1. Congress Bicameral – 2 Houses – House of Representatives/Senate
From British system (Lords/Commons)
House(People) – Senate (State)
House – 435 Members, 2 yr terms – Age 25, Citizen- 7, resident
Senate – 100 Members, 6 yr terms – Age 30, Citizen- 9, resident
(Senate elected by state legislatures until 17th Amendment – 1913)

2. Special Powers
House- Initiate revenue bills (propose taxes) Bring impeachment charges Choose president when electoral college is deadlocked Senate- Ratify treaties Judge impeachment Confirm federal appointments (judges/cabinet/agencies)

3. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Size is NOT set by constitution Apportioned by population At least 1 from each state Reapportionment After 10 year census Reapportionment Act of 1929 (435 members) Each representative = 700,000 people Affects a states power in house & electoral votes

4. House Districts
1842 – Single member districts State legislatures draw the boundaries Gerrymandering Redraw districts to get maximum votes for party Protects incumbents Discourages challengers Strengthens majority party Affects minority representation

5. Redistricting Limitations
Wesberry v Sanders (1964) – “one person, one vote” - triggered redistricting that gave cities more representation Supreme court decisions Districts must be equally populated. Districts must be compact. Lines must be contiguous or connected. Redistricting cannot dilute minority voting strength. District lines cannot be drawn based solely on race. However, race can be one of a variety of factors They have not eliminated Gerrymandering for party purposes

6. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
Incumbents usually win
Most important factor for last 50 years
90% of House & 75% of Senate seeking reelection win
Why?
1. Money (outspend challengers 2 to 1)
Raise money & PACs contribute more
2. Visibility
Better known, visible and covered events
3. Constituent service
Casework(cutting red tape), Pork (projects and jobs for district)
Franking privilege – mail newsletters, recorded calls, etc for free
Gerrymandering districts

7. CONSEQUENCES OF THE INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGE
Congress has experienced leadership and maintains continuity Discourages radical change Encourages close relations with interest groups No incentive to reform laws because it benefits them Paradox – people disapprove of congress but love their congressman

8. HOW CONGRESS IS ORGANIZED
Role of parties
Majority (most votes)
Minority (2nd most)
Majority party has many benefits
It holds committee chairs.
It chooses the Speaker of the House.
It assigns bills to committees.
It holds the majority on each committee.
It controls the House Rules Committee.
It sets the legislative agenda

9. THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Speaker of the House
Presides over the House of Representatives
Overseas House business
Stands second in line for presidential succession
Majority leader is the elected leader of the party that controls the House of Representatives
Minority leader is leader of the other party
Whips – keeps connected to members to get party unity (votes)

10. HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

11. SENATE
VP is the President of the Senate but can only vote to break ties President pro tempore – presides over Senate when VP is not present(majority member with longest service in Senate) Majority Leader –elected leader of controlling party (real leader) Minority leader – elected leader for minority party

12. THE COMMITTEE SYSTEM
In both House & Senate Dominant role in policy making Standing committees Permanent (continues) Focus on one area (foreign relations, agriculture, etc) All bills referred here Foster expertise of members Subcommittees work out details Select committees Specific purpose & limited term – high public concern Joint committees – both houses – Printing, Tax, Library, Econ Conference committees – resolve bills between both houses

13. THE HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE
Traffic cop or speakers right arm
The Rules Committee sets the guidelines for floor debate.
It gives each bill a rule that places the bill on the legislative calendar, limits time for debate, and determines the type of amendments that will be allowed
A closed rule sets strict time limits on debates and forbids amendments from the floor
An open rule sets less strict time limits on debate and permits amendments from the floor

14. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
Jurisdiction on all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures Members of the Ways and Means Committee cannot serve on other House committees

15. COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND THE SENIORITY SYSTEM
Committee chairs have great power They call meetings, schedule hearings, hire staff, recommend majority members to sit select all subcommittee chairs. Old was seniority based Now elected (but still the norm)

16. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
6468 bills introduced in 2017 so far as of Nov become law (signed) Committee system is a formidable obstacle that defeats bills The legislative process is lengthy, deliberate, fragmented, and characterized by negotiation and compromise

17. CREATING BILLS (Phase 1)
Anyone can write Most bills are NOT written by congress Most originate in the executive branch Interest groups draft bills (buisness/labor/etc) Only members of congress can introduce bills (by dropping it in the hopper)

18. Committee Action (Phase 2)
House and Senate have parallel processes Bills are assigned a number, sent to committee, referred to a subcommittee for study, hearings, revisions, approval (most bills die in committee) A majority of the House can blast it out of committee with a discharge petition Approved bills go back to the full committee (mark up or add) Committees can reject it or send it to the floor

19. FLOOR ACTION (Phase 3) House
The House Rules Committee gives the bill a rule, placing it on the legislative calendar, allowing a specified time for debate, and determining if any amendments will be allowed.
Debated & vote is ultimately taken by the full House
Senate
Members can speak as long as they want
Filibuster - “preventing action by talking a bill to death”
Need 60 Senators to vote for “Cloture” to cut off debate
Senator can also invoke a “hold” requiring his notification before a bill is brought to the floor(procedure)
Vote taken by full Senate

20. CONFERENCE ACTION
House and Senate committee meet to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill (then revote) HOW MEMBERS VOTE Instructed delegate – as a majority of their constituent prefer Trustee model – best judgment Politico Model – depends on the issue

21. CONGRESS AND EXECUTIVE BRANCH
A. Oversight - congressional review of the activities of an executive agency, department, or office
The Senate exercises a special oversight function by confirming cabinet heads and presidential appointments to the federal courts.
Methods of congressional oversight include:
Setting guidelines for new agencies
Holding hearings and conducting investigations
Using budget control
Reorganizing an agency
Evaluating an agency's programs

22. Cont.
B. Foreign Policy Congress declares war Senate ratifies treaties President wages wars & negotiates treaties War Powers Resolution (response to Vietnam) Requires notification within 48 hours of deployment Bring home troops within days unless Congress extends