T HE J OB OF A L EGISLATOR The work of Washington

W HAT THEY DO … Legislative Branch: Job and Compensation 1. Legislator and Representative of Constituency 2. Committee Members 3. Servants of their Constituents 4. Politicians

W HAT THEY DO … Legislator and Representative 4 voting options Trustee Vote on each individual piece of legislation on its own merits Don’t necessarily follow constituency Delegate Agents of those who elected them Suppress their own views and ignore party leaders Partisan Vote in line with the party that they belong to Most studies show this to be the most common in voting practices Politicos Attempt to combine the basic elements of the trustee, delegate, and partisan Problem: they could all conflict

W HAT IS A C OMMITTEE ? What is a Committee comprised of? Comprised of anywhere from 10 to 75 members Usually about members House members: 1 or 2 standing committees Senate members: 3 or 4 standing committees What does a Committee do? Bill receive most thorough consideration in committee Senate and House often respect the decisions made by committees…pass it or not based off of what the committee decides Woodrow Wilson: “Congress in committee rooms [is] Congress at work.”

C OMMITTEES IN C ONGRESS Standing Committee- Permanent committee in a legislative body to which bills in a specified subject- matter area are referred Select Committee- Legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose; also known as a special committee (Ad Hoc Committee) Joint Committee- Legislative committee composed of members of both houses Conference Committee- Temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses’ versions of a bill

C OMMITTEE R OOM

P ERMANENT C OMMITTEES OF C ONGRESS House Standing Committees:  Agriculture  Appropriations  Armed Services  Budget  Education and the Workforce  Energy and Commerce  Financial Services  Government Reform  House Administration  International Relations  Judiciary  Resources  Rules science  Small business  Standards of Official Conduct  Transportation and Infrastructure  Veterans Affairs  Ways and Means Senate Standing Committees:  Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry  Appropriations  Armed Services  Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs  Budget  Commerce, Science and Transportation  Energy and Natural Resources  Environment and Public Works  Finance  Foreign Relations  Governmental Affairs  Indian Affairs  Judiciary  Health, Education, Labor and Pensions  Rules and Administration  Small Business and Entrepreneurship  Veterans Affairs Joint Committees of Congress: Economic, The Library, Printing and Taxation

W HAT THEY DO … Committee Member Review proposed laws (bills) Screen the proposals in the bill Decide what will and will not go to the floor of the House and Senate Oversight Function Congressional committees check to make sure that the various agencies of the executive branch are working effectively and in line with the policies that congress has set up by law

W HAT IS A C OMMITTEE —C ON ’ T Leading House Committees  Rules  Ways and Means  Appropriations  Armed Services  Judiciary  International Relation  Agriculture Leading Senate Committees  Foreign Relations  Appropriations  Finance  Judiciary  Armed Services  Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

P ERMANENT C OMMITTEES OF C ONGRESS House Standing Committees:  Agriculture  Appropriations  Armed Services  Budget  Education and the Workforce  Energy and Commerce  Financial Services  Government Reform  House Administration  International Relations  Judiciary  Resources  Rules science  Small business  Standards of Official Conduct  Transportation and Infrastructure  Veterans Affairs  Ways and Means A representative from a district that is comprised of all urban dwellers might want to sit on the Education and the Workforce A representative from a district that is comprised of all rural dwellers might want to sit on the Agriculture committee

C OMMITTEES IN C ONGRESS House Rules Committee- Arguable the most powerful committee in the House and Congress as a whole Decides what will be debated on and how much time they will have on the floor “Traffic Cop”- speed up, delay or kill a bill before it ever reaches the floor

W HAT THEY DO … Servant Assist their constituents with problems or concerns Social Security Medicare Passport Applications A lack of response leads to less votes in subsequent elections Pat Roberts Examples Boeing Child Healthcare Greensburg

C OMPENSATION Salary (2009) Senators and Representatives: $174,000 Speaker of the House: $223,500 Majority and Minority floor leaders: $193,400

C OMPENSATION Nonsalary Compensation Specific tax exemptions Members must maintain two residencies Home state Washington Travel allowances Cheap life and health insurance Retirement plan based on years of service Offices Funds given for staff Franking privileges Free printing Etc.

C OMPENSATION Limits on Congressional Pay Presidential Veto Voter Backlash Membership Privileges Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 Legislative Immunity Pg: 285