Congress is Action 112 th Congress

1. Congress is Action112th Congress

2. When does Congress work? • January 3rd of every odd-numbered year • Member of the House must be sworn in the first day…all 435 • The choose a Speaker of the House- must be long-standing member of Majority Party

3. Senate • Only 1/3 need to be sworn in because the Senate is a continuous body • Newly elected and reelected members are sworn in on the first day

4. State of the Union • Delivered to joint session of Congress annually • Required by the constitution • Attended by: members of both chambers, members of the Cabinet, justices of the Supreme Court, foreign diplomats, and other dignitaries • Televised for the American people

5. Cont.. • President discusses the “state of the union” as he sees it, in both domestically and foreign policy terms • The rest of the world watches • He will discuss legislative recommendations • Very political in nature for members of Congress

6. State of the Union Customs Members stand and applaud the President when they agree with him

7. Customs cont… Members remain seated when they disagree with the President and do not applaud

8. Speaker of the House • Representative John Boehner (from Ohio, pronounced BayNer) elected to Congress in 1990 • Speaker is leader of House and the leader of the majority party

9. Roles of the Speaker • To preside in a fair and judicious manner • Help his political party and its legislative goals • To preside and keep order • No member can speak until they are recognized • Appoints members of select committees

10. Roles cont… • Selects members of conference committees • Signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House • Does not often vote on bills • Must vote to break a tie • Follows the Vice President in succession

11. President of the Senate • Vice President Joe Biden • Elected as 47th VP in 2008 • Senator from Delaware for 36 years

12. President of Senate cont… • Not a member of the Senate • Assigned by the Constitution • Not always a member of the majority party in the Senate • Cannot speak or debate and may only vote to break a tie

13. President Pro Tempore • Senator Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) • Highest ranking Asian-American in political history • Serves in the VPs absence • Elected by the Senate • Leader of the Majority party • Follows the Speaker of the House in succession

14. Party Politics • Party Caucus- closed meeting of party members in each chamber • Caucuses determine party organization, floor leaders and committee members

15. Floor Leaders • Most important positions behind the Speaker of the House • Not official positions • Chosen by party colleagues • Considered Legislative Strategists • Republican Leadership Democratic Leadership • Rep. Eric Cantor Rep. Nancy Pelosi • Represents Republicans Represents Democrats on the House floor. On the floor

16. Floor Leaders=Spokesman V.

17. WHIPS • Assist the floor leaders • Chosen by party caucus • Liaison between leadership and rank and file members • Calculate votes for floor leaders • Verify attendance of party members for important votes

18. WHIPS • Majority Whip • Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA) • Assists leadership in managing party's legislative program • Democratic Whip • Rep. StenyHoyer (Maryland) • Assists leadership in managing party's legislative program.

19. Seniority Rule • Unwritten custom • Most important posts in Congress will be held by party members with the longest records • Especially applied to committee chairmen • Criticized for ignoring ability

20. Committee Chairmen • Most Congressional work is done in a committee • Each committee chairman is chosen from the majority party/party caucus • Chairmen decide when committee will meet, if they will hold public hearings, and what witnesses will be called • Chairmen manages debate in bills

21. Committees • Standing Committee- permanent panels in each chamber w/ responsibility for a particular area of public policy • 19 in the House and 17 in the Senate • Each committee in the House has between 10-75 people • Each committee in the Senate has between 14-28 people • Reps. are usually assigned to 2 standing committees

22. Committee cont… • Senators are assigned to 3 or 4 standing committees • Most bills are thoroughly investigated in committee • Reps. Usually respect recommendations from committees • Standing committees are split into sub-committees

23. House Rules Committee • Traffic cops of the House • Before a bill can reach the floor of the House it must clear the Rules Committee • Determines the speed or the delay of a House action

24. Select Committees • Also called Special Committees • Panels set up for a specific purpose and for a limited time • Committee members are chosen by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate • Committees usually focus on investigative matters (Deficit Reduction)

25. Joint and Conference Committees • Joint Committees include members from both Chambers • Some Joint Committees are also Select Committees • Conference Committees are temporary, and joint committees created to produce a compromise bill that both chambers will pass