Congress and Its Functions

1. Congress and Its Functions

2. Congressional Committees • Both the House and Senate have standing committees with jurisdiction over particular subjects, such as the House Agricultural Committee. • Subcommittees are often formed as well, and hold public hearings on matters that pertain to the committee or subcommittee.

3. House Rules • Each congress adopts rules as to the size of the committee, the jurisdiction of the committee, how many committees a member can be on, and the form and structure of debate. • The Senate operates under more informal rules than the House. Members can filibuster debate to prevent a vote, or force a vote with the approval of 60 members.

4. Congressional Leadership • Speaker of the House- speakers control committee appointments and chair the Rules Committee, which decides which bill will come to the floor and what the rules of debate will be. • Sometimes leadership of the House becomes decentralized and leadership falls to senior members of the House. Committee chairs vie for control of the legislative agenda. • Political party control occurs when the majority party is represented by the Speaker instead of the House as a whole.

5. How a Bill Becomes a Law • All bills, with the exception of revenue bills which must come from the House, are introduced into one, or both, of the chambers of Congress. • Committee assignment- a bill is assigned to at least on committee or subcommittee • Hearings- the bill is then debated in a public hearing.

6. How a Bill Becomes a Law • Deliberations- once the hearings are finished, committee members review the bill and make any changes they see fit. It is then recommended to the full House or Senate for approval. • Report- If it passes committee then it is reported to the full chamber with recommended changes. • Floor Vote- Once out of committee the bill is considered for a vote by the full House or Senate.

7. How a Bill Becomes a Law • Referral to the other chamber- bills passed by one chamber must be sent to the other chamber and repeats the process. • Conference committee- if the two chambers versions of the bill differ, it is sent to a conference committee comprised of members of both chambers to reach a compromise. • Referral to the president- once approved by both chambers the bill goes to the president. If the bill is signed it becomes law. If vetoed it dies unless the veto is over turned by a 2/3 majority of Congress.