Senate Foreign Relations Committee By Teresa Padgett Trosper - 4A

Section 1 – Committees O Regularly hold meetings O Standing Committees: Each house has its own; members don’t belong to committee in other house O Joint Committees: exist in a few policy areas and draw membership from both Senate and House O Conference Committees: formed when Senate and House pass different versions of same bill; appointed by party leadership; report back a compromise bill O Select Committees: temporary or permanent; usually have focused responsibility; House and Senate each have select committee

Section 1 – Getting on a Committee O Incoming members of Congress are concerned about getting on “the right” committee. O Goals of members seeking committees: re-election, influence in Congress, opportunity to make policy in areas important to them O After election, new members communicate committee preferences to party’s congressional leaders and members of their state delegation. O Those who have supported the leadership are favored in the committee selection process. O Parties try to grant members’ requests for committee assignments whenever possible. O Want their members to please constituents and develop expertise in area of policy O Accord to representation and diverse components of party

Section 1 – Importance of Committees O Investigate problems and possible wrongdoings O Oversee Executive Branch O Control congressional agenda O Guide legislation

Section 2 – Duties of Foreign Relations Committee O Responsible for: 1. Acquisition of land/buildings for embassies in foreign countries 2. Boundaries of U.S. 3. Diplomatic Service 4. Foreign economic, military, technical, and humanitarian assistance. 5. Foreign loans 6. International activities of American National Red Cross 7. International aspects of nuclear energy 8. International conferences and congresses 9. International law – relating to foreign policy 10. International Monetary Fund 11. Intervention abroad and declarations of war 12. Safeguard American interests abroad 13. National Security 14. Ocean and international environmental scientific affairs 15. Protections of U.S. Citizens abroad 16. General relations between foreign nations 17. Treaties and Executive agreements 18. United Nations

Section 2 – Important Legislation of Foreign Relations Committee (Past and Current) O UN Resolution 1325 – Dealing with international violence of women (October 2010) O Treaty with Russia on Measures for Reducing Strategic Arms (October 2010) O Improving Bilateral Relations in Arabia and Syria (July 2010) O Democracy in Retreat in Russia (February 2005) O The Future of Iraq (February 2003) O The State of the NATO Alliance (February 2001)

Section 3 - Biography of Chairman: John F. Kerry O Born Colorado, grew up in Massachusetts O Graduated from Yale O Served in Vietnam – 2 tours of duty: earned 3 purple hearts O Graduated from Boston College Law School in 1976 O Worked as prosecutor in Massachusetts O Lieutenant Governor in 1982 O 1984 – elected into Senate, re-elected 4 times since O Ran for president in 2003 O Now serving 5 th term on Senate O 13 th most senior Senator and 2 nd longest serving Senator in his seat

Section 3 – Biography of Ranking Member of minority party: Richard G. Lugar O Born in Indiana and lived there all his life O Attended Pembroke College at Oxford University O Volunteered for U.S. Navy in 1957 O Mayor of Indianapolis ( ) O 1 st elected to U.S. Senate in 1976 O Won a 6 th term in 2006 – 4 th consecutive victory O U.S. Senate’s most senior Republican and longest serving senator in Indiana history

Citations O O /foreignrelations/index.html /foreignrelations/index.html O O O