Turnover of membership in the House and Senate necessitates closing congressional offices. The closure of a congressional office requires an outgoing Member of Congress, or congressional officials, in the case of a deceased Member, to evaluate pertinent information regarding staff; the disposal of personal and official records; and final disposition of office accounts, facilities, and equipment. The House and Senate have developed extensive resources to assist Members in closing their offices. These services are typically used at the end of a Congress, when a Member's term of service ends, but most services are available to an office that becomes vacant for other reasons. This report provides an overview of issues that may arise in closing a congressional office, and provides a guide to resources available through the appropriate support offices of the House and Senate.
Turnover of membership in the House and Senate necessitates closing congressional offices. The closure of a congressional office requires an outgoing Member of Congress to evaluate pertinent information regarding his or her staff; the disposal of personal and official records; and final disposition of office accounts, facilities, and equipment. In the past several years, the House and Senate have developed extensive resources to assist Members in closing their offices. These services are most typically used at the end of a Congress, when a Member's term of service ends, but most of the services are available to an office that becomes vacant for other reasons. This report provides an overview of the issues that may arise in closing a congressional office, and provides a guide to resources available through the appropriate support offices of the House and Senate.
This report, which will be updated as warranted, is designed to address questions that arise when a congressional office is closing. Another related report is CRS Report R41121, Selected Privileges and Courtesies Extended to Former Members of Congress , by [author name scrubbed].