How Many Days Congress Works - Annual Total and Average

How Many Days Congress Works - Annual Total and Average Members of Congress work fewer than half of the days in any given year, But those account for only the legislative days, defined as an official meeting of the legislative body to do the peoples business. The House works about one day out of three, and the Senate works a little more than that, according to federal records. Youve probably heard the phrase do-nothing Congress at least once in your life, and its often a jab at the inability of lawmakers to reach common ground and pass important spending bills. Sometimes its a reference to how little Congress appears to work, especially in light of the $174,000 base salary for its members - more than three times the amount of money the median U.S. household earns. Heres an explanation of how many days Congress works every year. Number of Days Congress Works in Session a Year The House of Representatives has averaged 138 legislative days a year since 2001, according to records kept by the Library of Congress. Thats about one day of work every three days, or fewer than three days a week. The Senate, on the other hand, was in session an average of 162 days a year over the same time period. Technically a legislative day in the House can span more than 24 hours. A legislative day ends only when the session is adjourned. The Senate works a little differently. A legislative day often stretches beyond the boundaries of the 24-hour workday day and sometimes week. That doesnt mean the Senate is meeting around the clock. It just means that a legislative session merely recesses but doesnt adjourn after a days work. Here are the number of legislative days for the House and Senate each year in recent history: 2016: 131 in the House, 165 in the Senate.2015: 157 in the House, 168 in the Senate.2014: 135 in the House, 136 in the Senate.2013: 159 in the House, 156 in the Senate.2012: 153 in the House, 153 in the Senate.2011: 175 in the House, 170 in the Senate.2010: 127 in the House, 158 in the Senate.2009: 159 in the House, 191 in the Senate.2008: 119 in the House, 184 in the Senate.2007: 164 in the House, 190 in the Senate.2006: 101 in the House, 138 in the Senate.2005: 120 in the House, 159 in the Senate.2004: 110 in the House, 133 in the Senate.2003: 133 in the House, 167 in the Senate.2002: 123 in the House, 149 in the Senate.2001: 143 in the House, 173 in the Senate. House Averages 18 Hours of Work a Week Theres a little more to this analysis than just the number of days lawmakers are scheduled to cast votes. A 2013 analysis conducted by The New York Times found that the House was in session for 942 hours that year, or about 18 hours a week. That level of work, The Times noted, was the least by any Congress in a non-election year in nearly a decade. By comparison, the House worked 1,700 hours in 2007,1,350 hours in 2005,and 1,200 hours in 2011. The same went for the Senate, which had 99 voting days in 2013. Some attempts have been made to force members of Congress to work full weeks. In 2015, for example, a Republican lawmaker from Florida, Rep. David Jolly, introduced legislation that would have required the House to be in session 40 hours a week when members of the House were in Washington, D.C.A work week in Washington should be no different than a work week in every other town across the nation,† Jolly said at the time. Jollys measure failed to gain traction. Constituent Services Theres much more to being a congressman than voting. One of the most important aspects of the job is being accessible and responsive to the people who voted them into office. Its called constituent service: answering phone calls from the public, holding town-hall meetings on important issues, and assisting members of the 435 congressional districts with their problems. The nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation has reported: Members work long hours (70 hours a week when Congress is in session), endure unequaled public scrutiny and criticism, and sacrifice family time to fulfill work responsibilities. The 70-hour work week reported by members of Congress is more than twice the average length of the work week for Americans. When Congress Adjourns Congressional sessions begin in January of odd-numbered years and typically end in December of the same year. Congress adjourns at the end of each session. There are two sessions for each sitting of Congress. The Constitution forbids either the Senate or the House to adjourn for more than three days without the permission of the other chamber.

Practical Experience and On-the-Job Training

Practical Experience and On-the-Job Training Hashtag: #MasterChef Practical Experience and On-the-Job Training Since cooking is one of the few occupations where one can get most of his training on the job, it is often favorable for an aspiring chef to work as a kitchen staff and gain practical or actual experience in a real world commercial kitchen. Most successful chefs according to study, are always eager to learn about food, they love the kitchen, and take advantage of opportunities offered by the kitchen to develop the skills and personality of a great chef. For example, the ability to think clearly,  stay  focused, and make quick decisions at a fast pace, demanding, and noisy environment are characteristics of a great chef progressively developed in the kitchen. YOUR FUTURE IN 180 MINUTES EXAM Practical skills  and experience are a tacit knowledge that is unique and difficult to imitate. It is the source of differentiation and competitive advantage that allows an individual to innovate, add value, ensure accuracy, and product quality. Expert chefs with significant tacit knowledge are capable of preparing any meal without consulting a cookbook because they have years of practical cooking experience. Moreover, expert chefs with sufficient practical experience are already accustomed to the taste, texture, color, and aroma of a particular meal and therefore able to mix ingredients without measuring devices and cook delicious meals without cooking timers. Formal Culinary Education Some Master Chef’s cooking skills are not only developed through years of practical experience but formal culinary education. The reason is that most Certification Standards for chefs performing in the executive and master level are based on experience and formal education. An aspiring chef, therefore, regardless of years of practical experience must obtain formal culinary education before he or she can be certified and land a job in better restaurants or hotels with high hiring standards. Some known advantage of having a degree or certificate from a professional and reputable culinary school is increased potential in landing a job, gaining knowledge of different cooking methods, learning theoretical cooking techniques from highly trained culinary school teachers, and getting certified in different areas of food education such as food preparation, food science, and food studies. Formal culinary education can also help aspiring chefs to experience and appreciate team building and develop a personal discipline that will set them apart from others. This discipline can help them keep everything in perspective; make them better employees and a great leader to other chefs. It is important to remember that although advantageous, the need to go to formal culinary school depends entirely on the job you want to pursue. For instance, chef levels with relatively little responsibility do not need formal education as they can land a job in school, hospital, and other institutions that only require high school diploma and adequate restaurant experience.