Congress—House & Senate Basics

Objectives Learn who the leaders in the House and Senate are Recognize the difference between party offices and Constitutional offices Learn how majority/minority party structure in the House and Senate affect committee structure and selection of committee chairs Understand the key differences between House and Senate lawmaking processes Learn the four “voting philosophies” that Senators and Representatives follow in voting on bills

Congress—Structure, Organization and Law-Making We all know (or should know!) that Congress consists of bodies: The Senate—100 members, 2 from each state The House of Representatives—435 members (set by Congressional act). Seats are apportioned each decade How do these two bodies organize themselves and conduct business?

Democratic Senate Leadership Senate President:President –Joe Biden (Delaware)Joe Biden President pro tempore: Patrick J. Leahy (Vermont)President pro tempore Majority (Democratic) leadership Majority Leader: Harry Reid (Nevada)Majority LeaderHarry Reid Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip): Richard Durbin (Illinois)Assistant Majority Leader (Majority Whip)Richard Durbin

Republican Senate Leadership Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)Minority LeaderMitch McConnell Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip): John Cornyn (Texas)Assistant Minority Leader (Minority Whip)

House Republican Leadership Speaker of the House: John Boehner (Ohio) John Boehner Majority Leader: Eric Cantor (Va.)Eric Cantor Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy (Cal.)

House Democratic Leadership Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (Cal.) Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer (Maryland)Minority WhipSteny Hoyer Assistant Minority Leader: Jim Clyburn (S. Carolina) Jim Clyburn

Montana Senators and Representatives Senior Senator: Max Baucus (D) Junior Senator: Jon Tester (D) Representative: Steve Daines (R)

Leadership Responsibilities Speaker of the House: Most powerful member of Congress Schedules bills for action on the floor Assigns bills to proper committees Recognizes speakers House and Senate Majority/Minority Leaders: Plan party’s legislative agenda Steer important bills through committees House and Senate Majority/Minority Whips: “Multi-taskers”—keep track of support for bills, encourage support for party’s position, ensure members are present on key votes “Liaison” (connection) between leadership and rank & file members

Senate Qualifications The requirements for the U.S. Senate are higher than for the House of Representatives. The Constitution says that a Senator (1) must be at least 30 years of age, (2) must have been a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and (3) must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected.

House Qualifications The Constitution says that a member of the House (1) must be at least 25 years of age, (2) must have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years, and (3) must have been an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected.

“Informal” Qualifications The realities of politics also require some informal qualifications, such as: party identification name familiarity Gender (far less important in recent decades) ethnic characteristics (whites still dominate, but minority representation has grown in recent decades) political experience

Benefits Salary--$174,000/year Leadership receives higher pay (Speaker: $223,500) Retirement (pensions) up to $150,000 Health insurance Staff allowances “Franking” privilege

Committees Most committees also have numerous sub- committees

Important/Special Committees House Rules Committee—the “traffic cop” Assigns rules for consideration of each bill by the full House (length of debate, floor amendments, etc.) Can “make or break” a bill’s chances Conference committees—composed of both House and Senate members “Irons out” the differences between House/Senate versions of the same bill

Committee Assignments and Committee Chairs Assignment to committees is done by each political party (party leaders greatly influence this) Committee membership used to “reward” members for faithful support of the party Ratio of Republicans and Democrats on each committee is usually approximately equal to the ratio in the overall body of the House or Senate Committee chairs are generally determined by seniority rule … longest-serving majority party member on the committee is selected as chairperson

Key Differences Between House & Senate House: Limited debate (less deliberative) Very powerful top official (Speaker of the House) Multiple calendars (schedules for hearing different types of bills) Rules Committee controls flow of bills through House Senate: Unlimited debate (subject to filibuster) Very weak top official (President of the Senate (also Vice-President of the United States) Only one calendar for bills Majority floor leader largely controls flow of bills through Senate

Voting Philosophies Representatives and Senators may vote according to one of four philosophies: Delegate theory—vote as the majority of constituents back home want them to vote Trustee—exercise their own judgment as to what is the best policy Partisan—follow the wishes of the party leadership Politico—blended approach (may follow any of these on a given vote)

Review Questions The most powerful person in the House is ____________ The most powerful person in the Senate is ____________ Which position in the House or Senate does things like tracking likely votes on key bills and making sure members are present for key votes? Three qualifications for Senators: Three qualifications for Representatives: How is the House Rules Committee like a “traffic cop?” What does a conference committee do? What rule is used to determine who will serve as chair of a committee in the House or Senate? What is a filibuster?

Review Questions When a Senator votes the way she thinks the folks back home want her to vote, she follows the ____________ philosophy. When a Representative votes based on his own feelings about a bill, he is following the _________ philosophy. When a Senator considers input from constituents, party leaders, and her own views, she is following the ________ philosophy.