Introduction
As a member of the American Congress representing Alpharetta in the state of Georgia, my work primarily involves making legislations for the nation and representing the interests of my constituents. Mostly, my workplace is in my constituency and Washington, the seat of the Congress. To help members of my constituency and other Americans understand the work of their congressmen, I will discuss my roles both in the house and in my constituency of Alpharetta.
Roles of the congress
First, it is imperative to understand the roles of the Congress in the US. The American Congress is composed of two houses representative of the people (the Senate and the House of Representatives (Peterson 12)). Like other democratic nations such as Britain, the Congress is the “parliament” of the United States. This means that the house is the legislative branch of the federal government (Peterson 12). It represents the American people and makes laws for the nation.
Like other democracies, the Congress shares powers with the executive and the judiciary. However, it is worth noting that the Congress is the only institution in the government that is directly elected by the people. So, what are the roles of the congressmen? For the purpose of this discussion, I will outline the roles of the house of representative, in which I am a member, instead of the senate.
My roles as a congressman in Washington, D.C
One of the major activities of the congressman is to represent an average of 600,000 people in a constituency. The main role is to present the economic and political needs and interests of the Alpharetta constituents. It is the role of the congressman to express the interests and needs of the constituents at the national level. The member acts as an ambassador for the constituents in terms of making their needs and interests known to the public.
At the Congress in Washington, a member must serve in at least two select committees. The committee work is a critical element of the congress. Currently, I am a member of agriculture, education and health committees. It is my role to develop expertise in all subject matters in these fields because I am one of the main policy makers in the house. I attend committee meetings to take testimony and examine legislations.
In addition, I prepare questions to be posed to witnesses and public appointees (Neikark 39). It is my role to prepare bill amendments in the presented legislations. In addition, I am involved in voting on motions, verifying decisions and making amendments of the existing legislations (CED 127). We also write statements as a committee, which are read as reports in the house.
In addition, the role of oversight and investigation is an important task for all congressmen. As a member of the house, I am involved in supervising the activities and efficiency of the federal government and its agencies (Ullman 37). In addition, we review all government programs and expenditures as well as their implementation. We also investigate the work of the government in order to improve transparency in all government dealings (Ullman 37).
My Roles Back in Alpharetta
As a member of the Congress, I am involved in discussing with the local opinion-leaders through various channels such as phone calls and personal visits, reading local editorials, news programs and the mass media (Hamilton and Tama 69).
Then, I analyze the information to understand the local needs as well as implications of the proposed or existing legislations. I also read and answer any question posed by the constituents (Clay-Mendez 46). The aim is to provide responses to my constituents and keep them updated with the national and foreign issues affecting their nation (Peterson 19).
Works Cited
CED. Budgeting for National Objectives: Executive and congressional roles in program planning and performance. Washington, CED, 2009. Print.
Clay-Mendez, Deborah. Public and private roles in maintaining military equipment at the depot level. Washington: Congressional Budget Office, 2011. Print.
Hamilton, Lee and Jordan Tama. A creative tension: the foreign policy roles of the president and congress. New York: Cengage, 2011. Print.
Neikark, Frederick. Congressional roles and expectations in executive-congressional relations. Chicago, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014. Print.
Peterson, Erick. Roles and duties of a member of congress: Brief overview. Washington, DC: Congressional Review Service, 2012. Print.
Ullman, Al. Controlling federal government expenditures: The roles of congress and the administration. Committee for Economic Development, 2003. Print.