While it's not unusual to find politicians who gain a mixture of local, state and congressional experience over the course of a career, seven elected state legislators concurrently serve as congressional staffers.
Holding two jobs puts these state legislators in the unusual position of being able to help constituents with their state needs while also applying political pressure at the federal level. That's ok as long, House ethics rules indicate, as they are very careful.
"While no statutory provision or House rule absolutely prohibits a House employee from holding a local office while remaining on the House payroll, the applicable provisions of state or local law on eligibility for office must be consulted," the House Ethics Manual states. "In addition, House employees must take care to avoid any undertaking that is inconsistent with congressional responsibilities."
The Ethics Manual notes, for example, that these congressional staff are still bound by the requirement that no House resources be used to perform the duties of their outside job and that duties for those outside jobs must be performed outside the congressional office and on their own time. And their work for Congress appears to limit them from representing their state before any federal agencies.
Connecticut State Reps. Hilda Santiago and Sean Scanlon have both continued their positions in U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy's (D-Conn.) Hartford office since their election to the state legislature. Santiago, who won a seat in the Connecticut General Assembly in 2013, became a congressional case worker in 2007 at the beginning of then-Representative Murphy's first term. Scanlon, Murphy's director of community affairs has held various roles since 2009. Elected to the General Assembly in 2014, Scanlon announced his intention to run for a second term this November.
Others who serve in this dual capacity include:
• Iowa State Sen. Bill Anderson, elected in 2010, who has spent more than a decade working for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), and is currently a policy adviser in King's office;
• Kentucky State Rep. Suzanne Miles, elected in 2013, who has been a field representative for U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) since 2009;
• North Carolina State Rep. Kyle Hall, who was appointed to his legislature job in November, is also a field representative for Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.).
• Arizona State Rep. Steve Montenegro, first elected in 2008, has been a district representative for U.S. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) since 2006;
• New Hampshire State Rep. Gene Chandler, currently serving his 17th term as state legislator, previously served as a constituent services representative for former Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.) and began in February as a special assistant in the office of U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.); and
Information about which state legislators pull double duty in Congress came from LegiStorm's new database tracking all 7,500 state senators and representatives. Most state legislators are considered part-time and their relatively low pay means that most legislators must seek outside employment elsewhere.
