6 Congress

Video: The Big Picture _1/polisci/presidency/Magleby_Ch02_Constitutional_Foundat ions_Seg1_v2.html 6

Trace the roots of the legislative branch outlined by the U.S. Constitution Characterize the demographic attributes of members of Congress, and identify factors that affect their chances for reelection Learning Objectives 6

Assess the role of the committee system, political parties, and congressional leadership in organizing Congress Identify three of the most significant powers of Congress Learning Objectives 6

Analyze the factors that influence how members of Congress make decisions Evaluate the strategic interactions between Congress, the president, the courts, and the people Learning Objectives 6

Video: The Basics EDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg2_Constitution_v2.html 6

Roots of the Legislative Branch of Government  Bicameral legislature House Representatives based on population Two-year term  Senate Two from each state Six-year term 6.1

How long are members’ terms? 6.1

TABLE 6.1: What are the powers of Congress? 6.1

Eligibility and Apportionment  Members of the House Twenty-five years old and a citizen for at least seven years  Senators Thirty years old and a citizen for at least nine years  Census Conducted every ten years 6.1

Key Powers  Make laws Both House and Senate must pass bills  Raise and spend revenue  Impeachment  Other powers “as necessary and proper” to carry out the functions of Congress 6.1

TABLE 6.2: What are the key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate? 6.1

Video: In Context ARED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg3_Cons titution_v2.html 6.1

a.Executive Branch b.Senate c.House of Representatives d.A joint committee of the House and Senate 6.1 According to the Constitution, where must all revenue bills originate? 6.1

a.Executive Branch b.Senate c.House of Representatives d.A joint committee of the House and Senate 6.1 According to the Constitution, where must all revenue bills originate? 6.1

Members of Congress  Congressional Demographics  Running for and Staying in Office Incumbency Redistricting 6.2

TABLE 6.3 A Typical Day for a Member of Congress 6.2

Congressional Demographics  Better educated than general population Two-thirds of members hold advanced degrees  Wealthier than general population Senate “Millionaires Club”  Recent increases in minority representation 6.2

Running for and Staying in Office  Political party membership Republican or Democrat  Incumbency 6.2

Who are the nonvoting members representing Washington, D.C.? 6.2

TABLE 6.4: What are the advantages to incumbency? 6.2

Redistricting  Follows census State Legislatures redraw districts  Often political in nature Party in power controls the process  Gerrymandering Drawing a district to favor a party or candidate 6.2

FIGURE 6.1: What is Gerrymandering? 6.2

a.Congress b.State legislatures c.Political parties d.Independent commissions 6.2 Responsibility for redistricting most often belongs to: 6.2

a.Congress b.State legislatures c.Political parties d.Independent commissions 6.2 Responsibility for redistricting most often belongs to: 6.2

How Congress Is Organized  Leadership in the House of Representatives  Leadership in the Senate  The Committee System 6.3

FIGURE 6.2 How are the House of Representatives and the Senate Organized? 6.3

Leadership in the House of Representatives  Speaker of the House Most powerful position in the House  Leadership Teams Majority Leader Minority Leader Whips 6.3

FIGURE 6.3: What is the partisan composition of the 113th Congress? 6.3

Who was the first female speaker of the House? 6.3

Leadership in the Senate  Presiding Officer  Majority Leader  Leadership Teams 6.3

The Committee System  Types of committees Standing Committees Joint Committees Conference Committees Select (or Special) Committees  Committee chairs  Committee membership 6.3

TABLE 6.5: What were the committees of the 112 th Congress? 6.3

a.Standing Committees b.Joint Committees c.Special Committees d.Conference Committees 6.3 Which committees are responsible for hammering out differences in House and Senate bills? 6.3

a.Standing Committees b.Joint Committees c.Special Committees d.Conference Committees 6.3 Which committees are responsible for hammering out differences in House and Senate bills? 6.3

Powers of Congress  The Law-making Function  The Budgetary Function  The Oversight Function 6.4

