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Congressional Oversight Training Series - Past Topics and Resources
ABOUT THE TRAINING SEMINARS: The briefing seminars are designed to provide a way for Congressional staff to learn how to conduct effective oversight and investigations.
The recorded comments of seminar presenters are soley their own opinions and do not reflect those official positions of their congressional office.
2009-2010 Series Review
2007-2008 Series Review
2006-2007 Series Review
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2009-2010 Series Review |
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February 19, 2010 Key Ingredients for Effective Oversight of Disaster Relief
Presenters Include:
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January 22, 2010 Appropriations - Using the Power of the Purse to Do Oversight
Presenters Include:
- Scott Burnison, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Homeland Security, IT, and Civic Agencies for Lockheed Martin, and former Staff for the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. Click here to listen to Mr. Burnison's remarks.
- Scott Lilly, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress,and former Clerk and Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee, Minority Staff Director of that Committee, Executive Director of the House Democratic Study Group, Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee and Chief of Staff in the Office of Congressman David Obey. Click here to listen to Mr. Lilly's remarks.
- Jerry Kammer, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, former journalist at The Arizona Republic and Copley News Service, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2006. Click here to listen to Mr. Kammer's remarks.
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| November 20, 2009 - The Nuts n' Bolts of a Good Investigation
Seminar Objectives: To learn how to conduct meaningful oversight from a personal office; To identify the dangers of partisan investigations; To be sure your investigation is asking the right questions; How to work with nontraditional oversight partners
Presenters Include:
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| October 16, 2009 - Beginning Seminar: How to Prepare For An Oversight Hearing
Presenters include:
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September 18, 2009 - Conducting Oversight in a Partisan Environment
Presenters:
- Lawrence J. Halloran, former Staff Director (Republican) of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (110th Congress) and Staff Director/Counsel of the Subcommittee on National Security (1999-2006).
- John F. Sopko, Partner at Akin Gump, and former Chief Counsel for Oversight and Investigations for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for the 110th Congress
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July 16, 2009 - Congress vs. the President: The Scope and Limits of Congressional Oversight Powers (held at the National Press Club, Washington DC) Click here to listen to the panels remarks.
[The proper role of the legislature is] to watch and control the government; to throw the light of publicity on its acts; to compel a full exposition and justification of all of them which any one considers questionable; to censure them if found condemnable.
– John Stuart Mill
Presenters:
- Mickey Edwards; former Member of Congress (R-OK), 1977-1993
- Morton Rosenberg; author/contributor to the handbooks; former Specialist in American Law at the Congressional Research Service staffer, and Constitution Project Fellow
- Chris Shays; former Member of Congress (R-CT), 1987-2009
- Ronald Weich; Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs for President Barack Obama
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July 10, 2009 - Asserting and Defending the Powers of Oversight: The Relative Powers of Congress and the Executive Branch
Panelists will discuss the relative powers of Congress and the Executive Branch in congressional oversight and how to new handbooks provide helpful resources for conducting such oversight.
Presenters:
- Zulima Espinel, Democratic Senior Counsel for National Security, Senate Committee on the Judiciary
- Beth Nolan, former White House Counsel for President Clinton
- Mark Paoletta, former Republican Chief Counsel for Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Energy & Commerce
- Mort Rosenberg, author/contributor to the handbooks, former Specialist in American Law at the Congressional Research Service staffer, and Constitution Project Fellow
- Conrad Martin, executive director of the Stewart R. Mott Charitable Trust, will serve as moderator
Copies of The Art of Congressional Oversight: A User's Guide to Doing It Right, published by POGO this month, and When Congress Comes Calling: A Primer on the Principles, Practices, and Pragmatics of Legislative Inquiry, published by the Constitution Project this month, will both be available at the seminar.
Co-hosted by the Constitution Project and the Project On Government Oversight (POGO). |
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May 2009
Beginning Seminar: You Are Not Alone: Making the Most of Your Resources (CRS, GAO, IG)
Presenters Include:
- David Williams, Inspector General, United States Postal Service
- Jonathan M. Gill, Assistant Director, U.S. GAO
- Todd Tatelman, Legislative Attorney in the American Law Division of the Congressional Research Service
Advanced Seminar: Tapping into Non-governmental Resources
Presenters Include:
- Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense
- David Burnham, co-director of TRAC, an investigative writer and former New York Times reporter
- Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director for the Center for Responsive Politics
Paul Thacker, Senate Finance Committee staffer for Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) and expert at working with the press |
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April 2009
Working with Insiders and Whistleblowers
Presenters:
- Adam Miles, professional staff member for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and formerly with the non-profit Government Accountability Project (GAP)
- Michael German, former FBI agent and whistleblower, and current Policy Counsel on National Security, Immigration and Privacy for the ACLU
- Jason Foster, Investigative Counsel, Senate Finance Committee
(Foster shared, as a sample, a letter to an agency warning that efforts to obstruct federal employee’s communication with Congress are against the law, which includes public law citations for the latest appropriations bill and the actual statutory language.)
