Mid-Year Report to the
IEEE-USA Government Fellowship Committee

Randall J. Brouwer,Ph.D.
2005 IEEE-USA Congressional Fellow

August 2005

During 2005 I am serving as a legislative assistant in the Office of Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA46). It has been a great experience, so far, providing me with a wide range of opportunities and experiences.

I don’t believe I can identify a "typical" day in the office. The types of activities vary significantly from day to day and week to week. That is one of the reasons this place is so interesting. I have been working on issues of space, NASA, science, and research. Below are highlighted some of the significant activities I continue to be involved in.

1. Keep track of current events. The Congressman needs to be aware of what is happening with respect to space and science issues. A number of websites have become essential for staying up-to-date. Contacts at NASA and the House Science Committee are very important.

2. Work with the Science Committee on bills the Congressman has authored. Congressman Rohrabacher has introduced several bills this term, mostly related to asteroid detection and science/engineering scholarships for service. Some have gone through separately and some have been incorporated into other authorization and appropriation bills. The members of the staff of the Science Committee are important players in the process and I’ve been able to work with them on these issues. There is more work to do with the Senate side.

3. Fix for NASA and the Iran Non-Proliferation Act. This has been a very important issue in the office. I have been working with people from industry, NASA Headquarters, and the White House on a legislative solution to constraints placed on NASA and its future cooperation with Russia on space issues. This has been both fascinating and frustrating.

4. Hearings and Briefings. Fairly frequently, hearings (organized for Members of Congress) and briefings (organized for staff) occur on a variety of topics. It has been a great opportunity to attend many of these this year, especially when they provide "free" lunch.

5. Work with constituents. Occasionally, business leaders from the district will contact the office seeking assistance with various issues. I have worked directly with a number of them.

Overall, this has been a great office in the way it has given me the opportunity and responsibility for some important issues. Many on the Senate side have limited access to their Senator. I have been fortunate to be able to work closely with Congressman Rohrabacher on a regular basis.
 

IEEE-USA