The Law-making Function  Committee Referral  Floor Debate  Final Approval 6.4

FIGURE 6.4: How does a bill become a law? 6.4

What is the president’s role in lawmaking? 6.4

The Budgetary Function  Congressional Budget Act of 1974 Establishes levels of spending Reconciliation process to limit debates  Pork and Programmatic Requests 6.4

TABLE 6.6: What is the timeline for the congressional budgetary process? 6.4

The Oversight Function  The War Powers Resolution  Congressional Review  Confirmation of Presidential Appointees  Impeachment 6.4

War Powers Resolution  Passed over President Nixon’s veto  Requires Congressional approval to commit troops  Limits power of president as commander in chief 6.4

Congressional Review Confirmation of Presidential Appointees  Congressional review allows Congress to overrule regulations for federal agencies  Senate confirms Supreme Court, federal district court, and Cabinet nominations 6.4

Impeachment  Power to remove official from office  House votes to impeach  Senate conducts trial 6.4

On what issues does Congress conduct oversight hearings? 6.4

a.Impeachment b.Congressional review c.Senate confirmations d.All of the above 6.4 Which of these is among Congress’s oversight authority? 6.4

a.Impeachment b.Congressional review c.Senate confirmations d.All of the above 6.4 Which of these is among Congress’s oversight authority? 6.4

How Members Make Decisions  Political Parties  Constituents  Colleagues and Caucuses  Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political Action Committees  Staff and Support Agencies 6.5

Political Parties  Influence of political parties on the passage of legislation  Divided government Different political parties control presidency and Congress  Unified government Same political party controls presidency and Congress 6.5

Constituents  People who live, work and vote in a member’s district  Wedge issues 6.5

Video: Thinking Like a Political Scientist RED_MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg4_Constitu tion_v2.html 6.5

How do members of Congress learn about their constituents’ opinions on political issues? 6.5

Colleagues and Caucuses  Logrolling Supporting another member’s legislation in exchange for future support  Special Interest Caucuses Informal groups based on shared interest 6.5

Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political Action Committees  Research and Data Provide information to justify members’ positions on legislation Persuade constituents to contact or pressure members  Fundraising PACS 6.5

Staff and Support Agencies  Congressional staffers  Agency staffers  Committee staffers 6.5

TABLE 6.7: What are the Congressional Support Agencies? 6.5

a.Trustee b.Delegate c.Politico d.Logroller 6.5 When a member votes the way his constituents want, he is voting as a: 6.5

a.Trustee b.Delegate c.Politico d.Logroller 6.5 When a member votes the way his constituents want, he is voting as a: 6.5

Explore Congress: Can Congress Get Anything Done? _mpslag_ess11/pex/pex6.html 6.5

Explore the Simulation: You Are a Consumer Advocate _1/2013_mpsl_sim/simulation.html?simulaURL=7 6.5

Toward Reform: Balancing Institutional Power  Congress and the Executive  Congress and the Judiciary  Congress and the People 6.6

Congress and the Executive  Tenure of Office Act  Weakened the power of the executive  Fluctuations in power  Strong executive versus strong legislative 6.6

Congress and the Judiciary  Judicial review Supreme Court can determine if legislation is constitutional  Jurisdiction of federal courts 6.6

Congress and the People  The People’s Branch Congress serves best interests of citizens  Approval Ratings Why are they so low today? 6.6

Video: In the Real World IA_1/polisci/presidency/Seg5_Constitution_v2.html 6.6

FIGURE 6.5: What do Americans think about Congress? 6.6

a.Judicial review b.Checks and balances c.Congressional review d.Impeachment 6.6 The process by which federal courts determine the constitutionality of laws is: 6.6

a.Judicial review b.Checks and balances c.Congressional review d.Impeachment 6.6 The process by which federal courts determine the constitutionality of laws is: 6.6

Discussion Question Describe the differences between the two branches of Congress. What purposes do the different structures of these two chambers fulfill? 6

Video: So What? _MEDIA_1/polisci/presidency/Magleby_Ch02_Constit utional_Foundations_Seg1_v2.html 6

Further Review: On MyPoliSciLab  Listen to the Chapter  Study and Review the Flashcards  Study and Review the Practice Tests 6