Handouts at the Seminar Included:
POGO's Working With Insiders and Whistleblowers Notes
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March 20, 2009
Contracting Know-How
Presenters:
Handouts at the Seminar Included:
Federal Contrating: Investigative Tips
Contracting Resources and Publicly Available Information
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February 20, 2009 (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM)
Investigations for beginners
Presenters:
Handouts at the seminar included:
Investigation Checklist
Feb. 20, 2009 (1:00- 2:30 PM)
Advanced Seminar -- Oversight of the Financial Sector
Presenters:
Handouts at the seminar included:
Consumer Group Contacts; CRS, Regulators and Financial Terms; Glossary and Financial Terms; Bailout and Transparency Websites
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January 2009
Three Topic Blitz
10 - 11:30 AM - How the Nomination/Confirmation Process can be an Oversight Opportunity Presenters:
- Kris Kolesnik, Associate Inspector General for the Department of Interior and former investigative staff for Senator Charles Grassley (IA-R)
- Lisa Graves, Deputy Director of the Center for National Security Studies, former Chief Nominations Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee for the Chairman/Ranking Member, Senator Patrick Leahy
Handouts at the seminar included: "Congressional Access to Classified National Security Information," Congressional Staff Resources.
- Chris Mihm, Strategic Issues Managing Director at the Government Accountability Office
11:30 - 1:00 PM - The Right Balance of Power: The Responsibility of Congressional Oversight.
Presenters:
1:00 - 2:30 PM - Conducting Oversight from a Personal Office
Presenters:
- Stephen C. Hedger with the office of Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Republican staff presenter, TBA;
- Kris Kolesnik, Associate Inspector General for the Department of Interior and former investigative staff for Senator Charles Grassley (IA-R)
- Chris Strohm, national security reporter for Congress Daily
Click here to listen to Mr. Strohm's comments |
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2007-2008 Series Review |
July 2008
Grand Finale with a Return of the POGO Players
Presenters:
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June 2008
Appropriations - Using the Power of the Purse to Do Oversight
Presenters:
- Scott Burnison, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Homeland Security, IT, and Civic Agencies for Lockheed Martin, and former Staff for the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee
- Scott Lilly, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress,and former Clerk and Staff Director of the House Appropriations Committee, Minority Staff Director of that Committee, Executive Director of the House Democratic Study Group, Executive Director of the Joint Economic Committee and Chief of Staff in the Office of Congressman David Obey
- David Rogers, congressional reporter, Politico
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May 2008
Overcoming Obstacles
Presenters:
- Jason Foster, with Investigative Counsel for Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley
- Julian Epstein, former chief minority counsel to the House Judiciary Committee and the majority staff director of the House Government Operations Committee, and current attorney in private practice. Click here to listen to Julian Epstein
- Jason Ryan, Producer with ABC News on the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security; Click here to listen to Jason Ryan
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April 2008
Are your witnesses better prepared than you are?
Presenters:
- Mark Paoletta, partner with Dickstein Shapiro LLP, and head of its Congressional & Corporate Investigations Practice; Click here to listen to Mark Paoletta
- Michael Barrett, currently a consultant. Mr. Barrett was staff director and chief counsel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) for 10 years; Click here to listen to Michael Barrett
- Laura Strickler, Producer, CBS News Investigative Unit
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March 2008
How to Prepare For An Oversight Hearing
Resource Handout: Dos and Don'ts of and Oversight Hearing
Presenters:
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February 2008
You Are Not Alone: Making the Best of Your Resources - GAO, CRS, IG, NGO, & the Media
Resource Handout: Checklist of Places to Turn to During an Investigation
Presenters:
- Louis Fisher, Specialist in Constitutional Law, Law Library of the Library of Congress
- Jonathan M. Gill, Senior Analyst, Natural Resources and Environment Team, GAO
- Kris Kolesnik, Associate Inspector General for the Department of Interior
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January 2008
Piercing the Corporate Veil: Investigating Public and Private Corporations
Resource Handout: Piercing the Corporate Veil: Investigating Public and Private Corporations
Presenters:
- Emilia DiSanto, Chief Investigative Counsel and Special Counsel to Senator Grassley
- Laura Stuber, Counsel with the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
- Adam Zagorin, journalist with Time Magazine
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December 2007
Working With Insiders/Whistleblowers
Resource Handouts: Working with Insiders and Whistleblowers and National Whistleblower Center's Whistleblowers and Congressional Oversight: Best Practices
Presenters:
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Michal Ilana Freedhoff, Ph.D. - Freedhoff spent her 1996 MRS/OSA Congressional Science and Engineering fellowship year working for Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and started a Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation. In July 2001, Freedhoff returned to work for Rep. Markey (D-MA) and is now his Policy Director. Click here to listen to Michal Freedhoff
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Doug Pasternak - Prior to joining the Investigations and Oversight staff of the House Science Committee in September 2006, his reporting resulted in investigations by the Government Accountability Office, both the Department of Justice and Department of Defense's Inspector General's Office and congressional oversight hearings. Click here to listen to Doug Pasternak
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November 2007
Don't Let the Fine Print Bore/Scare You Out of Investigating the Contract
Resource Handouts: Dos and Don'ts of an Oversight Hearing and Federal Contracting: POGO's Investigative Tips
Presenters:
- Sean Davis, Legislative Assistant for Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), overview of using Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) and other databases resources for contract oversight
Click here to listen to Sean Davis
- Robert O'Harrow, Washington Post reporter and author of Nowhere to Hide
- Margaret E. Daum, Counsel, House Oversight Committee
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October 2007
You've Got The Power: Congressional Rights to Access Classified, Proprietary and Other Types of Information
- Exercising Congress's power to access classified information
- Role of subpoena power
- New terms for non-classified material
- Power of the purse
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2006-2007 Series Review |
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June 2007
Finding answers using open source databases
- What databases of government and corporate information are available?
