Meet the Clerk
Meet the Clerk
The Clerk is the chief legislative official of the U.S. House of Representatives, which means maintaining records and overseeing the legislative activities of the House. The Clerk does not make laws.
The Founding Fathers created the Clerk's job. In fact, it was written into the U.S. Constitution that the House should have people around to keep everything running smoothly. One of those people is the Clerk.
The Clerk serves a two-year term, and the Members of the House elect the Clerk at the beginning of each new Congress.
The Clerk Today
Karen L. Haas is the 34th Clerk of the House of Representatives. This is her second occupancy of this position. She served during the 109th–110th Congresses.
Ms. Haas began her service on Capitol Hill in 1984, when she worked for then-Minority Leader Robert H. Michel. She went to public schools in Maryland and the University of Maryland, College Park. She studied Political Science and Economics in college.