Washington, DC

From the Publisher
As the name Congressional Deskbook implies, this book is meant to be kept close at hand for answering the variety of questions that arise daily in monitoring, interacting with, and studying Congress. The book is organized for daily use in answering questions, but it may be read in sections, by chapters, or in its entirety, as the reader chooses.

Chapter One attempts to create an image of what it is like to be a member of Congress. It describes the competition that imbues every aspect of the institution and the fragmented life of a member.

Chapters Two, Three, and Four guide the reader through some of the major pressures affecting members of Congress. These pressures come from campaigns and elections, constituency, media, the president and executive branch, the courts, lobbyists, and the ethics environment. The chapters provide an overview of the laws and congressional rules that affect members, staff, and the individuals who interact with them.

Chapters Five and Six explain the support structures of Congress. They identify components of the expense allowance system, staff positions and responsibilities, the work of support offices, and features of the Capitol and Congressional office buildings. These chapters orient the reader to congressional staff roles and offer a guide to finding one's way around Capitol Hill.

Chapter Seven describes the organization of Congress. It addresses not only the structures of the committee system and of the leadership hierarchy, but also how committee assignments are made and leaders are selected. It describes the early organization activities of the House and Senate following a general election.

Chapter Eight describes the legislative process in detail. It explains hearings and committee markup strategies and methods of obtaining floor consideration of legislative initiatives. Amendments between the chambers and conference procedures are explained. The chapter describes options available to leaders and members throughout the legislative process, and provides guides for keeping track of events at each major stage of the legislative process.

Chapter Nine demystifies the federal budget process. It includes discussion of the president's role in budgeting, the congressional budget process, authorizations, and appropriations. It explains the terminology, concepts, and procedures of the budget process, such as reconciliation.

Chapter Ten discusses procedures and powers in Congress's relations with the executive, the judiciary, and the states and localities. It also explains some of the ways in which Congress deals procedurally with defense and foreign policy. Topics in this chapter include confirmation of presidential appointees to executive and judicial posts, the role of legislative history, fast-track procedures, the War Powers Act, alternative procedures for selection of a president and vice president, constitutional amendments, and unfunded mandates.

Chapters Eleven and Twelve identify and explain the use of congressional documents. Subjects include the forms and versions of legislation, laws and implementing executive documents, official rules and procedure manuals, and party and administrative publications.

Chapter Thirteen identifies numerous private and governmental information resources, and provides descriptions of print and electronic resources, web addresses, and telephone contacts for obtaining additional information on resources. Numerous tips on research will facilitate a reader's work.

Chapter Fourteen guides the reader in researching members and committees, monitoring floor action, and tracking legislative action.

A case study in Chapter Fifteen ties the legislative process, legislative documents, and other topics in the book together as it takes a measure enacted into law in the 106th Congress through the legislative steps from inception to public law. Document excerpts are displayed, and explanatory texts and annotations accompany each excerpt.

A cumulative, expanded glossary complements the individual glossaries and definitions that appear in individual chapters. Appendices One through Seven provide extensive telephone and room listings for members, committees, and leaders on Capitol Hill. All of the web sites listed throughout the book are cumulated in a table. This list is followed by an index to the book.

From the Author
In this book we share our observations and experiences with readers who study Congress, who work there as members or staffers, who cover the institution as journalists, or who try to influence it as advocates, lobbyists, or citizens. Scores of books and studies about Congress are published each year. Some address legislative or budget procedures. Others detail documents that are generated on Capitol Hill or catalogue available Internet resources. Some explore an aspect of congressional history, or tell the story of Congress through a biography, voting patterns, leadership styles, or individual legislation. This book owes much to earlier books and studies. In some ways, it is a synthesis of these publications; in other ways, it is a complementary volume.

We decided that another book on Congress was not superfluous, but should provide as much practical information on the operations of this institution as possible in one volume. In this book, we cover legislative, budget, and special procedures; how various procedures relate to each other; the forms and impact of politic al competition on Capitol Hill; overviews of the election, lobbying, and ethics laws and rules that regulate congressional behavior; the work of congressional, committee, and administrative offices; the variety of congressional documents; and how to conduct research on Congress.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive resource for the study of Congress
A bit of background. The authors began their careers as Congressional staffers and maintained contact with Members of Congress (MCs hereafter) and staff over time. Lessons learned from staff and MCs are the focus of this book and (page xxi) "continue to inform this book as Congress evolves. . . ." The mission of this book? To cover and explain how Congress works to the book's readers. The volume, in the authors' words, covers (page xxvii) "legislative, budget, and special procedures; how various procedures relate to each other; the forms of impact and competition on Capitol Hill". . . . And so on. In short, if you want an insider's view of how Congress operates, this would be a valuable resource.

This is not a book to snuggle up with at bedtime (unless, I suppose, the reader were a "political junkie"). But it is a fine resource. There are 15 chapters and several appendices (if you want to know your MCs address and phone number, you can find it here!).

No need to summarize each chapter. But a sampling will give a sense of the nature of this volume. Chapter 1 begins with a discussion of what it means to be a member of Congress. It gives some insight into the daily lives of an MC (busy and hectic and not altogether under an individual's control)--and their family lives, too. Chapter 2 focuses on a related subject for the MC: campaigns and elections. After getting elected, MCs cannot afford to relax, since another election looms. The chapter provides information about election laws, the nature of campaigns and elections. There are many sources of information provided on elections that the reader can follow up with. Once a person is in Congress, what resources can the use? Chapter 5 examines staff and allowances (pay and support for the project of being a member of Congress, such as office expenses) and relevant administrative units, such as the Government Printing Office, Office of Management and Budget, and so on. Much of the work of Congress is in the House and Senate committees and subcommittees. Chapter 7 provides an overview of this. Ever hear of those mysterious "holds" in the Senate? Chapter 8 discusses this and other matters relating to the legislative process, with much nuts and bolts description. Chapter 15 is an effort to pull the various chapters together by exploring one working example from the 106th Congress--a specific bill. The chapter follows this bill, step by step, through the labyrinth that is the legislative process.

For the citizen interested in understanding Congress as it does its work from day to day, this would be a nice resource. Once can keep it in reserve until something piques one's interest about Congress and then open the pages and find the answer to questions. It's not the kind of volume to purchase and then look to it for fun reading. However, this book, in the end, will be valuable for those with an interest in the subject.

Everything you need to know about Congress, and more
This is a first-rate guide to Congress, for the political junkie, K street lobbyist, activist citizen, federal bureaucrat and--especially--members and staff of Congress. Written primarily with the latter in mind, the volume--which publishes every two years for a new Congress--has a vast amount of information, technical and general, that explains in and outs of Congress: organization, structure, procedures, traditions, ethics, rules, media and more. Not content with nuts and bolts the authors in the latter chapters delve into the legislative and federal budget process, congressional documents, and how to do legislative research, including a vast array of web sites. Both are long-time experts in the Congressional Research Service, although they prepare the book outside their duties there and the volume is not a CRS publication. A great value.

Everything you need to know about the U.S. Congress, and more.
Everyone who is involved with public policy, advocacy, and congressional relations should have this book and updates.