The length of time that our federal legislators spend in office and how much time they devote to the job has been seriously questioned over the last few years. In relation to that question, how legislators work and how much they have been compensated is also challenged. Given the growing dissatisfaction with the performance of Congress, it’s worth studying how they do their jobs.
One question that comes up is whether they spend enough time on the job. 
Congress members work fewer than half of the days in any given year. But those workdays account for only ‘legislative days,’ defined as an official meeting of the legislative body to do the people’s business. According to federal records, the House works about two days a week and the Senate works a little more than that.
In all fairness, Congress doesn’t have the kind of work that fits into a 40-hour week like many of us: technically, a legislative day in the House can last more than 24 hours and only ends at adjournment. The Senate work period can go beyond 24 hours, even as long as a week. They don’t work 24 hours straight, but they may recess and not adjourn after a day’s work.
To give us an idea of the amount of work that has been done in recent years, the number of legislative hours they have completed are listed below: 
2018: 174 in the House, 191 in the Senate.
2017: 192 in the House, 195 in the Senate.
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.
In 2023, the results were even more dismal.
Early on, legislators decided that to encourage quality people to run for office, they at least had to be paid a decent wage. Then again, when increases are passed, the House and Senate may have to face the ire of the citizenry.
Currently legislators receive a base salary of $174,000. They can vote on increases or decreases only during certain periods of their governance, and they must be signed off by the President.
Out of the 700 votes that took place in Congress in 2023, only 27 bills were passed, the smallest number since the Great Depression, when Herbert Hoover signed 21 bills.
At first glance it may seem like their jobs are complicated, until you study the nature of their work:
- Legislative or policy work—how much of the time is delegated to staff to collect information or research, meet with other staffers, compose bills.
- Constituent services--meeting with constituents, but how much time is actually spent meeting with them. Often form letters are probably sent out by staff, or staff meets with constituents except for high profile cases.
- Political or campaign—much has been said about how legislators spend a great deal of their time on campaigning for their next election. This means making telephone calls, pleading with donors and attending fundraisers.
- Press or media relations—might be op-eds or speaking on Sunday news shows, but also might be grandstanding in front of the capitol building or appearing on weekly shows.
- Administrative duties—might mean meetings with other legislators, but these could also be delegated to staff.
The political parties are polarized, which makes it difficult to get work done:
A new book by some of the foremost scholars on polarization, including James Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester offers an answer to that question by distilling empirical evidence as to the consequences of partisan animus.
The upshot? Partisan hostility alone is unlikely to lead to the collapse of American democracy. But it nonetheless does have a deleterious effect on democracy and could erode democratic institutions and functioning over time.
We already are aware that a number of legislators are retiring from Congress as millionaires. Do we need to take a closer look at the ways that they serve the country?
With an Article V Convention of States, we can decide whether this compensation demonstrates fiscal responsibility, whether legislators are spending their time on legitimate legislative activities, or whether we need to demand more fiscal restraint and accountability, and even term limits.
