GUIDE TO LEGISLATIVE STAFF TITLES
ach legislator has staff to assist
Press Secretary (Press Secy)
him/her during a term in office. To be
Communications Director (Comm Dir)
Emosteffectiveincommunicatingwith ThePressSecy'sresponsibilityistobuildand
your legislators, it is helpful to know the titles
maintain open and effective lines of
and principal functions of his/her key staff.
communication between the Member, his/her
constituency, and the general public. The
Press Secy is expected to know the benefits,
Administrative Assistant (AA)
demands, and special requirements of both
Chief of Staff (CoS)
print and electronic media, and how to pro-
The AA reports directly to the legislator. He
mote the Member's views or position on
or she usually has overall responsibility for
specific issues most effectively.
evaluating the political outcome of various
legislative proposals and constituent requests.
The AA is usually the person in charge of
Appointment Secretary (Appt Secy)
overall office operations, including the
Personal Secretary or Scheduler (Sch)
assignment of work and the supervision of
The Appt Secy is responsible for allocating a
key staff.
Member's time among the many demands that
arise from congressional responsibilities, staff
requirements, and constituent requests. The
Legislative Director (LD)
Appt Secy may also be responsible for making
Senior Legislative Assistant (Sr. LA)
necessary travel arrangements, arranging
Legislative Coordinator (LC)
speaking dates, visits to the district, etc.
The LD is the staff person who monitors the
legislative
schedule
and
makes
recommendations regarding the pros and cons
Caseworker
of particular issues. In some offices there may
The Caseworker is the staff member assigned
be one LD or Senior LA, but several LAs. In
to help with constituent requests by preparing
this case, each LA has responsibilities assigned
replies for the legislator's signature. The
to them based on their particular expertise in
Caseworker's responsibilities may also include
specific areas. For example, depending on the
helping resolve problems constituents present
responsibilities and interests of the Member,
in relation to state/federal agencies, e.g.,
an office may have a different LA for health
Social Security and Medicare issues, veteran's
issues, education, family and children, etc.
benefits, passports, etc. Congressional offices
often have several Caseworkers on staff.
2/6/2011
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