The House of Representatives Chapter 5, Section 2

Quote: “No man is good enough to govern any other man, without that other man’s consent.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Name Date April 24, 2012 The House of Representatives Define 3 Key Terms (Pg. 137) 1) 2) 3)

I. Rules for Lawmaking A. Each house of Congress has rules to conduct business. (Ex. House members are limited to speaking for 5 min. or less when it is their turn to try to pass laws quickly.) B. Most of the work in Congress is done by committee. C. Committees help make Congress work more efficiently.

I. Rules for Lawmaking D. Committees are especially important for the House of Representatives because it has 435 members. E. There are 24 committees in the House. Committees also let members specialize in areas important to their voters.

I. Rules for Law Making F. Committees are organized by the political party with the majority of members. Party heads organize the committees, appoint committee heads, and control the flow of legislation. Question: Who is the current leader of the House of Representatives? Which party currently has the majority of members? In House? In Senate?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi First female Speaker of the House A Democrat From California’s 8th District in San Francisco Closest woman in line to the Presidency                            

II. House Leadership The Speaker of the House is leader of the majority party. Chosen by a caucus (closed meeting) of majority party Speaker decides who speaks when Speaker appoints members to committees

Question (pg. 135-136) As a Class: What is another term for a proposed law? About how many proposed laws ever go to the full House for a vote? Answer: A “bill.” Only 10-20% of bills are voted on.

II. House Leadership B. Party Floor Leaders are chosen for both parties House Majority Leader (currently a Democrat) House Minority Leader (currently a Republican) Floor leaders steer bills through committees C. Assistants to the Party Floor Leaders called “whips” assist Leaders in persuading congressional members to support the laws their party favors.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer A Democrat from Maryland’s 5th District

House Minority Leader John Boehmer A Republican from Ohio’s 8th District

What’s on the House floor? Click on the site: www.house.gov See Committees (left side) See “find a bill” (Thomas) Search for “schip” (children’s insurance)

Homework Questions: Page 135 (Comparing Governments) Culture and history play large roles in how legislatures are formed around the world? In what two categories is the United Kingdom unique among the countries shown above?   Page 137 #4 #5