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How Congress Works Part I 3.3.14

How Congress Works Part I 3.3.14. Structure, Organization, & Legislative Process. Who’s in Congress?. Age Groups. Party. Ethnicity. Gender. Demographic Profile of the 111th Congress. Source: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/demographics.tt. House

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How Congress Works Part I 3.3.14

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  1. How Congress WorksPart I 3.3.14 Structure, Organization, & Legislative Process

  2. Who’s in Congress?

  3. Age Groups Party Ethnicity Gender Demographic Profile of the 111th Congress Source: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/demographics.tt

  4. House 435 members; 2 yr terms Low turnover Speaker bill referral hard to challenge Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee (controls time of debate, amends., etc) Senate 100 members; 6 yr terms Moderate turnover Referral decisions easily challenged Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders House-Senate Differences

  5. House Debate limited to 1 hour Members policy specialists Emphasizes tax & revenue policy More formal & impersonal Senate Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked Members policy generalists Emphasizes foreign policy More informal & personal House-Senate Differences

  6. Party Leadership Democratic Leadership 112th Congress Senate Republican Leadership 112th Congress

  7. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Speaker (majority party) Centralization vs Decentralization of the House! Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) Republican WhipSteve Scalise Republican LeaderKevin McCarthy

  8. HOUSE LEADERSHIP • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • National Republican Congressional Committee • Research Committee Minority Leader Nancy Pelossi (D-CA) Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

  9. SENATE LEADERSHIP President of the Senate (Vice President) President Pro Tempore (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Steering Committee • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee President Pro Tem Orin Hatch (R-UT) President of the Senate Joe Biden (D-DE) Majority Whip John Cornyn Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

  10. SENATE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • Republican Senatorial Committee Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) Minority Whip Richard Durbin

  11. Strength of Party Structure?“Set of Leaders” ch. 7 Measure of party strength: • Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization ( Boehner vs Gingrich) • Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate • Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented = • House: Centralized or Decentralized = • Ebb and Flow of Party Polarization

  12. Party Unity • We used to say… “Lower today than 100 years ago”, but….. • Ideology important variable explaining party voting (members vote with their party 80% of the time) • Party polarization – • increased ideological consistency OR divisions along party lines OR vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans • Polarization trends: • 48 • 86 • 104 • 112th Record Setting????

  13. "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.” - Woodrow Wilson

  14. 1. Consider bills(a.k.a. “mark-up” bills) Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose A bill with a member’s mark-up notes

  15. 2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing re: the Department of Defense Budget (May, 2006)

  16. 3. Conduct investigations Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb., 2006

  17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI8IbBHWeXo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftq_IwlHmN0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvmyNnepTk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnA_NvDul6M

  18. Types of Committees • Standing Committees- permanent panel with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities • Subcommittees – formed to tackle very specific tasks within the jurisdiction of the full committees • Select or Special Committees- groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration • Joint Committees - includes members of both chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks • Conference Committee - includes members of House & Senate to work out differences between similar bills

  19. Standing Committees

  20. Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education & Workforce Energy & Commerce Financial Services Government Reform House Admin. International Relations Judiciary Resources Rules Science Small Business Standards of Official Conduct Transportation & Infrastructure Veterans Affairs Ways & Means House Standing Committees

  21. Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy & Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Governmental Affairs Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans Affairs Senate Standing Committees

  22. House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming Senate Select Committee on Ethics House & Senate Select Committees on Intelligence Special, Select Committees Gen. Michael Hayden is sworn in during a full committee hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on his nomination to bedirector of the Central Intelligence Agency.

  23. Joint Committees • Joint Economic Committee • Joint Committee on Printing • Joint Committee on Taxation Joint Committee on Taxation hearing

  24. Collage A

  25. Collage B +

  26. Collage C

  27. CAUCUSES • Groups (may be bipartisan) meeting to pursue common legislative objectives • Rivals to parties in policy formulation • Examples:Democratic Study Group,Congressional Black Caucus, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Congressional Caucus for Women’sIssues, Out of Iraq Caucus, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus,

  28. Part 6 How do members decide how to Vote? Representational View Organizational View Attitudinal View

  29. Congressmen Wear Many Hats Interest groups Constituent Partisan Committee Member Ideology

  30. Trustee Delegate A Congressman’s Balancing Act

  31. Page 9 • Congressional Staff • GAO and CBO – Both Non-Partisan • GAO • Watchdog of federal spending • Audits Federal programs/agency finances • Audits “ “ performance • “advise Congress and the heads of executive agencies about ways to make government more efficient, effective, ethical, equitable and responsive.” • CBO • Assist H and S in preparing fiscal budget • Provide Congress with analysis of Presidents budget proposal • projecting the budgetary effects of proposed legislation • Assesses fiscal impact of Mandates (what law?) Programs/Agencies Budget & Laws

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