How Experienced Congressional Staff Contribute to Effective Lawmaking How Experienced Congressional Staff Contribute to Effective Lawmaking June 5, 2020 12:00 PM Watch Here WATCH Mike Henry, Chief of Staff for Senator Tim Kaine, will join Center for Effective Lawmaking Co-Director, Professor Craig Volden, for a virtual conversation regarding life as a professional Congressional staffer. They’ll talk candidly about how experienced legislative staff can greatly impact a lawmaker’s ability to be effective. Members of Congress seek to allocate their scarce staff resources carefully, given their multiple, sometimes competing objectives. When it comes to staffing offices, there are many tough decisions to make. However, the Center for Effective Lawmaking has released research demonstrating that a targeted strategy to recruit and retain the most experienced legislative staff in Congress may pay the greatest dividends in regards to lawmaking. Join us for a conversation about the impactful research, which led to a memo of recommendation to the House of Representatives, with someone who knows first-hand what it means to be effective on the Hill. Mike Henry Mike Henry is the Chief of Staff for Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. Mike is a seasoned veteran of Democratic politics that has been active in Virginia and national campaigns for over 27 years. His experience includes management of high-visibility national races as well as contentious local and state elections. He has guided the strategic political communications, fundraising, and grassroots initiatives associated with each of the campaigns. His campaign victories include the election of Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA), former Representative Martin Frost (D-TX) as well as former Governor Mark Warner (D-VA). Mike also has worked with several advocacy organizations, ballot initiatives, and consulting groups to ensure electoral turnout and promote awareness of specific issues. Craig Volden Craig Volden is a professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia, with appointments in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Politics. He studies the politics of public policy, with a focus on what policy choices arise within legislative institutions and within American federalism. He is founder and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking. Read full bio Related Content Craig Volden Legislative Effectiveness, Progressive Ambition, and Electoral Success Research Are effective state lawmakers more likely than ineffective state lawmakers to be elected to Congress? Our findings offer important insights into how American federalism contributes to representation by effective lawmakers. The Primary Path for Turning Legislative Effectiveness into Electoral Success Research Effective lawmakers are the workhorses of the US Congress, yet we know little about the electoral payoffs of their efforts. Are effective lawmakers better at warding off challengers in the next election? Do they win at a greater rate? Effective Lawmaking in Virginia: Past, Present and Future News This week’s Batten Hour featured Bill Howell, former Speaker of the House of Delegates, and David Toscano, former House Minority Leader, in a discussion about how the legislature is addressing past, present and future policy challenges. Their discussion was moderated by Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking. Improving Expertise of Congressional Staff News In an op-ed published in The Messenger, Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman of the Center for Effective Lawmaking write that without proper career training for congressional staffers, expertise gaps on Capitol Hill will continue to be problematic. Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Craig Volden Craig Volden is a professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia, with appointments in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the Department of Politics. He studies the politics of public policy, with a focus on what policy choices arise within legislative institutions and within American federalism. He is founder and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking. Read full bio
Legislative Effectiveness, Progressive Ambition, and Electoral Success Research Are effective state lawmakers more likely than ineffective state lawmakers to be elected to Congress? Our findings offer important insights into how American federalism contributes to representation by effective lawmakers.
The Primary Path for Turning Legislative Effectiveness into Electoral Success Research Effective lawmakers are the workhorses of the US Congress, yet we know little about the electoral payoffs of their efforts. Are effective lawmakers better at warding off challengers in the next election? Do they win at a greater rate?
Effective Lawmaking in Virginia: Past, Present and Future News This week’s Batten Hour featured Bill Howell, former Speaker of the House of Delegates, and David Toscano, former House Minority Leader, in a discussion about how the legislature is addressing past, present and future policy challenges. Their discussion was moderated by Craig Volden, professor of public policy and politics and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
Improving Expertise of Congressional Staff News In an op-ed published in The Messenger, Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman of the Center for Effective Lawmaking write that without proper career training for congressional staffers, expertise gaps on Capitol Hill will continue to be problematic.