1. When in congress – Person is placed on a committee Head of Committees = Chairman Holds a lot of power Picked by seniority – Seniority Rule

2.  Permanent  20 House  16 Senate  Every representative in both houses is on 2-4  Has a SPECIFIC topic addressed  House Examples:  Agriculture  Appropriations  Budget  Education and Workforce  Ethics  Senate Examples:  Agriculture, nutrition, and forestry  Armed Services  Budget  Energy and Natural Resources  Foreign Relations

3.  Each committee has these for specific topics  Further research  House Examples  Agriculture: Department operations, oversight and nutrition  Senate Example:  Aviation Operations, Safety and Security

4.  Special Purpose  Limited Time  One house only  Head investigations as a part of legislative oversight  House Examples:  Energy Independence and Global Warming  National Security  Senate Examples:  Ethics  Intelligence  Aging

5.  Permanent  Members of BOTH houses  More efficient because looking at topics that both houses would have looked at anyways.  Economic  Library  Printing  Taxation  Deficit Reduction

6.  Special Purpose  Limited time  Reconcile differences between versions of bill passed in each house  Can rewrite and amend then send back to floor of both houses for vote.  Stimulus Bill  Recovery and Reinvestment Act