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Staffing, and Committees

Staffing, and Committees. With special guest, Al Felzenberg. Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide -Congressional Management Foundation. Personal Staff Positions. Washington Staff Caseworker, 12.2 yrs, 50k Chief of Staff, 10.2, 95k Federal Grants Coordinator, 8.2, 50k

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Staffing, and Committees

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  1. Staffing, and Committees With special guest, Al Felzenberg

  2. Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide-Congressional Management Foundation

  3. Personal Staff Positions • Washington Staff • Caseworker, 12.2 yrs, 50k • Chief of Staff, 10.2, 95k • Federal Grants Coordinator, 8.2, 50k • Legislative Director, 8.0, 75k • Scheduler, 6.6, 45k • Systems Manager, 6.3, 40k • Correspondence Manager, 5.7, 38k • Press Secretary, 3.5, 55k • Legislative Assistant, 3.3, 45k • Legislative Correspondent, 1.6, 30k

  4. District Staff Positions • District Director, 6.1yrs, 75k • Caseworker, 5.6yrs, 39k • District Scheduler, 4.4, 42k • Field Representative, 4.3, 45k • Clerk, Secretary, 3.1, 31k

  5. Strategic Planning • Learning how to strategically say “NO” • Sensible, flexible set of overall goals • Provides purpose and direction for office • Cannot address many questions without articulating your strategic plan • First year budget • Legislative agenda • Scheduling objectives • Press plan • Job Descriptions

  6. Benefits of the Plan • Clear Priorities • Looking at “the big picture” • Forward thinking instead of reactive • Processes that allocate scarce resources • Improving coordination • Reducing frustration of staff • Ability to measure progress

  7. Planning Process • Time Frame • Two year plan with annual meetings • Conduct from Nov.-Mar. to take advantage of legislative break • Mission Statement • Clearly defined broad yet distinctive goals • Written • More focus = more direction

  8. Ability to Achieve High Low High 1st 3rd Impact 2nd 4th Low Planning Process • Developing Goals • Short term vehicles to pursue the broad themes of the mission statement • Evaluating Potential Goals Ability to Achieve High

  9. Planning Process • Developing Action Plans • Strategies to achieve a goal • List three specific actions to achieve a goal • Goal v. Functionally-Oriented Action Plans • Implementation • Written and distributed to staff • Update and fine-tune • Frequent ad hoc planning meetings • Weekly or monthly progress reports • Monthly strategic planning meetings • Quarterly senior management meetings • Timelines

  10. Budgeting & Financial Management • Annual Size: $1.2 million for Reps.; $2.2-$3.7 million for Senators • Decide on: • Staff number • Salary for each staffer • Number of district offices • Type of computer system to operate • Travel • Mail • Professional training

  11. Avoiding Financial Problems • Don’t spend on the wrong things • Consider how purchase affects long-term goals • Don’t spend more than you have • Member is personally liable for excess expenditures • May need to forego later expenditures • Don’t give the media reason to scrutinize • Expenditure reports are public information

  12. Budgeting Toward Your Goals • Note any changes to your strategic plan or office priorities • Brainstorm: What resources will it take to accomplish the revised priorities • Look at last year’s budget with an eye toward surprises • Take note of the rules changes • Determine variable and fixed costs • Critically review major allocations • Build a new month-by-month budget reflecting changes

  13. Financial Procedures • Written Office Policies • Avoid questions and inconsistency, write policies on paper and provide to staff • Accounting System • Record Keeping: track paperwork • Payment Processing: determine who can authorize expenditures, set rules for travel spending, establish a good relationship with the Finance Office employees • Reconciliation: monthly financial statements • Auditing: review financial expenditures • Monthly Financial Review

  14. Step 1: Establish Performance Goals for Each Staff Step 5: Reward High Performing Staff Step 2: Provide Feedback and Coaching During the Year Step 4: Follow Up to Prepare Each Staffer for the Upcoming Year Step 3: Conduct Formal Evaluations Implementing Performance Management for Staff

  15. Challenges • Staff have different needs • Keeping star-performers motivated • Addressing sub-par performers • Managing District/Capitol Office Relations • The offices perform different functions • Communication is imperative

  16. Managing Ethics • Gray Area: Gap between technical compliance and behaving in a manner consistent with the public’s expectations for public officials • Institutional: House Committee on Standards & Official Conduct, Senate Select Committee on Ethics • In practice: Ethics reviewed on the front-page or the evening news

  17. Ethics Lesson “An office that never proofreads letters runs a high risk of typographical errors. Similarly, an office that does not give adequate attention to managing ethics runs a high risk of ethical lapse.”

  18. Guidelines • There is a difference between not violating the rules and being ethical • Examine every ethics rule with an eye to understanding its underlying principle • Use the ethics committee as a resource before you get into trouble • Don’t assume smart, honest people will always make correct ethical judgments • Develop clear, written policies for staff to follow

  19. Guidelines • The Member sets the ethical tone for the office • Consciously set a high ethical tone, lead by example • Staff (tend to be young and inexperienced) may avoid questions on ethical grounds • Create policies that give staff license to raise questions with other staff, management and the Member

  20. Guidelines • Good ethics frequently conflicts with what is quick, easy, and politically expedient • Ethics should be part of every decision a Member will make

  21. Questions for Political/Ethical Analysis • What are the relevant House rules? • What are the principles underlying the rules? • What is the politically advantageous course of action? • From an ethical perspective, what is the right course of action? • What is the source of tension inherent in the situation? • What is the full range of options available? • What are the likely consequences of those options? • Which of these options could not be effectively defended if they became public? • Of the remaining options, which best balances political and ethical interests

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