Leadership of the 112 th Congress It starts today!

112 th Congress In the HR: 193 D’s & 242 R’s Which party has the majority? In the S: 53 D’s & 47 R’s

Leadership All the leadership positions are held by the majority party

HR Speaker of the HouseSpeaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) Roles: Presides over HR Determines committee assignment Sets rules Generally, most powerful person in Congress

Floor of the HR

Floor Leaders – HR Majority Leader From majority party Sets agenda for party Eric Cantor (R-VA) Minority Leader From minority party party out of powerIs the leader for the party out of power Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Whip - Ensures party members are voting according to party line, attend Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (D- CA) Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Your Rep from CA - District 35 Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Senate President of the Senate = Vice President of the US Breaks ties Joe Biden (D, Delaware)

Senate Leadership President pro tempore / pro tem –Temporary president –Majority Party –Presides over Senate Daniel Inouye (D- HI)

S Leadership Majority Leader Most powerful position in S Harry Reid (D-NV) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Senate Whips Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D- IL) Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Your CA Senators Barbara Boxer (D)Dianne Feinstein (D)

Congress # 14: Committees 1.All of the following are expressed powers of Congress EXCEPT A.TaxB. Declare war C. Outlaw discrimination 2.Which part of Congress gives each state equal representation? A.SenateB. House of Representatives 3.Which part of Congress is responsible for removing impeached officials, confirming nominations, and ratifying treaties? A.SenateB. House of Representatives 4.Which of the following is an implied power? A.Draft B. Raise militaryC. Coin money 5.Creating districts that give an unfair advantage to a political party is known as A.Gerrymandering B. Malapportionment

Structure Committees – divides work into specific categories (for each house) –Agriculture –Education and Labor –Judiciary –Veteran’s Affairs –Library (of Congress)

Senate Cmte Room

Chair –Leader of cmte Seniority Rule –Person from majority party who has been on the cmte longest is chair Majority party has proportional number of seats Chair of the S Cmte on Foreign Relations John Kerry (D-MA) If a bill sponsored by a Republican goes to a cmte in the S, what chance does it have of passing?

Standing Cmte Permanent, where most bills begin

Subcommittees smaller cmte’s that can specialize even further –House Committee on Agriculture Subcmte on Conservation, Credit, Energy & Research Subcmte on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition & Forestry Subcmte on Horticulture & Organic Agriculture Subcmte on Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry

Select / Special Committees Temporary or permanent on specific topic –Special Committee on Aging

Joint Committees Cmte made of both HR & S 1.Library 2.Economic 3.Taxation 4.Printing

Where’s Boxer? Chairs Environment & Public Works Foreign Relations Commerce, Science & Transportation Select Cmte on Ethics Where’s Feinstein? Select Cmte on Intelligence Judiciary Rules & Administration Appropriations

Caucus: a group of like-minded representatives Party Caucus: determines party leadership and direction Others: Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Out of Iraq Caucus

List 2 advantages given to the majority party.

I’m Just a Bill – How it should look - Bruiser’s Bill Summary: If passed, this bill will outlaw animal testing in the United States. This includes all four legged animals, but does not include worms… Arguments: This bill should pass because…. Committee: This bill should be assigned to…