“Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” - Mark Twain, a Biography

Structure Structure – House of Representatives – Senate Qualifications Qualifications – House – Senate

The authority to make laws is shared by both chambers of Congress The authority to make laws is shared by both chambers of Congress – Bill A proposed law A proposed law Other shared powers Other shared powers – Declare war – Raise an army and navy – Coin money – Regulate commerce – Establish the federal courts and their jurisdiction – Establish rules of immigration and naturalization – Make laws necessary and proper to carrying out the powers previously listed Special powers Special powers – House – origination of revenue bills Mandate has blurred over time Mandate has blurred over time Impeachment authority (but Senate tries; 2/3 vote) Impeachment authority (but Senate tries; 2/3 vote) – Senate – treaties, presidential appointments

New Congress is seated every two years New Congress is seated every two years – Elect new leaders Each house has a hierarchical leadership structure Each house has a hierarchical leadership structure Political Parties Political Parties – Organization of both houses of Congress closely tied to political parties and their strength in each chamber. – Majority Party – Minority Party – Role in the committee system Controlled by the majority party Controlled by the majority party – Party caucus or conference Variety of roles and specialized committees Variety of roles and specialized committees

Speaker of the House Speaker of the House – Presides over House – Official spokesperson for the House – Second in line of presidential succession – Great political influence within the chamber Majority Leader Majority Leader – Elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House or the Senate – Second in authority to the Speaker—in the Senate, is the most powerful member Minority Leader Minority Leader – Elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate Whips Whips – Keep close contact with all members and take nose counts on key votes, prepare summaries of bills, etc. Party caucus or conference Party caucus or conference – A formal gathering of all party members

The Constitution specifies the vice president as the presiding officer of the Senate. The Constitution specifies the vice president as the presiding officer of the Senate. – He votes only in case of a tie. Official chair of the Senate is the president pro tempore (pro tem). Official chair of the Senate is the president pro tempore (pro tem). – Primarily honorific – Generally goes to the most senior senator of the majority party – Actual presiding duties rotate among junior members of the chamber – True leader is the majority leader, but not as powerful as Speaker is in the House

Senate rules give tremendous power to individual senators Senate rules give tremendous power to individual senators – Offering any kind of amendment – filibuster Because Senate is smaller in size organization and formal rules have not played the same role as in the House Because Senate is smaller in size organization and formal rules have not played the same role as in the House

Congress operates by committee Congress operates by committee – Rationale – Growth Members often seek assignments to committees based on Members often seek assignments to committees based on – Their own interests or expertise (specialization) Subcommittees Subcommittees – Appointment Process Role of Seniority Role of Seniority A committee’s ability to help their prospects for reelection A committee’s ability to help their prospects for reelection – Pork/earmarks: legislation that allows representatives to bring home the “bacon” to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly – Access to large campaign contributors

Standing Committees Standing Committees – Continue from one Congress to the next—bills referred here for consideration – Powerful – Discharge petitions Joint Committees Joint Committees – Includes members from both houses of Congress, conducts investigations or special studies Conference Committees Conference Committees – Joint committee created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation Select (or special) Committees Select (or special) Committees – Temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study

Markup Markup Pigeonhole Pigeonhole Discharge Petition Discharge Petition Hold Hold Filibuster Filibuster Cloture Cloture Veto Veto Earmark Earmark Rider Rider Pork Pork Logrolling Logrolling Omnibus Omnibus

1.What is a key difference between how the House and Senate operate? 2.Identify and briefly describe three ways in which a bill can die in Congress. 3.What are two advantages of the “committee system” in Congress?

Apportionment Apportionment Redistricting Redistricting – Gerrymandering – Baker v. Carr (1962) – Majority-minority districts Shaw v Reno (1993) Shaw v Reno (1993) Strict Scrutiny Strict Scrutiny

Why do members of Congress vote the way they do? Why do members of Congress vote the way they do? Trustee Trustee Delegate Delegate Politico Politico

Party Party – Divided government Constituents Constituents Colleagues and Caucuses Colleagues and Caucuses – Logrolling (vote trading) Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and PACS Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and PACS Staff and Support Agencies Staff and Support Agencies – Congressional Research Service (CRS) – Government Accountability Office (GAO) – Congressional Budget Office (CBO)