CONGRESS Qualifications Salary and Benefits Staff workers Support Services Congress at Work

QUALIFICATIONS Senate: 30 years old; Live in the state that you represent; U.S. citizen for at least nine years. House: 25 years old; live in the state that they represent; U.S. citizen for at least seven years. Almost half are lawyers; nearly all have college degrees.

SALARY AND BENEFITS Congress members from both houses are paid  $174,000a year. Franking privilege: Congress members can send job related mail free of postage. They also receive low cost life insurance, free gymnasium, special restaurants, and a medical clinic.

OTHER BENEFITS Immunity: Congress members have legal protection in certain situations. Examples? They are "privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses" but nothing says they cannot be arrested after the session is over.  The entire text you are referring to (and I quoted) is from Article I, Section 6 of the US Constitution:  "They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place." 

STAFF WORKERS Congress members have staff workers who help them with their many responsibilities. Personal Staff: They work directly for Congress members in their offices. They handle many routine matters such as e-mail, re-election work, and talking to reporters and lobbyists. Pages and interns: Young people from their home states who perform small tasks.

COMMITTEE STAFF They work indirectly for Congress members by serving the many Congressional committees. They help to research and draft bills. They also speak with lobbyists and attend hearings concerning bills.

SUPPORT SERVICES Library of Congress: One of the largest libraries in the world. Congressional Research Service (CRS) – Helps congress research bills General Accounting Office (GAO): Used for financial issues. Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Helps Congress make Budget decisions.

CONGRESS AT WORK Most important job? Casework: When Congress members help their constituents with problems they might have in dealing with the federal government. Example: Elderly woman who is not receiving her social security benefits. This helps Congress members get reelected. Why?

CONGRESS AT WORK Pork Barrel Projects: Helping their state to receive federal grants for public works projects such as dams, mass transit systems, military bases, veterans’ hospitals, and post offices. How does this help their state or district besides providing valuable services?