GUIDE TO LEGISLATIVE STAFF TITLES
ach legislator has staff to assist
Press Secretary (Press Secy)
him/her during a term in office. To
Communications Director (Comm
Ebe most effective in com- Dir)
municating with your legislators, it is
The Press Secy's responsibility is to build
helpful to know the titles and principal
and maintain open and effective lines
functions of his/her key staff.
of
communication
between
the
Member, his/her constituency, and the
general public. The Press Secy is
Administrative Assistant (AA)
expected
to
know
the
benefits,
Chief of Staff (CoS)
demands, and special requirements of
The AA reports directly to the legislator.
both print and electronic media, and
He
or
she
usually
has
overall
how to promote the member's views or
responsibility for evaluating the political
position
on
specific
issues
most
outcome of various legislative proposals
effectively.
and constituent requests. The AA is
usually the person in charge of overall
Appointment Secretary (Appt Secy)
office
operations,
including
the
Personal Secretary or Scheduler (Sch)
assignment of work and the supervision
The Appt Secy is responsible for
of key staff.
allocating a Member's time among the
many
demands
that
arise
from
Legislative Director (LD)
congressional
responsibilities,
staff
Senior Legislative Assistant (Sr. LA)
requirements, and constituent requests.
Legislative Coordinator (LC)
The Appt Secy may also be responsible
The LD is the staff person who monitors
for
making
necessary
travel
the legislative schedule and makes
arrangements,
arranging
speaking
recommendations regarding the pros
dates, visits to the district, etc.
and cons of particular issues. In some
offices there may be one LD or Senior
Caseworker
LA, but several LAs. In this case, each LA
The Caseworker is the staff member
has responsibilities assigned to them
assigned to help with constituent
based on their particular expertise in
requests by preparing replies for the
specific areas. For example, depending
legislator's signature. The Caseworker's
on the responsibilities and interests of
responsibilities may also include helping
the Member, an office may have a
resolve problems constituents present in
different LA for health issues, education,
relation to state/federal agencies, e.g.,
family and children, etc.
Social Security and Medicare issues,
veteran's
benefits,
passports,
etc.
Congressional offices often have several
Caseworkers on staff.
7/29/09
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