When the House is in daily session I see numerous staffers surrounding the Speaker's chair on the dais. Who are they and what do they do? Are they career, or partisan, employees? Roseville, CA - 5/3/00

Once employed, all serve the institution as non-partisan employees of the House; however some are appointed at the recommendation of specific party leaders. In recent years, there have been far fewer of these "patronage" employees than was common earlier in the history of the House.

The Speaker's rostrum consists of three tiers. The Speaker's chair is on the top tier. Seated, or usually standing, to the right of the Speaker (the left side of your TV screen) is the House Parliamentarian. His job is fully described in the "Congress" section of our Capitol Questions web-site. To the Speaker's left, seated or often standing, is the Clerk to the Parliamentarian, who is responsible for keeping time when minutes are yielded in debate and who aids the presiding officer in identifying Members seeking recognition to speak (e.g. "The gentlelady from Ohio.") With 435 Members, it is the rare Speaker or Speaker pro tempore who knows the name and state affiliation of every Member.

On the middle tier are employees of the Clerk of the House. The Clerk of the House is responsible for the accurate recording of all votes, certifying passage of bills, and supervising all legislative record-keeping. At the far left of this tier is the Journal Clerk, who keeps the House Journal -- the official record of House proceedings mandated by the Constitution. One seat over is the Tally Clerk who records votes and quorum calls, receives reports filed by committees, and maintains the daily House Calendar. Next comes one of two Reading Clerks; each party appoints one and they take turns reading aloud to the chamber the text of bills, amendments, and messages from the Senate or the President. There is a fuller explanation of their duties in the "House" section of Capitol Questions. The Enrolling Clerk keeps track of changes made to the text of a bill and prepares the word-for-word version of the final House-passed text which is sent to the Senate or to the President. The lectern located on this center tier is used by the Clerk of the House during the ceremonies of the opening day of a new Congress, by the House Chaplain for the daily prayer, by the Reading Clerk when asked to read legislative text, and by the President of the United States when he delivers the State of the Union message.

On the far left of the lowest tier sits the Bill Clerk who receives and numbers bills and resolutions being introduced. In the center, sit the Clerks to the Official Reporters. These clerks are the ones most visible behind Members as they speak from the well. They receive the texts of speeches delivered by Members and assemble them along with the actual transcripts of debate and appended materials for insertion in the Congressional Record at the appropriate place. At the far right are the Official Reporters of Debate. They are the stenographers whose verbatim notes are used to compile the Congressional Record. They also use a small table located in the "well" in front of the rostrum situated in between the Democratic and Republican lecterns from which Members speak.