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Congressional Oversight Training Series
for Congressional Staff Only - Not Open to the Public
Next Seminar, Friday, July 18, 2008
click here for 2007-2008 seminar details and registration information.
ABOUT THE TRAINING SERIES: One of the goals of the Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS) is to educate participants about the true powers of Congress. The training series will include a combination of hands-on training and exercises, mock hearings, case reviews, and lessons from some of the most accomplished current and former Congressional oversight experts and practitioners.
Congressional oversight is a bipartisan responsibility and effort. Therefore, POGO’s series is being co-chaired by Republican and Democrat leaders in the House and the Senate. The Honorary Co-Chairs for the series are Sen. Charles Grassley, Sen. Carl Levin, Rep. Rush Holt, and Rep. Christopher Shays.
What did participants in the 2006-07 series have to say about the Series?
“Excellent discussion and great guest speakers. Very knowledgeable with good handouts.”
“Real life situations and tips very helpful to new investigator.”
“I like the fact that this is a series – that you continually remind staff of the need to do oversight. As opposed to one seminar at the beginning of the session which we promptly forget about in the rush of everything else we’ve got to do.”
“It was too short.”
“Each session gives new ideas as to how oversight can be done – based on the firsthand experiences relayed by the panelist. It helps answer the question: ‘Where do we start?’”
There is no cost for participating in COTS. Seminars will generally be held on the 3rd Friday of the month, alternating each month at rooms in the Senate and House office buildings. Lunch will be provided.
Some of the topics to be covered in the series include, “How to Prepare for an Oversight Hearing,” “The Art of Writing a Demand Letter,” and “Investigating Public and Private Corporations.” Stay tuned for a listing of other upcoming seminars.
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2007 - 2008 Series
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Join us for the final seminar of our 2nd COTS Session,
“Grand Finale with a Return of the POGO Players,”
Lunch provided.
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Friday, July 18, 2008 from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
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Expert Presenters Include:
Mort Rosenberg, Specialist in American Public Law,
Congressional Research Service,
Washington
,
DC
Eric Thorson, former chief investigator for the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in the United States Senate
and Chief Investigator, Senate Finance Committee.
Peter Stockton, Senior Investigator with POGO, and former senior investigator on the House Energy and Power and
the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees
Based on requests from participants, at this seminar you will learn:
Subpoena power – when, how and where
in an investigation to use it
CRS divisions, Senate library, Senate counsel
and respective House agencies
Techniques for properly vetting witnesses,
whistleblowers, experts, etc.
To identify common oversight obstacles, we will also have an interactive skit of the investigation process leading up to a hearing.
We will also be granting certificates to participants
who have attended more than five seminars.
Session Three (2008-09) of COTS
will begin a new series of seminars in the fall.
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To Register simply email idrake@pogo.org and
provide the name, title, and contact information
or call us at 202-347-1122
Location provided upon RSVP.
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Congressional staff members gather tips on oversight, GovExec.com, December 1, 2006.
These seminars are made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation.
Follow the link for Summaries of Past Topics and Resources
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