Being an Effective Lawmaker from Day One: A Guide for New Members of Congress
The CEL is grateful for the willingness of members of Congress to engage in public service at this crucial time. We congratulate the newly-elected members of the 117th Congress. In conjunction with the start of the new legislative session, we are excited to announce the release of our new and comprehensive New Member Guide.
This guide offers our best advice for how new members can become effective lawmakers. We scoured all of the materials presented in previous new member orientation activities by numerous organizations, looking for their advice on effective lawmaking. We then tested the implicit hypotheses in these guides to discern which pieces of advice are likely to have the greatest impact if adopted by new lawmakers.
Now, we offer data-driven insights based on how the most effective lawmakers across recent decades have been able to achieve their goals and pass legislation. We share the concrete steps that lawmakers can take to create an effective legislative agenda and see it through.
In a country facing the grave circumstances we currently do, it will be more important than ever that Congress can successfully perform its constitutional role as the first branch of government. It is our hope that our newest publication and accompanying worksheets will be a powerful and useful set of tools.
See all of our tools for new members of Congress by visiting our page for effective lawmakers.
Download the guide today!
