The Dirksen Congressional Center awards Grant to Madonna

The Dirksen Congressional Center has awarded Dr. Madonna and Dr. Ostrander (Texas Tech University) a $3,100 grant as the two research the importance of staffing administrators in congress. In, “Hired Help: The Significance of Staffing for Congressional Capacity,” they discuss how congress would be unimaginable without professional support staff who, while neither elected nor appointed, ensure the smooth functioning of government by performing the myriad administrative and technical tasks that create legislative proposals, develop cross-party deals, and ultimately lead to an informed vote. This project will investigate patterns of staffing including aggregate numbers, distribution over key offices, and the allocation of staff within individual member offices.