Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX)

Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

Representative Michael Burgess (R-TX)

As a physician for almost three decades prior to serving in Congress, Dr. Burgess incorporates Hippocratic Oath principles into the management of his office. They have established Statements of Ethical Conduct, Principles Guiding Legislative Decisions, and a Statement of Constituent Principles. His website is consistently updated with his voting record, as well as a weekly video that speaks to both the Member's thoughts on legislation as well as topics his constituents have asked him to address. Since 2009, his office has published Annual Year End Reports, which document a baseline of service to serve as a measure by which constituents can hold the office accountable- all of which are available publicly on his website. Rep. Burgess has held 106 in-person town halls over his 17 years in office, continues to hold three to four live-streamed town halls a year, and also hosts Facebook Live town halls and telephone town halls. Additionally, Rep. Burgess hosts two district based summits annually on Emergency Preparedness and Energy. For staff accountability, Rep. Burgess has DC and district staff provide daily, weekly, and monthly reports for ongoing management purposes. Other Members of Congress have noticed him reviewing these reports when traveling, have commented on their usefulness and inquired about how they can generate their own.

Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

Hitting the ground running in their first year, the office of Rep. Chrissy Houlahan has made transparency and accountability an office priority. Every member of staff in the office answers the phones, including the Member. The office conducts in-person and telephone town halls at least once a month, advertises them widely (across email, social media platforms, and through robocalls), posts the schedule to the website, records the content, and posts recordings online after the events. Any constituent with unanswered questions receives a callback from the office. Rep. Houlahan also hosts "Coffee with Chrissy," which are smaller, informal get-togethers in the district. And, with a Hispanic-majority city in their district, the office ensures the website has a Spanish language page, materials are printed in Spanish, and Spanish speakers are located in every district office. The district offices all have evening office hours to make them more accessible to constituents, and the Member records a video at the end of most weeks in DC recapping significant votes and other work. Lastly, the office surveys constituents quarterly to assess their performance toward meeting office goals, and sends out bi-monthly e-newsletters to constituents which include upcoming events, legislative highlights, recent constituent meetings, constituent successes, and articles the Member recommends.