The Congress Chapter 13

2 “ In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” James Wilson:

3 I. Congresses and Parliaments A.Congress has more power than Parliaments; can exercise power independently Congress=a coming together Parler=to talk B.Getting Elected Parliament—party puts you on ballot; people vote for party as a whole loyalty to party a necessity; party chooses prime minister and cabinet officers Congress—run in primary; people vote on issues and candidates; loyalty to constituents a necessity Autonomy, independence, and power 104 th Congress (1994)

4 II. Structure and Powers of Congress A. Congress is bicameral. B. Constitution gives House and Senate similar legislative tasks, though each has powers that are only its own. Only House has the power of impeachment. Only House may introduce appropriations bills The Senate must approve major presidential appointments. The Senate has power to affirm treaties. C. Framers intended it to be the dominant institution

5 II. Structure and Powers Cont. D.Congress is more decentralized than it once was—individuals have more power and independence Party leaders have less control over members E.Historically, the House has fluctuated between a strong Speaker and a weak one It wants to be big and powerful; if individuals have more power, the House is harder to run and has less power F.Senate was chosen by state legislatures and was called the “millionaires’ club” The 17 th Amendment (1913)—popular election The filibuster; Rule 22 (cloture) (60 senators needed)

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7 II. Structure and Powers Cont. G.Who is in Congress? House is less male and less white today Membership has become a career Incumbents have great electoral advantage Mayhew: Committees, Parties, Offices But in 1994, voters opposed incumbents due to budget deficits, various policies, legislative-executive bickering, and scandal H.Incumbency advantage Media coverage is higher Greater name recognition Members secure policies and programs for their constituents

8 Figure 13.2: Percentage of Incumbents Reelected to Congress

12 California State Assembly and Senate Districts

24 th District = Elton Gallegly California Congressional Districts

14 California State Assembly and US House Districts

15 California State Senate and US House Districts

16 III. Electing Congress A. Incumbency is the most important factor, but this has not always been the case. Being in Congress was not considered a career; low pay, undesirable place to live, travel was difficult Today there are fewer freshmen in Congress. This has led to… B. The debate on term limits All efforts to impose term limits have failed—constitutional amendment, state imposed New district lines—1990 census led to an influx of freshmen Marginal and Safe districts—Congress has become safer Incumbency advantage—franking, name, free travel, credit taking C. Members of Congress are not representative of the U.S. population in terms of demographics. Congress is getting less male and less white

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18 III. Electing Congress D. Democrats have dominated the Congress Controlled both houses in 25 out of 33 from Redistricting—Democratic controlled state legislatures  Legislature, Governor, Courts  Reapportionment—every 10 years  Malapportionment—unequal districts; Gerrymandering—odd shaped Other factors—Democrats run better candidates, campaigns E. Republican Revolution of 1994 Incumbency disadvantage? F. Representation Descriptive Representation (aka Categorical)—demographically represents a district Substantive Representation—opinions correspond to members of a district

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20 III. Electing Congress G.How do they vote? Representational view—they vote to please constituents  30% don’t know their representative; turnout in Midterms—35%  Tip O’Neill, “All politics is local.”  Poll your parents Organizational (aka Party Discipline)—follow cues from their party  Logrolling; whip system; committee assignments Attitudinal—their own ideology affects how they vote H.Majority-Minority districts Shaw v. Reno (1993)—North Carolina district; 14th amendment issue “equal protection under the law”  Race can only be a factor if “compelling government interest” exists  Court ruled Unlawful “racial gerrymandering” I.Two worlds: Washington and their home district/state Should they vote their conscience or their constituency

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22 IV. The Congressional Agenda How do issues get on the congressional agenda? A.A major event (9/11) or a new technology (cloning) draws attention to a problem B.Presidential support can also move an issue onto the agenda quickly C.Congressional party leaders and committee chairs have the best opportunity to influence the agenda.

23 V. How does a Bill become a Law? A.After being introduced, bills go to committee, then subcommittee. After bill is passed by committee, it goes to the floor for debate, amendment, and a vote. Needs simple majority to pass B.The President may sign or veto any bill that Congress has passed. Congress may override with 2/3 of each chamber

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28 VI. Committees The workhorses of Congress A.Committees develop and use expertise in specific areas B.Committee types: Standing, Joint, Select and Conference C.Influence on committees grows with seniority and expertise D.Committee Chair—Senior member of the majority party (usually). E.Most public policy decision-making takes place in committees and subcommittees

29 Committee Practices The number of committees has varied; significant cuts in number of House committees in 1995, and in the number of House and Senate subcommittees Majority party has majority of seats on the committees and names the chair

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34 VII. Party Structure in the Senate President pro tempore presides; this is the member with most seniority in majority party (a largely honorific office) Leaders are the majority leader and the minority leader, elected by their respective party members

35 Party whips: keep leaders informed, round up votes, count noses Each party has a policy committee: schedules Senate business, prioritizes bills Committee assignments are handled by a group of Senators, each for their own party

36 Speaker of the House is leader of majority party and presides over House Majority leader and minority leader: leaders on the floor Party whips keep leaders informed and round up votes Committee assignments and legislative schedule are set by each party

37 VIII. Republican Revolution 1994 brought changes: Committee chairs hold positions for only 6 years Reduced the number of committees and subcommittees The Speaker dominated the selection of committee chairs The Speaker set the agenda (Contract with America) and sustained high Republican discipline in 1995

38 Congressional Caucuses Caucus: an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest Intra-party caucuses: members share a similar ideology Personal interest caucuses: members share an interest in an issue Constituency caucuses: established to represent groups, regions or both

39 Congressional Staff Constituency service is a major task of members’ staff Legislative functions of staff include devising proposals, negotiating agreements, organizing hearings, and meeting with lobbyists and administrators Members’ staff consider themselves advocates of their employers

40 Figure: The Growth in Staffs of Members and Committees in Congress,

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