The Contemporary Congress

Burdett A. Loomis is a professor of political science at the University of Kansas, where he has taught since 1979. He was an American Political Science Congressional Fellow from 1975-1976 and served on then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius's staff in 2005. Aside from teaching courses on congressional politics, interest groups, and policy making, Loomis directs internship programs in Washington and Topeka. He has written on a variety of topics, including Congress, interest groups, state legislatures, and public policy, and he currently serves as coeditor of Interest Groups and Advocacy.

Wendy J. Schiller is a professor of political science at Brown University. She served on the staffs of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Governor Mario Cuomo, and completed Fellowships at the Brookings Institution and Princeton University. At Brown, she teaches popular courses titled The American Presidency, Introduction to the American Political Process, and Congress and Public Policy. Among books she has authored or coauthored are Electing the Senate: Indirect Democracy Before the Seventeenth Amendment and Partners and Rivals: Representation in U.S. Senate Delegations.