[ 4.5 ] Congress at Work—Organization and Committees

[ 4.5 ] Congress at Work—Organization and Committees

[ 4.5 ] Congress at Work—Organization and Committees Learning Objectives • Describe how and when Congress convenes. • Compare the roles of the presiding officers in the Senate and the House. • Identify the duties of the party officers in each house. • Describe how committee chairman are chosen and explain their role in the legislative process. • Explain how standing committees function. • Describe the responsibilities and duties of the House Rules Committee. • Describe the role of select committees. • Compare the functions of joint and conference committees.

[ 4.5 ] Congress at Work—Organization and Committees Key Terms • Speaker of the House • John Boehner • president of the Senate, • Joe Biden • president pro tempore • Patrick Leahy • party caucus • floor leaders • majority leader. • minority leader. • whips. • committee chairmen • seniority rule • standing committees • subcommittees • select committee, • joint committee • conference committee

Congress Convenes What comes to mind when you hear the word Congress? The Capitol? Your members of Congress? Some particular bill? Those senators and representatives you often see on the evening news? Of course, you know that the nation’s lawmaking body is much more than that. It is, in fact, a very complex enterprise, and much larger than most people realize. Some 30,000 men and women work for the legislative branch today, and Congress appropriates some $5 billion every year to finance its own many-sided operations.

Congress Convenes • Opening Day in the House • Opening Day in the Senate • State of the Union Message

Congress Convenes In 2011, Congressman Rick Crawford (center) and other Republican members of the 112th Congress gathered to ask President Obama to present a written plan for dealing with the deficit.

The Presiding Officers The Constitution provides for the presiding officers of each house of Congress—the Speaker of the House and the president of the Senate. Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 directs that “The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers. . . .” And Article I, Section 3, Clause 4 declares: “The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate. . . .”

The Presiding Officers • The Speaker of the House • The President of the Senate

The Presiding Officers House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio displays his gavel during the first session of the 112th Congress. The House of Representatives elects the Speaker on the first day of every new Congress.

Party Officers Congress is a political body. This is so for two leading reasons: (1) Congress is the nation’s central policy-making body, and (2) Congress is partisan. Reflecting its political character, both houses of Congress are organized along party lines.

Party Officers • The Party Caucus • The Floor Leaders

Party Officers This chart shows party strength at the start of the past 15 terms of Congress. Analyze Charts What is the largest majority each party has held in each house over the past 30 years?

Party Officers A cartoon shows congressional Democrats as cats and President Obama on horseback. Analyze Political Cartoons What point does the cartoon make about Congress?

Party Officers The colors on these maps indicate the party composition of each State's delegation in the House and Senate. Analyze Maps Which States are the same color on both maps?

Committee Chairs The bulk of the work of Congress, especially in the House, is really done in committee. Thus, committee chairmen—those members who head the standing committees in each chamber—hold very strategic posts. The chairman of each of these permanent committees is chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus. Note the title chairman is used here because this is the form historically used in Congress, although some committees have moved to chair or chairwoman when led by a woman. These men and women are always ranking members of the majority party.

Committee Chairs • The Seniority Rule • Criticism of the Seniority Rule

Committee Chairs The definition of torture has been a subject of considerable debate in recent years. Analyze Political Cartoons Why would testifying before a Senate committee feel like a hardship?

Standing Committees Do you know the phrase “a division of labor”? It means dividing the work to be done, assigning the several parts of the overall task to various members of the group. The House and the Senate are both so large, and their agendas are so crowded with so many different matters, that both chambers must rely on a division of labor. That is to say, much of the work that Congress does is in fact done by committees. Indeed, Representative Clem Miller (D., California) once described Congress as “a collection of committees that come together in a chamber periodically to approve of one another’s actions.”

Standing Committees • Subcommittees • The House Rules Committee

Standing Committees Then-chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and Undersecretary of Defense Dov Zakheim testify before a 2003 Senate Appropriations Committee.

Standing Committees Chairing a committee is viewed as a powerful role and a badge of honor. Analyze Charts What conclusions can you draw about committees' jurisdictions based on their titles?

Select Committees At times, each house finds a need for a select committee, sometimes called special committees. They are panels set up for some specific purpose and, most often, for a limited time. The Speaker of the House or the president of the Senate appoints the members of these special committees, with the advice of the majority and minority leaders.

Select Committees CIA director John Brennan was nominated and vetted by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 2013.

Joint and Conference Committees A joint committee is one composed of members of both houses. Some of these are select committees set up to serve some temporary purpose. Most are permanent groups that serve on a regular basis. Because the standing committees of the two houses often duplicate one another’s work, many have long urged that Congress make much greater use of the joint committee device.

Joint and Conference Committees This chart describes four long-standing and permanent joint committees. Analyze Charts Why are some matters dealt with by joint committees?

Joint and Conference Committees Some felt that the House and Senate snuck the healthcare reform bill past the public. Analyze Political Cartoons What point does the cartoon make?

Quiz: Congress Convenes Why might the House of Representatives choose to amend the rules of the House? A. if it hasn't been done recently B. to reflect changes in government and society C. because the President has asked them to D. if those rules govern them in an unfair way

Quiz: The Presiding Officers Why is it important that the Speaker of the House and the president of the Senate vote to break a tie? A. so that the president of the Senate can participate in Senate business B. so that Congress is not at a standstill because of a single vote C. so that the Speaker can exercise legislative power D. so that Congress upholds tradition

Quiz: Party Officers Why is it important that party whips serve as a liaison between the party's leadership and rank-and-file members? A. because the whips tell the leadership the number of votes that can be counted on B. because the leadership doesn't often interact with the rank-and-file members C. because the rank-and-file members don't often know which way to vote D. because the whips let each group know what the other is doing

Quiz: Committee Chairs A committee chair could be out of touch with current public opinion by A. being too old. B. coming from a gerrymandered district. C. having served too many years in Congress. D. coming from a district in which they run unopposed.

Quiz: Standing Committees It is important that Congress have standing committees A. so that Congress upholds its traditions. B. so that chairpersons can have a special role in Congress. C. so that members become knowledgeable on a particular topic. D. so that presiding officers don't have to deal with particular bills.

Quiz: Select Committees Why is congressional oversight an essential part of the lawmaking process? A. It allows Congress to ensure State governments are following current laws. B. It allows Congress to ensure federal agencies are following current laws. C. It allows Congress to interpret the Constitution. D. It allows Congress to interpret the Bill of Rights.

Quiz: Joint and Conference Committees Why is it important for Congress to form a conference committee? A. so that a bill gets passed and there aren't further delays in Congress B. so that important parts of a bill get cut completely in order to satisfy both houses C. so that a bill is shorter and less complicated D. so that a bill gets passed and members of Congress can go home

[ 4.5 ] Congress at Work—Organization and Committees