Members of Congress Go Home
By Adam Kredo
WASHINGTON, March 21 – Rep. Christopher Shays is getting to know his constituents in the fourth district this week, as Congress continues to remain out of session for an extended St. Patrick’s Day “district work period.”
This is the first year members have given themselves an entire week off for the holiday.
In fact, if they continue to follow the current schedule, members will spend a total of 97 days in Washington this year – the smallest number in 60 years.
Howard L. Reiter, head of the University of Connecticut’s political science department, said he wasn’t terribly concerned about how little time members spend in Washington.
“I don’t think it’s quite as bad as it looks, but clearly it makes it hard to get things done,” Reiter said in a telephone interview. “I don’t think they’re just really going off and lying in a hammock.”
Reiter also said the fewer days in Washington does not necessarily affect the quality of legislation. He said “the proof is in the pudding.”
“I don’t think we can argue consistently that the quality of legislation has gone up or down,” Reiter said. “I don’t know whether the quality of legislation is worse in one period.”
According to the House schedule for 2006, there are 71 days on which votes may be scheduled and an additional 26 days where no votes will take place before 6:30 p.m. Moreover, the schedule includes two weeks off in April, one week off in May, another week off in July and the entire month off in August. The Senate has a similar schedule.
The House did not convene until Jan. 31 this year and then took a week off in February for President’s Day.
By last Friday, the second session of the 109 th Congress had logged a total of 19 days.
In the 2004 election year, the second session of the 108 th Congress, which lasted from Jan. 3 until Dec. 7, the House recorded 110 days in session, according to the Library of Congress.
The 108 th Congress spent 243 days in session in 2003-04, and the 109 th is currently on pace to set a similar number.
The number of days in session for the House has declined over the years. Members were in session 323 days during the 95 th Congress in 1977-78. During the 1970s, Congress averaged about 320 days over a two-year session, according to the Office of the House Clerk.
It has been projected that the average number of days in session per two-year Congress for the first six years of the Bush presidency (2001-07) will be below 250.
Brian Darling, director of Senate relations at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research organization in Washington, said he was not worried about this decrease.
“The fact that they have less legislative days does not mean that they are not working hard,” Darling said in a telephone interview. He acknowledged there are “less days to legislate, and that has been a trend over the past few years.”
In fact, Darling said increased time in the district is a positive trend because it results in increased constituent contact. This, he said, helps to keep members in touch with their electorate.
“The fact that they’re spending more time in the district is a good thing,” Darling said.
Rep. Shays will be taking advantage of his district time by meeting with several high school classes in Greenwich and Wilton. The Republican congressman also will speak at the Merchant Marine Academy in Long Island.
Members of Congress typically work in the Capitol three days a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, spending the long weekends in their districts.
For most employees in the public service field, though, this is not the norm.
Peter Alatsas, owner of the Ambrosia Bar & Grill in Norwalk, said he is puzzled by the amount of time Congress takes off.
“I don’t know how they manage to do that, but I know what it is in my business,” Alatsas, who works from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days week, said in a telephone interview. “I just can’t take a freakin’ day off – I can’t afford to.”
The last time Alatsas took off from work was when he went to visit his dying mother in Greece. Even this, though, was “by force, not by choice.”
“This is a seven-days-a-week corporation. I don’t take no days off,” he said.
Despite his own demanding schedule, Alatsas said he is not particularly distraught over Congress’ work schedule.
“If they can get away with it, that’s fine. I can’t do that in my business, so I don’t know how it works out on their end,” he said.
Members of Congress will return to Washington on March 27, with no votes scheduled for the day. All votes will be postponed until after 6:30 p.m. the following day, according to the House schedule published by Majority Whip Roy Blunt.
Congress’ next break will come on April 10, when members will take two weeks off for their Spring District Work Period.
