Online: Who Represents You?
Unit 3 – Congress
Before you begin, you must determine who represents you in DC & Austin. Please remember you have
2 U.S. Senators, 1 U.S. Rep (AKA Congressional or House Member), 1 State Senator & 1 State Rep.
Click here to determine who represents you. (www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us)
You will use the following websites: www.house.gov, www.senate.gov, www.votesmart.org,
www.opensecrets.org, www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members and www.house.state.tx.us/members.
I. Your State Officials
Please note that these individuals represent you in Austin. Do not reference these individuals in the rest of the
assignment. As a citizen, you should know who your State Senator and State Rep. Do not confuse these with your
federal representatives.
State Senate District #
Representative
Party
Take a look at his/her official page at www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members. Be able to
recognize him/her by photo. Read about his/her background and committee assignments.
State House District #
Representative
Party
Take a look at his/her official page at www.house.state.tx.us/members. Be able to recognize him/her by
photo. Read about his/her background and committee assignments.
II. Profile of Your Congressional Member (U.S. House of Representative)
U.S. Rep
District # TX -
Party_____ Yr Elected ________
From his/her official House webpage, read the congressional member’s biography.
Education
Occupation
Prior Elected Positions
Religion
Family
Committee & Sub-Committee Assignments You may not need all the rows.
Name of Committee or Sub-Committee
Leadership Role (if any)
Based on your knowledge of your district, explain why your congressional member was assigned to
these committees.
Does he/she hold a position in party leadership? If so, list. Describe the leadership role.
Is he/she a member of a caucus? If so, list. (You may need to use the Vote Smart site.)
What does his/her website say about casework? (They may not use the term ‘casework’.)
What issues seem the most important to your representative?
Interest Group Ratings Use the most recent year’s rating for that particular interest group.
Interest Group
Planned Parenthood
National Taxpayers
Union
US Chamber of
Commerce
ACLU (House)
Human Rights Campaign
National Rifle
Association
Children’s Health Fund
AFL-CIO
English First
Your choice
Your choice
Type of IG
IG’s Mission
Rating
Key Votes Select three recent votes cast by your member. Do you agree or disagree with the vote?
Bill
Brief Description
Vote
Congressional Member in Action Watch a short YouTube Video to see your member in action.
Watch a clip of your member on my YouTube “Congress” playlist:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWEPjhtUsGI&list=PLUqgfBkLUC10DIDlknRN_JPA6530Of8jE&feature=mh_lolz
What is the setting of the video? Evaluate his/her effectiveness, as well as what you learned about
congressional procedure.
What is your overall impression of your congressional member? Would you vote for him/her?
III. Profile of U.S. Senator John Cornyn
U.S. Senator John Cornyn
Party
First elected to the Senate in
From his official Senate webpage, www.senate.gov, read Cornyn’s biography.
Education
Occupation
Prior Elected Positions
Religion
Family
Is a member of a caucus? If so, list. (You may need to use the Vote Smart site.)
Does he hold a position in party leadership? If so, list. Describe the leadership role.
Yes.
Committee & Sub-Committee Assignments You may not need all the rows.
Name of Committee or Sub-Committee
Leadership Role (if any)
Based on your knowledge of Texas, explain why Senator Cornyn is a member of these.
What does his website say about casework? (They may not use the term ‘casework’.)
What issues seem the most important to Senator Cornyn?
Key Votes Select three recent votes cast by your Senator. Do you agree or disagree with the vote?
Bill
Brief Description
Vote
Senator Cornyn in Action Watch a short YouTube Video to see Senator Cornyn in action.
Watch a clip of your member on my YouTube “Congress” playlist:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWEPjhtUsGI&list=PLUqgfBkLUC10DIDlknRN_JPA6530Of8jE&feature=mh_lolz
What is the setting of the video? Evaluate his effectiveness, as well as what you learned about
congressional procedure.
What is your overall impression of your congressional member? Would you vote for him/her?