Magruder’s American Government C H A P T E R 12 Congress in Action Copyright, 2000 © Prentice Hall

C H A P T E R 12 Congress in Action SECTION 1 Congress Organizes SECTION 2 Committees in Congress SECTION 3 How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House SECTION 4 The Bill in the Senate and the Final Stages Chapter 12

S E C T I O N 1 Congress in Action Congress convenes each new term on January 3 of every odd- numbered year. Opening day in the House is filled with organizational tasks: choosing the Speaker, swearing in members, adopting rules, and filling committee and organization posts. The Speaker of the House presides over the lower chamber, is a member of the majority party, and is the dominant figure in the House. The Constitution makes the Vice President the president of the Senate and the Senate selects an alternate, the president pro tem. In both houses, the parties’ organizations are headed by floor leaders who are assisted by “whips” in managing their parties’ programs on the floor. Chapter 12, Section 1

S E C T I O N 2 Committees in Congress Congress does much of its work in committees. Standing committees are the permanent committees in both houses. The Senate has 17 standing committees and the House has 19; the other types of committees are: (1) select—special, often temporary bodies (2) joint—usually permanent, made up of members of both houses (3) conference—temporary, joint committees formed to work out differences in Senate- and House-passed measures Chapter 12, Section 2

S E C T I O N 3 How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House Only a member can introduce a bill in either house but the bill can originate elsewhere, often in the executive branch. Bills are referred to standing committees, where most die. Surviving bills are studied in subcommittees, and bills reported out of committee are placed on a calendar. The Rules Committee must approve bills before they can reach the floor for a vote. Measures that do win House approval are then sent to the Senate. Chapter 12, Section 3

S E C T I O N 4 The Bill in the Senate and the Final Stages The basic steps in the lawmaking process are much the same in the House and the Senate. The Senate’s rules are much less strict than those of the House and the key difference lies in debate. The Senate’s dedication to free debate gives rise to the filibuster—the tactic of “talking a bill to death,” thus avoiding voting on the bill. The two houses approve some measures in different form which necessitates the bill going to a conference committee for resolution. After both houses approve the identical bill, it goes to the President who can sign the bill, allow it to become law without his signature, veto it, or in some cases, apply a pocket veto. Chapter 12, Section 4