Congressional Institute

Founded in 1987, the Congressional Institute is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to helping Members of Congress better serve their constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature. The Institute sponsors major conferences as well as a number of smaller gatherings for the benefit of Members of the U.S. Congress. All events are devoted to an examination of important policy issues and strategic planning. The Institute also conducts important research projects consistent with its mission and develops resources such as the House Floor Procedures Manual and sponsors Oxford-style bipartisan Congressional debates.

Member and Staff Retreats

The Congressional Institute sponsors retreats for Members of Congress and their staff. Since 1987, the Institute has organized an annual retreat for all Republican Members of Congress. Members pay their own travel and lodging expenses, but the Institute pays for other expenses including staff costs as approved by the House or Senate Ethics Committees. In January 2010, President Barack Obama accepted the Institute’s invitation to appear at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore, MD. This was the first time a Democratic president had attended the annual event. Some compared this event to Question Time in the British House of Parliament. Others who spoke at the event included Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former coach Lou Holtz, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren, Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and pollsters Frank Luntz, Rich Thau, David Winston and Kellyanne Conway.

The 2009 "Congress of Tomorrow" retreat featured major Republican leaders including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Governors Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. Numerous policy experts in attendance included health care expert and Harvard Business School professor Regina Herzlinger, terrorism and foreign policy experts Drs. Frederick Kagan and Kimberly Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal, and public opinion experts Frank Luntz, David Winston and Linda DiVall.

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