Learning to Legislate: The Impact of Orientation and Ongoing Education on Congressional Effectiveness

Abstract

New Member Orientation (NMO) has long been overlooked among the 1970s reforms aimed at democratizing and strengthening the House. This thesis provides an original reconstruction of the history of NMO and argues for its inclusion in the greater reform movement of the 1970s, noting that its creation was prompted by the same goals of empowering rank-and-file members and strengthening the legislature. Motivated by the dissatisfaction expressed by many members of Congress with the current orientation program, I investigated whether NMO is still fulfilling its original purpose and, if not, in what ways it could be improved. I identified party leadership can limit rank-and-file members’ access to critical information, thereby weakening the legislature and diminishing its level of democratization. The existence of powerful parties also discourages bipartisanship, undermining the potential for coalition-building that enables successful legislation and oversight. In light of this, I analyzed the normative relationship between strong legislators and legislatures, arguing that, in most cases, the strength of one indicates the strength of the other. To empower rank-and-file members through improved orientation and ongoing education, I examined existing practices in the United States, the European Union, and the Bundestag. I analyzed primary source documents and conducted interviews with current and former members and staff of the House of Representatives to identify areas of strength and weakness in the NMO process. I identified five areas in which the orientation and education of members is insufficient: lack of institutionalization, information overload, early partisan influences, minimal ongoing education, and competition for attention. To identify plausible and effective alternatives, I conducted interviews with current staff and analyzed primary sources in the EU and Bundestag. Given the lack of institutionalization in the US and the absence of formal document-sharing between parties, I recommend that the US adopt the EU’s practice of creating guidebooks dedicated to the next orientation cycle. Further, the lack of professional development opportunities for members can be supplemented by adopting a program like the EU’s Learn.MEP. I also recommend reducing information overload by mirroring the Bundestag’s practice of providing information right when it is needed. Due to the differences between legislatures, I offer additional recommendations tailored to the US, with my primary recommendation being to institutionalize NMO through the creation of an office dedicated to member education. Given the difficulty in implementing such changes in Congress, I offer alternative tiered approaches for institutionalizing orientation and additional recommendations targeted at each of the identified areas of weakness.