- Where to turn to for government statistics
- Navigating complicated government filings
Resource Handout: Finding Answers Using Open Source Databases
Presenters:
- Beth Daley, POGO's Director of Investigations
- Caleb Rowe, POGO Investigator
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April 2007
Framing Questions: Get the most out of your hearings and investigations by learning what to ask, how to ask it, and how to follow up
- How to ensure the most effective hearing possible
- Telling a story – how to keep the public interested
- How to organize your hearings
Resource Handout: Framing Questions: What to Ask, How to Ask It, and How to Follow Up
Presenters:
- Ruth F. Fleischer, Esq., Adjunct Professor in the Legislative Practicum/Congressional Internship Program University of Maryland School of Law.
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March 2007
Working with Insiders and Whistleblowers
- How whistleblowers can help you do your job better
- Signs of trouble—conducting early due diligence
- Inside the fishbowl—the first week in the life of a whistleblower
- Steps to protect them when they contact your office
Resource Handout: Working with Insiders and Whistleblowers
Presenters:
- Michal Ilana Freedhoff, Ph.D., Senior Policy Associate for Representative Edward J. Markey, former staffer for the House Science and Technology Committee.
- Dean Zerbe, Tax Counsel and Senior Counsel to Ranking Member of Senate Finance Committee, former Chief Investigative Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee
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February 2007
Access and Classified and Other Restricted Information: Congressional Rights
- What each security clearance term allows individuals to access
- Exercising Congress's Power to access classified information
- Understanding State Secrets Privilege
Resource Handouts: Session Summary; Access to Classified and Other Restricted Information - Congressional Tip Sheet; Presidential Studies Quarterly, Volume 37, Number 1, March 2007
Presenters:
- Charles Tiefer, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore. Prof. Tiefer is a former solicitor and deputy general counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Professor Tiefer served in 1996 as deputy minority counsel on the US House "Bosniagate" investigating sub-committee.
- Mickey Edwards, Executive Director, Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership. Mickey Edwards, is a lecturer at Princeton University 's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and was a Republican member of Congress from Oklahoma from 1977 to 1992.
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January 2007
Part 2: Piercing the Corporate Veil: Investigating Public and Private Companies
- How to stand up to corporate attorneys and lobbyists
- Getting a company to cooperate
- Understanding corporate jargon and procedures
Resource Handout: Piercing the Corporate Veil - Lessons Learned
Presenters:
- Bob Roach, senior investigator, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Eric Thorson, former Chief Investigator for the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and Special Assistant to Senate Republican Leader on corporate fraud investigations
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November 2006
Part 1: Hidden Gems: How to Root Out Documents from Uncooperative Agencies and Companies
- Where to turn beyond the agency's congressional liaison
- Attracting whistleblowers and insiders
- Working with the Inspector General's office
Resource Handout: Checklist of Places to Turn To During an Investigation
Presenters:
- Pablo Carrillo, Chief Investigative Counsel for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
- Doug Pasternak, Professional Staff for the House Science Committee and former Investigative Producer for NBC
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October 2006
How to Prepare for an Oversight Hearing
The seminar convered a mock hearing; pre-interviewing witnesses; making the best use of the Government Accountability Office, Inspectors General and CRS; and how to work with the media before/during/after the hearing.
Resource Handout: The Do's and Don'ts of Preparing for a Hearing
Presenters:
- James Grimaldi, Pulitizer Prize winning investigative journalist for the Washington Post
- Peter Stockton, Senior Investigator for the Project on Government Oversight and former Investigator for the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Alan Slobodin, Deputy Chief of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
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September 2006
Anatomy of Government Contracts: Examining Hurricane Katrina
This inaugural seminar provided information about how to overcome roadblocks to overseeing government contracts and turn government contracting into an issue that motivates your boss and the public. Topics included:
- Why no one can see the forest or the trees. How to get around the roadblocks
- What Congress needs to know about contracting to do its job well
- Turning a boring government contract into an issue that motivates your boss and the public
Resource Handout: Federal Contracting Resources
Presenters:
- Michael McCarthy, Counsel, House Government Reform Committee
- Kris Kolesnik, former investigator, Senate Judiciary Committee and Senator Grassley
- Scott Amey, General Counsel, Project On Government Oversight
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