A Day in the Life of Congressman Adam H. Putnam: What is it like to be a member of Congress? Follow the youngest U.S. Representative on a typical day. (USA).

Do you know who your U.S. Representative is? If not, you're not alone. Even though members of Congress play key roles in our government, they often are overlooked. Usually, it's the President who gets the headlines.

What do members of Congress do? How do they spend their days? Do they write bills and study legislation, or are they busy making speeches and going to meetings?

To find out, JS spent a day with Congressman Adam H. Putnam. A Republican from Florida's 12th Congressional District, Putnam is serving his first term in the House of Representatives. At age 27, he's the youngest member of the 107th Congress. Here's what a typical day looks like for Congressman Putnam.

8:00 a.m.

A Congressman's day starts early, and Putnam usually gets up by 6:00. After spending some time at home with his wife, Melissa, and baby daughter, Abby, Putnam walks to his office on Capitol Hill.

This morning, he has a breakfast meeting with members of the House Budget Committee. The weekly breakfast is an informal way for Representatives to talk about how best to spend the $1.9 trillion federal budget. "It's a friendly, open atmosphere," says Putnam, "and you really can have good conversations."

9:00 a.m.

Putnam's next stop is the House chamber for a Republican conference meeting. Here, he has a chance to speak directly with Republican leaders, like Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House, and Dick Armey, the House majority leader. Putnam looks forward to this special face-to-face time with House leaders. As Putnam explains, "It really facilitates [helps bring about] better communication and builds a better sense of teamwork."

9:45 a.m.

Congressman Putnam heads to a meeting of the House Committee on Agriculture. Putnam is a member of four House committees: Agriculture, Budget, Joint Economics, and Government Reform.

Committees do much of the important work in Congress. Members study legislation, debate issues, hold public hearings, and amend (change) bills. Committees also take up most of a Congressman's time.

In today's meeting, members of the Agriculture Committee are briefed on bioterrorism, and they discuss how Congress can protect America's food supply.

How do Representatives get assigned to committees?

"Generally, you pursue committees that reflect your own background and expertise," says Putnam. "I represent an agricultural district, so I wanted to be on the Agriculture Committee. But I'm also on the Joint Economic and Budget committees, which reflect [my] personal interests."

11:00 am.

JS Associate Editor Jim Adams interviews Putnam in the Congressman's office for this article.

11:30 a.m.

Unexpected events often happen. A meeting with Ambassador Allen Johnson--a U.S. trade representative for agriculture--is scheduled at the last minute. Putnam and Johnson discuss ways to boost trade in central Florida.

Are all the Congressman's days this action-packed? "Wednesdays are always busiest," says Putnam. "That's the one day of the week when every Congressman is in town, and everybody seems to plan for a full day."

Putnam does his job with the help of his staff: eight aides in Washington and six more in his district office in Bartow, Florida. His staff tackles all kinds of jobs, such as helping to prepare for committee hearings, identifying important issues and trends, drafting legislation for new bills, and meeting with constituents (voters).

Staff members also answer the 1,000 letters and 500 e-mails the Congressman receives every week. "Responding to e-mails and letters is a staff priority in my office," says Putnam. "We don't instant message yet, but everybody gets a response."

Do you have a question for Congressman Putnam? You can send e-mail to him at: [e-mail].

1:00 p.m.

Putnam leaves his office to tape a "satellite feed," a weekly video message that is sent to TV stations in Florida. This week, Putnam's message is about food safety and bioterrorism, and how federal agencies must work together to safeguard U.S. food against contamination.

After the taping, Putnam returns to his office to read legislation, speak with his staff, and get ready for the rest of the day's appointments.

What about lunch? "It's not looking too good today," he says. "Sometimes we have lunch meetings, and sometimes we just grab a sandwich, but the chances [for a real lunch] are slim this afternoon."

2:00 p.m.

Putnam rushes off to a meeting of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which supports the election of Republicans to the House of Representatives. Republicans now outnumber Democrats in the House by 223 to 212.

Why is Putnam a Republican? "I was always a big Ronald Reagan fan--even when I was really young--and there was a connection there," he says. "In fact, I remember voting in the Scholastic News presidential election poll and encouraging my fellow first-graders to vote for Reagan over Carter."

5:00 p.m.

A special voting session of the House of Representatives begins, and Putnam goes to his seat in the House chamber. "Bells go off in our offices--just like in school--and we have 15 minutes to go to the House to cast our votes," he says.

Voting usually occurs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and starts at about noon. But toward the end of a congressional session, voting can take place on any workday and can run late into the night, as the House rushes to complete work on legislation.

In evening sessions such as this, chairmanship of the House is rotated among members. Tonight, Putnam is responsible for "special orders," which means he will sit in the Speaker's chair!

In this session, the House considers a bill about airline security and how to protect passengers in the wake of the September 11 hijackings. There are two different versions of the bill to consider--a Republican and a Democratic one--and the voting process could last late into the night.

How does Putnam know which way to vote on all the issues that come before Congress?

"You have to weigh everything against your own core values and you look at what's best for your district, because they're the people who sent you to Washington," he says. "As a young person, I also think it's important that we take a longer view of the policies that we enact and look at what's best not just for next year or the next 5 years, but for the next 50 years."

After voting, Putnam finally heads home. But he still has a briefcase full of papers to read! What does Putnam think about his long days? "It's not a 9-to-5 job, and the schedule can be grueling," he says. "But having a constituent bring a problem to you and being in a position to do something about it--that's a most rewarding experience."

RELATED ARTICLE: Quotes From a Congressman

JS: What issues are most important to you?

A: It's important to my district--and the whole nation--that we do everything we can to make sure that all Americans are safe and secure in their homes and their communities.

And we're working very hard to make sure that the economy is strong, so that people keep their jobs, businesses grow, and people are assured of the American dream.

It's also important that we have long-term economic and budget stability. We don't want Social Security and Medicare going bankrupt before the younger generation can benefit from them.

JS: How did you get into politics?

A: I've always loved history and social studies, and I was in student government in high school and in college. While I was in college, I interned in Washington for a Congressman and really enjoyed it.

But I felt like Florida was a better place to start and to make a difference. If you're going to have a government that truly represents all of its people, then you need to have that younger person's perspective as one voice in the chorus. I felt like at that time the voice wasn't there in the Florida Legislature. So I ran for the Florida State House and I won.

JS: Have you met President Bush?

A: I've met the President several times, and I've been to the White House for different ceremonies and for a couple meetings. And I've been on Air Force One. Twice!