House and Senate: Differences and Committees Standard SSCG10: The student will describe the legislative process including the roles played by committees and leadership.

Bell Ringer What is a term? How many years is a Senate term? House term? What happens to the seats in House after every census? What is the difference between a leader and a whip? Who are our Georgia Senators?

House-Senate Differences 435 members; 2 yr terms Low turnover (means members are likely to get re- elected) Speaker of the House has a lot of power Scheduling of bills is controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee (controls time of debate, amends., etc) Senate 100 members; 6 yr terms Moderate turnover (members have a harder time getting re- elected) Individual members are given more power Scheduling of bills is agreed upon by majority party & minority party leaders

House-Senate Differences Debate limited to 1 hour Members policy specialists Emphasizes taxing & spending policy More formal & impersonal Senate Unlimited debate unless members vote to limit debate (called a vote of cloture) Members policy generalists Emphasizes foreign policy More informal & personal

Membership: Difference is stated in the Constitution House is “closer to the people” with representation based on population and 2 year terms Senate smaller, more deliberative

Turnover: 1. House: Incumbents win re-election over 90% of the time 2. Senate races are state-wide and more competitive

Leadership: House Senate Members limited by strict rules (Because of 435) Difficult for individual members to challenge the Speaker of the House Senate More independent operators

Scheduling: House Senate Majority Party tightly controls Leadership and Rules Senate Much more cooperation between parties **Due to Size**

Debate: House Limited Debate Senate More time given to Debate

Members and Policy: House Senate Members most become experts in policies that directly affect their districts Senate Represent diverse interest of an entire state

Policy Focus: House Senate All tax and revenue bills must originate there Public Policy decisions involve the budget Senate Ratify treaties Approve Appointments

Decorum: House Senate Need strict rules because of size Smaller and therefore more “community”

Analyze the quote below and write 1 paragraph explaining the meaning. Closing: Analyze the quote below and write 1 paragraph explaining the meaning. "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.” - Woodrow Wilson