Parliamentary Staff Visit Focuses on the Work of Legislative Committees

Thirty parliamentary staff members from 15 countries came together last month in Washington, D.C., for a program on the legislative, representative, and oversight functions of legislative committees.

The Jan. 26-30 program was facilitated by NDI on behalf of the House Democracy Partnership (HDP), a bipartisan commission of 20 members of Congress that partners with 16 legislatures around the world. NDI and the International Republican Institute (IRI) alternate responsibilities for organizing the HDP exchange programs, which include both parliamentarians and staff. The overarching goal of HDP is to strengthen democratic institutions through peer-to-peer exchanges and by providing technical expertise to enhance accountability, transparency, legislative independence and government oversight in partner legislatures.

Over five days, delegates participated in sessions that covered various aspects of committee work, including how to develop agendas; organize, prepare and conduct public hearings; and use research services for policy analysis. The program also included sessions focused on the relationships between committees, parliamentary support agencies and other branches of government; as well as committees’ interaction with constituents, press and advocacy groups.

Several delegates highlighted aspects of the program applicable to their home legislatures:

“I think something I could bring back to Nepal is the idea of holding hearings dedicated to a specific topic, which would make the process of lawmaking much more efficient,” said Him Lal Subedi, joint secretary of the Legislature-Parliament Secretariat in the Constituent Assembly of Nepal.

Daniel Mwaniki Mutunga, principal clerk assistant for the National Assembly of Kenya, cited the peer-to-peer interaction as particularly helpful. “It’s enriching to hear about the long-time experiences of legislators and committee staff straight from the horse’s mouth,” he said.

Delegates heard from congressional committee staff, as well as current and former members of Congress. Speakers included HDP Chair Rep. Peter Roskam, R-IL; HDP Ranking Member Rep. David Price, D-NC; and former Reps. Earl Pomeroy, D-ND, and Marty Russo, D-IL, who shared their experiences serving in committee leadership positions.

Of HDP’s 16 partner countries, staff from Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Timor-Leste attended. Two joint secretaries from the Constituent Assembly-Legislature Parliament of Nepal participated as observers.

HDP programs are supported by funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).