Congress in Action Unit 2

I. Congress Organizes

A. The Presiding Officers Speaker of the House Chosen by House of Rep Presides over sessions and keeps order Names members of select committees and signs all bills Doesn’t often vote in the House

A. The Presiding Officers President of the Senate The Vice President Less powerful role than Speaker of the House Cannot speak on the floor or debate Only votes to break a tie

A. The Presiding Officers President Pro Tem Serves in VP’s absence Elected by Senate Leading member of majority party

Write this off to the side: Order of Succession to Presidency: 1) Vice President 2) Speaker of the House 3) President Pro Tem

B. Party Officers Party Caucus Closed meeting of the members of each party in each house Selects party’s floor leaders

B. Party Officers Floor Leaders Most important officers in Congress after Speaker Carry out decisions of party caucus Majority leader is more powerful than minority leader

B. Party Officers Whips Assistant floor leads chosen by party caucus Serve as a liaison between party’s leaders and regular members

C. Committee Chairmen Committee Chairmen Lead committees in each chamber Chosen by majority party’s caucus Usually chosen based on seniority

II. Committees in Action

A. Standing Committees What is a Standing Committee? Permanent committee 20 in House and 17 in the Senate

A. Standing Committees Committee Assignments Most committees handle bills w/particular policy matters Majority party holds a majority of seats in the committee

A. Standing Committees The House Rules Committee Decides under if and how the full House will consider a measure It has a lot of power!

A. Standing Committees Select Committees Handle specific matters Exist only for a limited time

B. Joint and Conference Committees Joint Committee Committee with members of both houses Conference Committee Temporary joint committee used for dealing with issues with bills before they go to the President

III. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House

A.The First Steps What is a bill? A proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration b. A rider is something unrelated that is added to the bill since it probably wouldn’t pass on its own

2.Types of Bills and Resolutions

B.The Bill in Committee Most bills are pigeonholed, which means they die in the committee If most of the House wants to see it, the pigeonholed bill can leave the committee with a discharge petition

B.The Bill in Committee Gathering Information Chairperson decides what bills to look at Subcommittees do most of the work

B.The Bill in Committee Committee Actions Report the bill favorably Refuse to report the bill Report the bill in amended form Report the bill with an unfavorable recommendation Report a committee bill

C. Scheduling Floor Debate Calendars Union Calendar - revenues, appropriations, gov’t property House Calendar - public bills Private Calendar - private bills Corrections Calendar - minor bills w/o opposition Discharge Calendar - for petitions to discharge bills from committee

C. Scheduling Floor Debate Rules House Rules Committee has to grant a rule before most bills reach the floor Can also limit amount of time a bill is discussed on the floor

D. The Bill on the Floor Committee of the Whole Bill gets a second reading At least 100 members have to be there

D. The Bill on the Floor Debate Restrictions prevent anyone from talking too much

D. The Bill on the Floor Voting Voice votes Standing vote One-fifth of quorum can demand a teller vote Quorum = majority of House (218) Roll-call vote

D. The Bill on the Floor Final Steps The bill is engrossed, or printed in its final form Read 3rd time and voted on Carried to the Senate!

IV. The Bill in the Senate

A. Introducing the Bill Introduced by Senators and called out to the floor at the discretion of the majority floor leader

B. Rules for Debate More unrestrained in the Senate “Two-speech rule”

B. Rules for Debate The Filibuster An attempt to “talk a bill to death” Used to delay or prevent Senate action on a measure

B. Rules for Debate 3. The Cloture Rule Limits the debate Need 16 Senators to file a petition Must have 60 senators’ approval

C. Conference Committees If the House or Senate doesn’t like the other’s version of a bill, they join a joint Conference Committee to make a compromise bill to be voted on

D. The President Acts! The President may sign the bill, and then it becomes law.

D. The President Acts! The President may veto, or refuse to sign, the bill Congress can override veto with 2/3 majority in each house

D. The President Acts! The President may allow the bill to become law without signing it by not acting on it within 10 days

D. The President Acts! Pocket veto can happen if Congress adjourns within 10 days and the President hasn’t acted yet