Congressional caucus

A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meet to pursue common legislative objectives.

The caucuses meet regularly in closed sessions for both the House of Representatives and the Senate to set legislative agendas, select committee members and chairs and hold elections to choose various floor leaders.

Members of Congress are not restricted to a single ideological caucus, creating overlaps between the organizations.

[9] The caucus was where the Southern Manifesto was written[10] which supported the reversal of the landmark Supreme Court 1954 ruling Brown v. Board of Education and was signed by 19 Senators and 82 Representatives.

The formation of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus was announced on June 4, 2008, by openly gay members of congress Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank.

[11][12] The mission of the caucus is to work for LGBT rights, the repeal of laws discriminatory against LGBT persons, the elimination of hate-motivated violence, and improved health and well-being for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

[13] The caucus serves as a resource for Members of Congress, their staffs, and the public on LGBT issues.