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Congress at Work

Congress at Work. Chapter #6. Organization of Congress. 1. Congressional elections held every even year 2. Entire House and 1/3 of Senate elected 3. New term starts: 03 Jan – odd year following – lasts 2 years 4. Divided into two one year sessions 5. #’d: current 108 th

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Congress at Work

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  1. Congress at Work Chapter #6

  2. Organization of Congress • 1. Congressional elections held every even year • 2. Entire House and 1/3 of Senate elected • 3. New term starts: 03 Jan – odd year following – lasts 2 years • 4. Divided into two one year sessions • 5. #’d: current 108th • 6. Quorum – needed to conduct business

  3. Congressional Term Limits • 1. Def: legal limits on the # of terms a person can serve – don’t exist 2. Incumbents – current office holder running for re-election 3. Permanent Congress – term indicating incumbents constantly re-elected 4. Would need a con-stitutional amendment to limit terms

  4. Congressional Leadership • Congressional Leaders: • Majority party – most seats in House or Senate • Minority party – party with fewer seats • Leadership from majority party • Committee assignments also from majority / minority party

  5. Speaker of the House of Representatives • House leadership: • www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_leadership.html • Speaker of the House • 1. Duties not specified in Constitution • 2. Controls debates • 3. Controls flow of leg-islation • 4. Assigns legislation to committees • 5. Appoints committee members and leadership roles

  6. Additional House Leadership • Floor Leaders • Majority – second to the Speaker • Minority – chief spokes-man for the minority party • Whips: 2 – majority / minority – monitor and influence voting on bills – get support for party’s official stance

  7. Senate Leadership • Vice President of the United States – presiding officer: only substantial role – break tie votes • President Pro Tempore: • 1. Formal head of the Senate • 2. Member of majority party • 3. In the Senate the longest Senate Majority Leader: most powerful Senator – main strategist and chief spokesman

  8. Rules of Conduct • 1. Power to judge member’s qualifications: • A. May refuse to seat member • B. May be resolved by Supreme Court 2. Each chamber – own set of rules for conduct 3. Forms of discipline: a. Reprimand – scolding b. Censure – verbal scolding on floor of chamber c. Expulsion – expelling a member – 2/3’s vote necessary for expulsion (4 Representatives & 15 Senators expelled [14 during Civil War – supported Southern succession])

  9. The Committee System www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_leadership.html

  10. Types of Committees • Authorizing Committee: • 1. Establish government policies • 2. Propose solutions to public problems • 3. Determine the amount of funding needed to put them into effect • 4. Each house can have many authorizing committees

  11. Types of Committees (con’t) • Appropriations: • 1. Decides on the amount of money needed for programs than approves it • 2. Each house only one appropriations committee

  12. Additional committee divisions • See chart p. 119 – standing committees • Standing: permanent committees in each house – 19 – House & 17 – Senate • Subcommittees: • 1. Smaller more specialized bodies of stand-ing committees • 2. 175 in Congress

  13. Additional types of committees • Select committees: focus on investigations and are generally temporary • Joint committees: • 1. Comprised of members of both houses • 2. Deal with issues best handled by both houses together • 3. exp. Economic issues • Conference committees: • 1. Contain members of both houses • 2. Work out compromise bills • 3. Are usually temporary

  14. Committee Assignments • Committee Chairperson: • 1. Represent majority party • 2. May be based on seniority (length of time served on that committee) • 3. Elected by members of the majority party • 4. Limited to three terms by 104th Congress

  15. Committee Membership • 1. Individual’s preference usually • 2. Influence legislation important to district • 3. Influence national issues • 4. More powerful com-mittees – usually need to run for committee • 5. Can stay as long as they want except House Budget committee – six year limit

  16. Most powerful committees House: Appropriations, Budget, Rules, Ways & Means Senate: Armed Services, Foreign Rela-tions, Finance, Appropriations

  17. Congressional Resources • Personal Staff • 1. Work directly for the members • 2. Suggest policy • 3. Draft bills • 4. Negotiate language • 5. Write questions to be asked at hearings Committee Staff 1. Work for entire committee or member 2. Specialists in the committee’s area of expertise

  18. Congressional Agencies • Library of Congress: research • www.loc.gov • Congressional Budget Office (EBO): helps with yearly budget process • www.cbo.gov • General Accounting Office (GAO): watchdog of Congressional spending • www.gao.gov/main.html • Government Printing Office (GPO): prints publications • www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/-9k

  19. How a Bill Becomes a Law Tax bills must be introduced in House by law Appropriations bills introduced in House by custom

  20. House: 1. Referred to appropriate committee 2. Referred to sub-committee 3. Full committee report 4. House debate 5. Vote 6. To conference committee 7. House votes on final form 8. Sent to President Senate: 1. Referred to appropriate committee 2. Referred to sub-committee 3. Full committee report 4. Senate debate 5. Senate vote 6. To conference committee 7. Senate votes on final form 8. Sent to President Start: House Bill 102 & Senate Bill 202 (similar bills)

  21. Quick overview of how a bill gets passed • 1. Introduced in either chamber • 2. Committee • 3. Subcommittee • 4. Markup • 5. Floor considerations • 6. Conference committee • 7. Executive action

  22. How a Bill becomes a law • 1. Introduction in either chamber • 2. Assignment to committee: • House – assigned by Speaker • Senate – Presiding officer • Referral usually straight forward; if not, Speaker or presiding officer in control 3. Hearings: Committee & sub-committees Take testimony: proponents & opponents PAC’s represented at this level Vote – approval or denial

  23. How a Bill Becomes a Law • 4. Markup: • Deciding exact language of a bill • Determine specific issues that will appear in bill • No longer secret – open (usually not televised) – often true debate 5. Committee vote: Approval – moves on Denial – dies in committee

  24. House: Set by Rules Committee Strict but sometimes allow a waiver Types of rules: Open – may propose amendments Closed – no amendments Modified – some sections of bill may be amended Speaker: influences amount of time spent in debate Voting: normal or roll-call Senate: Not as strict in rules interpretations Generally no time limit on debate Decides en masse about amendments Can set aside rules with unanimous vote One Senator can tie up Senate if he / she desires Voting: normal or roll-call Floor Rules

  25. Specific Senate actions Filibuster: hold up final vote by offering unlimited amendments or endless debate Cloture: stops filibuster with 60 votes or 3/5 of senate

  26. Conference Committees • Generally very import-ant bills • Often compromise so bill gets passed • Prepare conference report • House & Senate than vote on it • Sent to the President

  27. Presidential Actions • 1. Veto the bill • 2. Wait ten days – no action & Congress in session – becomes law • 3. Pocket veto: presi-dent receives bill within ten days of Congress-ional adjournment & holds bill – vetoed • 4. Line-item veto: right to veto portions of a bill

  28. Influences on Congress • 1. Doing what they think is right • 2. Voting the way party wants them to vote • 3. Voting the way constituents want them to vote • 4. Endorsing position of PAC’s • 5. C-SPAN – televising Congressional events • 6. Voters

  29. Pork Barrel Spending • DEF: Spending money on unnecessary pro-jects at home • 1. Keeps local interests in front of Congress • 2. More powerful Con-gressmen apt to get most of the funding • 3. Has been slowly de-creasing over the years

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