Committees

3 purposes of committees 1.Allows members of Congress to divide their work among smaller groups 2.Committees are where the work is done on bills: work out compromises, listen to supporters & opponents, etc 3.By holding public hearings and investigations, committees help the public learn about problems and issues facing the nation

Types of committees 1.Standing-continue from one session to the next; each usually has subcommittees-specialized committees on a particular topic (permanent) 2.Select- researches a topic and reports back to House or Senate (temporary) 3.Joint-made up of both houses, act as a study group (can be temp or perm) 4.Conference- set up when the H & S have passed different versions of the same bill (temporary)

Committee membership Assignment to the right committee can strengthen a member’s career: – Increase chance for re-election (when it is committees that benefit his/her constituents) – Means the lawmaker will be able to influence national policymaking (education, budget, healthcare, etc) – Enables members to exert influence over other lawmakers

Key committees in the House 1.Rules Committee 2.Ways and Means: tax-writing 3.Appropriations: spending

Key committees in the Senate 1.Foreign Relations 2.Finance 3.Appropriations

Powers of the committee chairperson They make the key decisions about the work of their committees-when their committees meet, which bills are to be considered, and for how long. They decide when hearings will be held and which witnesses will be called to testify Manage floor debates that take place on the bills that come from their committees

Seniority system The seniority system gives the member of the majority party who has the history of the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee.

Congressional staff Two types of staff— A.Personal staff: members work directly for individual senators & representatives 1)Administrative assistants (AA) run the lawmaker’s office, schedule, and gives advice on politics 2)Legislative assistants (LA) do research, studies & writes bills 3)Caseworkers work in the legislator’s home state- helps constituents back home (1/3 of legislator’s staff)

Congressional staff, c’ued B. Committee Staff: members work for the committee. Draft bills, study issues, collect information, plan hearings, etc. Sam Armocido-staff asst to the Senate Budget Committee

Congressional Powers

I. Congressional Powers Legislative powers contained in Article I, Section 8. These are known as expressed, or enumerated powers The last clause of Article I, Section 8 is known as the “necessary & proper” clause The powers that Congress takes bc of the necessary & proper clause are known as implied powers.

A. Limits to Congressional Power 1.Bill of Rights 2.Congress may not suspend the writ of habeas corpus-a court order to release an accused person to a court to decide if he or she has been legally detained

Limits on Congressional Power 3. Cannot pass bills of attainder-laws that establish guilt & punish people without giving them a trial 4. Cannot pass ex post facto laws-laws that make crimes of previously legal acts

II. Legislative Power Power to make laws-most significant in taxing, spending, and regulating commerce

A. Taxing Power “power of the purse”-power to levy taxes No government agency can spend money without Congressional approval All revenue bills--laws for raising money— must originate in the House.

B. Spending Power Rules for appropriation bills-laws for spending money-are not spelled out in the Constitution Article I allows for Congress to borrow to help pay for the cost of government

Bc it must borrow money to pay for operating expenses, the government has a national debt-the total amount of money the govt owes Today, the national debt is over $18 trillion

C. Commerce Power Congress has the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce The Supreme Court has usually upheld the national government’s power in almost every aspect related to commerce Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824 and Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US, 1964

III. Nonlegislative Powers A. Power to choose a President – If there is no majority in the Electoral College, the House decides the President and the Senate decides the VP

B.Removal Power-executive or judicial branch – House of Representatives has power of impeachment-a formal accusation of wrongdoing (NOT A DETERMINATION OF GUILT) – If majority of House votes to impeach, the vote goes to the Senate where 2/3 vote decides guilt

Impeachment cases 1866-Andrew Johnson. Was impeached but acquitted by Senate with one vote 1974-Richard Nixon. Recommended impeachment but Nixon resigned Bill Clinton. House narrowly passed 2 articles of impeachment, but did not have 2/3 vote in the Senate

C. Confirmation Power Has the power to confirm presidential appointments Nominees to Supreme Court are subject to intense scrutiny-20% are rejected

D. Power to investigate Committees set up to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, mostly on the Executive Branch Is carried out like a trial with subpoenas & witnesses People who testify can be punished for perjury or contempt Watergate

E. Power of Legislative Oversight A continuing review of how effectively the executive branch carries out the laws Congress passes Government Accountability Office in DC