1. Chapter 5:The Organization of Congress

2.  Bicameral Legislature  Senate  House of Representatives

3.  Congressional Sessions  Sessions last two years and starts in January

4.  Membership of the House 435 members Apportioned among the states based on population Each state must have at least one  Qualifications Must be 25 Must be a citizen for 7 years  Term of Office Elected every two years in even numbered years Over 90% are reelected every year

5.  Membership of the House  Representation and Reapportionment Census Bureau Census – every ten years Reapportionment Limited in 1929 to 435

6.  Membership of the House  Congressional Redistricting State Legislatures are in charge of redistricting There have been a lot of problems over the years, with both parties abusing this system to political advantage  Redistricting Cases Baker v. Carr, 1962 Reynolds v. Sims, 1964 Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964 North Carolina

7.  Membership of the House  Gerrymandering Named after Elbridge Gerry Packing Cracking One person-one vote Compact and Contiguous

8.  Membership of the Senate Each state has 2 Senators at-large 100 total  Qualifications Must be 30 Must have been a citizen for 9 years  Term of Office Elected every six years Elected in November of even year and begin in January 1/3 of Senate elected every two years

9.  Membership of the Senate  Salary and Benefits Cannot give themselves raises during a term- 27 th amendment Cost of living adjustments okay Current Salary: $174,000 Franking privileges Office Budgets (House- ~$1.5 mil, Senate - ~$3 mil.)  Privileges of Members Freedom from arrest Cannot be sued for speech in Congress Hutchinson v. Proxmire, 1979 Members can vote not to seat an elected member Censure

10.  Members of Congress  535 voting members 4 non-voting delegates  Characteristics House: 128 lawyers 108 business people 80.6% Male Senate 45 lawyers 22 business people 80% Male

11.  Members of Congress  Reelection to Congress Incumbents reelected 90% of the time. 14% approval rating for Congress, but 62% of own representative The internet has changed elections, making members much more accountable to the public

12.  Rules for Lawmaking  Complex Rules Focus on defining actions of individual members Focus on passing legislation quickly once on floor  Committee Work Committees are the “work-horse” of Congress Members become specialists in areas important to their constituents.  Importance of Party Affiliation The majority party has significant power It writes the rules, organizes committees, controls flow of legislations, etc.

13.  House Leadership  Six Purposes Organize and unify the party Scheduled work of the House Make certain lawmakers are present for key votes Distribute and collect information Keep the House in touch with the president Influence lawmakers to support the policies of the party

14.  House Leadership  Speaker of the House Chosen by caucus of the majority party every two years, at the beginning of a session The whole house votes on new speaker, but, if majority party votes together, the caucus’s nominee wins. The Speaker: Controls flow of legislation on floor Recognizes members to speak Appoints Committee Chairs Is second in the line of succession to Presidency Meets daily with members to build unity through “sticks and carrots”

15.  House Leadership  Speaker of the House  The Current Speaker is Paul Ryan  Paul Ryan has been Wisconsin’s 1 st District’s Representative since first elected in 1998.  He is the youngest speaker since 1875.

16.  House Leadership  House Floor Leaders Majority leader is the Speaker’s top assistant The Majority leader:  Plan the party’s legislative agenda  Steers bills through the House  Make sure Chairpersons are getting important legislation through committee  Is the floor leader of his or her party  Is a party official, not a constitutional officer Whips are the Majority Leader’s assistants Whips:  Monitor how members plan to vote  Ensure members are present for votes

17.  House Leadership  The Majority Leader  The current majority leader is Kevin McCarthy  McCarthy has been a California representative since being elected in 2006.

18.  House Leadership  The Majority Whip  The current Majority Whip is Steve Scalise  He has represented Louisiana's 1 st District since 2008

19.  Lawmaking in the House It can seem chaotic, because people are everywhere and doing everything until the buzzers ring, calling members to the floor. Floor sessions start around noon on M-F Most work is actually accomplished on Tuesday- Thursday

20.  Lawmaking in the House  How House Bills are Scheduled All laws start as bills To start the process, a member drops the bill into the hopper The Speaker then sends the bill to the appropriate Committee Only 10-20% make it through committee If it makes it through committee, it is put on a calendar for full consideration by the House The House has five calendars for different purposes

21.  Lawmaking in the House  House Rules Committee Oldest and Most Powerful Committee It places bills on calendars and determines when and how they will be heard This allows them to effectively kill bills Considered the “Traffic Officer” of the House

22.  Lawmaking in the House  House Rules Committee Function and Purpose of the Rules Committee: Every bill coming out of it has a rule applied to it These determine which calendar it is on and in which position Sets time limits for debates on each bill Allows, disallows, or limits floor amendments to a bill Settles Disputes between committees Delays of blocks bills Leadership or certain members do not want on the floor.

23.  Lawmaking in the House  A Quorum for Business Quorum is the necessary number of people who need to present for legislative action to be taken House Quorum is 218 Quorum for the Committee of the Whole is 100, but bills must still be passed by the whole House after passing the Committee of the Whole