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Organization and Committees of Congress

110 th Congress. Organization and Committees of Congress. U.S. Representatives. Serve only their districts More homogenous constituencies Less inclined to compromise Frequent re-elections 20% from “marginal districts” 6 committee assignments. U.S. Senators. Serve their entire state

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Organization and Committees of Congress

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  1. 110th Congress Organization and Committees of Congress

  2. U.S. Representatives • Serve only their districts • More homogenous constituencies • Less inclined to compromise • Frequent re-elections • 20% from “marginal districts” • 6 committee assignments

  3. U.S. Senators • Serve their entire state • More heterogeneous constituencies • Therefore, more inclined to compromise • 35% from “marginal districts” • 10 committee assignments

  4. Committes • Officers • Committees • Standing • Select • Joint • Staffs chosen by chairs

  5. Importance of Committees • Most of the work in Congress gets completed in committees. • Committees are the workshops of Congress.

  6. Formation of Committees • House: • Policy Committee selects standing committees and chairs • Speaker nominates Rules Committee. • Senate: • Steering Committee selects standing committees and chairs • Majority Leader nominates Steering Committee • Majority Leader appoints Select Committees

  7. Standing Committees • Permanent status • Fixed membership • Officers from majority party

  8. Duties of Standing Committees • Divide into subcommittees • Receive proposals for bills • Receive bills on basis of subject matter • Kill most proposals • Process some into official bills • Base hierarchies on seniority on this committee

  9. House Standing Committees • Internat’l Relations • Judiciary • Resources • Rules • Science • Small Business • Standards of Official Conduct • Transportation and Infrastructure • Ways and Means • Agriculture • Appropriations • Armed Services • Budget • Education and the Workforce • Energy and Commerce • Financial Services • Gov’t Reform • House Admin.

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

  11. Budget Committees • Appropriations: How will U.S. spend money to fund government agencies and programs? • Budget: How can we build a budget that balances requests from all agencies? • Ways and Means: How will we raise funds to pay for agencies and programs? Tax issue

  12. Select Committees • Intelligence (only and Senate House committees that work behind closed doors)

  13. Rules Committee • Decides order in which bills come up for a vote • Determines specific rules governing length of debate • Determines if bills can be amended from floor

  14. House/Senate Joint Committees • Economic • Library • Printing • Taxation • Conference Committees (Closed to public)

  15. Committee Chairpersons • Select subcommittee members • Appoint committee staffs (2000 total) • (Powers diluted in last decades • Many subcommittees • Each members has his/her staff • Help determine hearing schedules

  16. Senate • Officers • Committees • Standing • Select • Joint • Staffs of the Senators

  17. Budget Committees: • Appropriations: How will we spend money raised by taxes & other sources • Budget: How will money be allotted between agencies and programs? • Finance: How will we fund programs?

  18. Both Houses: Personal Staffs • 1930 • House 870 • Senate 280 • 1993 • House 7,400 • Senate 4,138 • Work in Home State and D.C. Offices

  19. Both Houses: Staff Agencies • Congressional Research Service (CRS) (Performs research for legislators) • General Accounting Office (GAO) (Congress can investigate financial and administrative affairs of any federal program/agency) • Congressional Budget Office (CBO) (Assess the economic implications and likely cost of proposed federal programs)

  20. Both Houses: Caucuses • Groups of members who share certain • Opinions • Interests • Social Characteristics • Strategize to advance certain causes

  21. Reforms (?) • 104th Congress, led by Newt Gingrich, • eliminated 25 of 115 House subcommittees • Gave committee chairs more power over subcommittees

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