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Government Basics
We deal with the legislative branch of government frequently. Legislative advocacy is easy to follow once you understand a few key distinctions.
State Government vs. Federal Government
Massachusetts State Legislative Government a.k.a. the General Court
Federal Legislative Government a.k.a. the U.S. Congress
Tricky Terminology
Find out who your legislators are
State Government vs. Federal Government
People often get confused about the difference between state and federal legislative government. Most of AAC’s advocacy work is done at the state level, but it’s a good idea to know who your representatives are on both the state and federal levels and where action is being taken on issues that matter to you. A quick review of these terms is a good place to start.
Massachusetts State Legislative Government or the General Court
On the state level, you have one representative and one senator who are working for you on Beacon Hill at the State House (that’s the building with the big golden dome overlooking Boston Common). In Massachusetts, the legislative body is also referred to as the General Court. The General Court consists of two branches, the Massachusetts State House of Representatives and the Massachusetts State Senate. At the State House of Representatives, one of 160 Massachusetts State Representatives represents YOU. At the State Senate, one of 40 State Senators represents YOU.
Federal Legislative Government or the U.S. Congress
On the federal level, you get one representative and two senators on Capitol Hill at the Capitol Building (that’s the white dome in Washington, D.C.) The U.S. Congress consists of two branches, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. At the U.S. House of Representatives, one U.S. Representative (a.k.a. Congressman) represents you. (Depending on the population of your state, it may have more than one official in the U.S. House of Representatives.) At the U.S. Senate, two Senators represent you (and everyone else in your state).
Tricky Terminology
Congressman: At the federal level, both houses together are known as the “Congress,” so it may seem that technically everyone in the Congress is a “Congressman.” Not really. Traditionally when we say “Congressman” we really mean U.S. Representative.
Representative: While “representative” may be used in a general way to mean any person representing another in government, as in “the president is a representative of the people,” it can also be used to mean something more specific. Officials in the U.S. House of Representatives or the State House of Representatives may both be referred to as “Representatives.” Accordingly, they should be distinguished from one another by referring to them as “U.S. Representatives” or “Massachusetts State Representatives” respectively.
Senator: Senator refers to both officials in the US Senate (in Washington, D.C. think Kennedy and Kerry) and to the State Senator that represents you on Beacon Hill in Boston. That means everyone in Massachusetts has three Senators: two in Washington, D.C. and one in Boston. No matter how many people are in a state, a state still gets just two Senators on Capitol Hill in D.C.. U.S. Senators are not referred to as “Representatives,” although we may say something like, “U.S. Senator Kerry ‘represents’ the state of Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate.”
Find out who your legislators are - all five of them! | 
