How Congress Works Part I

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

2. Who’s in Congress?

3. Demographic Profile of the 115th Congress1/3/17-1/2/19th) • 252—republican, 280 democrat, 2 ind. • 407 men 127 women • 417 white, 55 black, 44 Hispanic, 15 Asian, 4 Native American www.congress.org

4. Trends

10. 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

11. 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

12. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Speaker (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of the Caucus • Steering & Policy Committee • Congressional Campaign Committee Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-VA) Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC)

13. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • National Democratic Congressional Committee • Research Committee Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R- ) Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R- LA

14. SENATE LEADERSHIP President of the Senate (Vice President) President Pro Tempore (majority party) Republicans: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Steering Committee • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee President Pro Tempore Orin Hatch (R-UT) President of the Senate Mike Pence (R-IN) Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-KY) Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX)

15. SENATE LEADERSHIP Democrats: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • Republican Senatorial Committee Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) Minority Whip Dick Durban (D-IL)

16. Strength of Party Structure? • Measure of party strength: • Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization • Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate • Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented

17. Party Unity • Lower today than 100 years ago, but….. • Ideology important variable explaining party voting (members vote with their party 80% of the time) • Party polarization - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans

18. 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, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Out of Iraq Caucus, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus, House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children

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

20. Legislative Committees: Function and Purpose

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

22. 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)

23. 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

24. 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

25. Standing Committees

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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.

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

30. Title: Resolution Artist: Bob Gorrell Date: 12/28/06 Source: http://www.gorrellart.com/

31. Artist: R.J. Matson, New York Observer & Roll Call Date: 1/18/07 Source: http://www.cagle.com