There’s nothing like seeing your Senator or House Representative in action to determine whether you’ve elected a Mr. Smith, Tracy Flick, or Clay Davis.

Senators and Representatives hold committee hearings on a nearly daily basis when Congress is in session, and most hearings are open to the public. The purpose of a committee hearing is ostensibly to bring in Administration officials, executives, interest groups, academics, and the public and learn more about a given issue. But, that’s only the beginning.

Since Congress doesn’t have the power to enforce laws (that whole “three branches of government” thing we learned about in middle school: actually true), hearings often become a way for Senators and Representatives to express frustration with a law’s implementation or to intimidate people who’ve done wrong. So, they stare down wayward oil executives and express righteous indignation after hearing a victim’s testimony. Bottle that up into a 10-second film clip, send it back home to the local news channel, and voila – your Congressman at work! Doing what he can to right society’s ills and forge the path to a better tomorrow!

But what really goes on at a Congressional hearing? The other 119 minutes and 50 seconds of it? If you’re a political junkie, this is where things get fun. First, it’s a great chance to see politicians in person, without a script. Second, you’ll figure out right away whether a politician has any clue what’s going on – can he ask a question without an aide whispering in his ear, who sticks around after their opening remarks? A few years ago, I saw then-Senator Hilary Clinton at a hearing on a wetlands issue. It was the most esoteric topic you could imagine, but she knew the details of the wetlands law, the proposed Army Corps regulations, and recent case law. Like, she was throwing out section numbers. It was pretty impressive. She had done her homework. This is the exception to the rule.

So, how do you go about attending a Congressional hearing?

1. Find a hearing topic that you’re interested in, or that your Senator or Representative might be at.

There are about 15 or more committee hearings a day, held around 10am and 2pm.Click here for the Senate hearing schedule, and here for the House hearing schedule. Each entry is the name of the hearing, where it is, and which committee and subcommittee is hosting it.

If you want to see your own Senator or Representative at a hearing, you’ll need to figure out what committees and subcommittees they sit on, and then back track to see when their subcommittees’ hearings are.

Here’s an easy website for figuring out who your Representative and Senators are. I found Wikipedia to be the easiest way to figure out subcommittee assignments — just search for your Representative or Senator. Now, go to the Senate Subcommittees website, House Subcommittees website and see when they have hearings scheduled. Or, look through the Senate and House hearing schedule and focus on the Committees and Subcommittees that your Senator or Representative sit on.

OK! Now you know what hearings are scheduled and when. How do you actually attend a hearing?

2. Figure out what building you’re going to.

There are three Senate buildings (Dirksen, Russel, and Hart)  and 3 House buildings (Cannon, Longworth, and Rayburn). Here’s a map of the Capitol Hill Building Complex. House buildings are south of the Capitol, on Independence Ave SW, close to the Capital South Metro stop (on the blue and orange lines). Senate buildings are north of the Capitol, on Constitution Ave NW and close to Union Station (on Metro’s red line).

For each hearing listed on the Senate and House hearing page, you’ll see a room and building number. Like, “2247 Rayburn HOB” – Room 2247, in the Rayburn House Office Building. Or, “SD-124” – “SD” is for Dirksen, Room 124. “SR-222” – “SR” is for Rayburn, Room 222. Sometimes, Senate hearings are held jointly in House Office Buildings, in which case you’ll see something like “LHOB” – Longworth House Office Building or “CHOB” – Cannon House Office Building.

3. Get in line.

Depending on how controversial the hearing topic is, you’ll want to get to the office building an hour to 45 minutes before the hearing starts. Follow signs outside the office buildings to go through the Visitor Entrance. You’ll have to go through a security screening and a metal detector.

As you approach the hearing room, you’ll probably see a line has already started. Get in line. And that’s it!