For a video clip of the Institute’s history, click here.
The Congressional Institute was established in 1987 for the intellectual and social benefit of Members of Congress and to provide educational information about Congress to the general public.
The Institute sponsors major conferences for the benefit of Members of the US Congress and their staffs. Since 1987, the Congressional Institute has held an annual “Congress of Tomorrow” for U.S. House and/or Senate Members. Past annual issue conferences have included: Federal Hall at New York, NY, “Congress of Tomorrow” at Houston, three “Congresses of Tomorrow” at Princeton, NJ, and “Congresses of Tomorrow” at Salisbury, MD, Leesburg, VA, Williamsburg, VA, White Sulphur Springs, WV, Philadelphia, PA, and Cambridge, MD. A “Women of the 21st Century” conference at St. Louis discussed issues which concern women beyond the traditional “women’s issues”. The Institute was also involved with the planning and execution of the first bipartisan congressional conference, and has conducted conferences for Congressional chiefs of staff. Other, smaller conferences have dealt with fundamental values in policy development with specific emphasis on health care, tax reform, the environment, congressional structure and process reform, campaign reform and congressional family issues. The Institute also conducts research on a variety of important issues and publishes a House Floor Procedures Manual at the beginning of each Congress.
The Congressional Institute, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation duly organized and in good standing. It is a corporation that is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Code.
The Congressional Institute is empowered to exercise all rights and powers conferred by the laws of the District of Columbia upon not-for-profit corporations, including, but without limitation thereon, the rights and powers to receive gifts, devices, bequests and contributions in any form, and to use, apply, invest and reinvest the principle or income therefrom or to distribute the same for the above purpose.
A volunteer Board of Directors has general charge of the affairs, property and assets of the Institute. It is the duty of the Directors to carry out the aims and purposes of the Institute, and, to this end, to oversee and control all of its property and assets. The members of the Board of Directors are private sector community leaders.
Counsel to the Congressional Institute is Mr. Jan Baran of Wiley Rein LLP, 1776 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, (202) 429-7330.