The Role of Legislative Staff
To communicate effectively with legislators on issues that concern you, it is important to have some knowledge of the key staff positions.
Administrative Assistant/Chief of Staff:
The Administrative Assistant or Chief of Staff is generally responsible for
managing the day-to-day operations of the legislator's office.
Legislative Director:
The Legislative Director is generally responsible for monitoring and managing
many of the legislative activities of the legislator's office, including the
legislator's committee-related activities, the drafting and cosponsor ship of
legislation, and the supervision of Legislative Assistants.
Legislative Assistant:
Legislative Assistants are generally responsible for tracking pending
legislation and keeping the legislator apprised of constituent interest and
opinion. Each Legislative Assistant in an office is typically assigned a
specific set of issues such as defense, banking, taxes, agriculture, health
care, etc.
Press Secretary/Communications Director:
The Press Secretary acts in many ways as a spokesperson for the legislator and
is usually responsible for promoting the legislator's positions and
perspectives to the media, the legislator's constituency, as well as the
general public. A Press Secretary may also assist the legislator with drafts
of certain types of public communications, such as press releases and
statements.
Scheduler:
The Member's Scheduler is responsible for allocating a legislator's time among
the many demands that arise from legislative responsibilities, staff
requirements, and constituent requests. Scheduling travel to and from the
legislator's district, as well as meetings with constituents or other groups
is typically part of the Scheduler's duties as well.
Caseworker:
The Caseworker is the staff member usually assigned to help constituents
resolve problems with federal agencies: federal payments and benefits such as
Social Security and Medicare benefits, veterans benefits, passports, and other
federal issues.
Other Staff:
Other titles used in an elected official's office may include: Executive
Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Executive Secretary, Projects Manager,
Office Manager, Systems Administrator, and Receptionist.
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