E. Constituent Engagement

Each calendar year, Members of Congress shall spend between ninety (90) and one hundred twenty (120) days in their home districts or States, engaged in public service and constituent outreach.

This expands on the expectations outlined above on recess workdays. Members of Congress have between three and four months of recess each year. They are expected to be involved in their home states or districts during this time. “Constituent outreach” is specifically mentioned here. That means town halls, public speaking engagements (as opposed to fundraising dinners), listening tours, and the like. They are supposed to face us and listen to us.

These periods shall be scheduled in multiple recesses throughout the year, as determined by each chamber’s rules. The House and Senate must coordinate their calendars to ensure these recesses occur at the same time. Recess periods may be shortened if Members are summoned back to the Capitol by the leadership of their chamber in response to an emergency or urgent national need. All remaining weekdays—excluding designated national holidays—shall be official workdays during which Congress is in session.

These recesses are to be broken up throughout the year, not spent in a single, splurge of “away” time. Though each chamber has some flexibility about its recesses, they are required to coordinate so that their recesses are concurrent. Why? Because it doesn’t do much good for only half of the legislative bodies to be in session at any given time.

There is flexibility here to shorten recesses if necessary for emergencies.

Finally, there is a clear statement that, outside of a recess and except for weekends and national holidays, every day is an official workday.

Reasonable exceptions for the exigencies of weather and similar events can be made, if agreed to by the combined leadership of both chambers.

This passage is simple, reasonable language intended to authorize exceptions to the workday rules for extreme events – fires, floods, storms, and so on.

Saturdays and Sundays are not considered workdays unless Congress is called into special session.

Clear language that preserves the weekends for members of Congress unless special circumstances are in play.