Cooperative agreement no. 520-0003-A-00-7030-00 to the Center for Democracy of Boston University

The Center will hold biannual, in-country seminars for legislators on agenda formulations and processing, as well as on administrative and technical subjects of general interest and use to Congress members and their staffs. The seminars will aim at strengthening and consolidating Congress" structures, particularly the committee and subcommittee processes. Specific subjects of the seminars, in which U.S., Central American, and other free world experts will be invited to participate, will be determined by ongoing consultations, by a questionnaire system currently used by Congress, and by results of previous seminars. The Center will also carry out for Congressmen and their staffs a series of skill enhancement programs which address specific administrative and technical problems or needs highlighted in the aforementioned seminars or identified by the Congress" leadership. These programs will be of two types. The first will address well-defined internal or external issues including but not limited to: staff structures; congressional/constituent relationships; use of public education programs to describe the work and role of Congress; and the importance of publications from the whole Congress and from congressional committees. The second type of program will cover more complex internal subjects including but not limited to: establishment of an automated data base for the Congress; the equipment needed to streamline the administrative process (e.g., microfilm equipment and a modern telecommunications system); library and research facilities; committee structures; and budget practices. Study tours by Guatemalans to other countries will also be facilitated by the Center.