1. CONGRESS
Organization, Powers, and the Legislative Process

2. Objectives
Describe the leadership structure in each house of Congress, noting the differences between the House and the Senate.
Discuss the importance of committees to the lawmaking process and to the ability of members of the Congress to do their jobs.
Describe the major powers of the Congress as granted by the Constitution.
Demonstrate how a bill becomes a law and explain how the different processes in the House and the Senate influence legislating.

3. LEADERSHIP OF CONGRESS
House of Representatives
SENATE
VP of US
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
President Pro Tempore
Majority Leader Minority Leader
Majority Leader Minority Leader
Majority Whip Minority Whip
Majority Whip Minority Whip

4. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Protecting the People
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Paul Ryan, elected Oct. 2015
only House office mandated by Const.
selected by a party caucus
Highest paid member of Congress at $223,500
Prez succession – 2nd in line
Influences committee assignments & bill assignments to committee
Appoints Rules Committee members
Former Speaker John Boehner resigned – why?
Press Conference Link:
What’s a caucus?
in general, a group of like-minded people – have shared interests in specific issues or philosophies
A majority party caucus in the House would select nominee for Speaker; House then votes
Many caucuses in Congress - legislators ban together under an ideological flag and try to push their agenda
For example, Black caucus, pro-life, pro-choice, gun control, etc.
Over 100 different ones today – both houses
Speaker is a VERY POWERFUL ROLE – much control over what will come up for debate by virtue of his/her control over committee assignments
Speaker CAN take part in debate and CAN vote just like any other member of House BUT most in recent decades have acted same as P/Pro Temp of Senate and voted only to break a tie
Would also appoint members to joint committees and conference com’tees

5. HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE House Rules Committee is unique and powerful!
No such committee in the Senate
acts as traffic cop in controlling which bills get to the floor of the House for debate
Establishes rules for each bill it schedules for floor debate
Sets time limits for debate
Sets whether bills can be amended on the floor during debate

6. HOUSE LEADERSHIP House Majority leader ($193,400)
Influences Committee assignments
Influences bill assignments to Committee
Spokesperson - responsible for party’s agenda
House Minority Leader ($193,400)
Same role as opposition
After 2010 elections, the Democrats; Current Minority Leader?
Also, speaks for P if P is minority party too
Whips
Get out the party vote. . .
Majority leader is elected by a caucus of majority party
Just the same for Minority Leader – does consult with majority leadership … but has no real power
Current minority leader is Nancy Pelosi of CA. She was the first female Speaker of the House from 2007 to Republicans took control of the house in the 2010 Congressional elections and she then lost the Speaker position to John Boehner … who just resigned.

7. Senate Protecting the States
President of the Senate – VP ($230,700)
Presides; can break a tie vote
President Pro Temp presides in absence
Majority Leader ($193,400)
influences committee assignments; chairmen
is recognized first in debate
MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN SENATE!
Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Minority Leader ($193,400)
tries to keep the rank in file under control & resisting programs of the majority
Harry Reid, D-NV
Why is a formal, complex, centralized leadership structure not as important in Senate?
only ¼ the size of the House
P of Senate and P Pro Tempore are two highest ranking positions BUT not really much power since they only preside / break ties
Who is P of Senate? VP Joe Biden
Who is President Pro Tempore?
with the rise of the new Republican majority in the upper chamber, Utah's archconservative Senator Orrin Hatch is now the Senate president pro tempore. That means that he's been transformed overnight from a minority-party graybeard to third in line to the presidency.
P Pro Temp is usually member of majority party with longest continuous service:
Mostly a ceremonial position – junior senators will even take turns presiding so P Pro Tem can do other work
REAL power in Senate is in Majority & Minority Leaders and their whips
These leaders just switched roles after 2014 midterms
Mitch McConnell, R-KY is Majority; Harry Reid, D-NV is Minority
Majority & Minority leaders elected by their respective caucuses
Majority Leader expected to mobilize support for P’s agenda if P is of same party

9. COMMITTEES Legislation & Oversight
This is where the real work of Congress is done!
Committees usually have the final say on legislation
Chairpersons usually decide on scheduling of hearings, formal action on a bill, which subcommittee gets it…
STANDING COMMITTEES
permanent subject matter committees
16 in Senate & 19 in House
create subcommittees
Some more sought after than others – especially those that control spending (Appropriations, Ways and Means)
have legislation & oversight functions
How are Congresspersons assigned to committees?
The two main political parties in the House and Senate assign Members to committees, using a three-stage process.
Stage One - Member requests: At the beginning of a new Congress, Members request assignments to the committees they prefer. The incumbent Members (those who are not new) usually keep the committee assignments they have because they have expertise and seniority.
Stage Two - Party approval: Each political party uses a committee in charge of committee assignments to recommend assignments. This committee on committees matches the Member requests with available committee seats, prepares and approves an assignment slate for each committee, and submits all slates to the full party for approval. The full party meets to approve the recommendations.
Stage Three - Full Chamber approval: Each committee (now made up of members from each political party) submits its slate to the full Chamber for approval. When a committee member resigns or is assigned to another committee, all of Congress is notified.
Rubio: Commerce, Science and Transportation; Foreign Relations; Intelligence; Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Nelson: Budget, Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Subcommittee on
Science & Space (Chairman), Finance, Select Committee on Intelligence, Special Committee on Aging

11. COMMITTEES Legislation & Oversight
Joint Committees
House + Senate share membership i.e., permanent panels that conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks -- taxation, economic, Library of Congress
They don’t write legislation!
Select committees
for specific investigation or study - e.g.,terrorism, aging
Generally for a limited time…. BUT may continue indefinitely (now have select committees on intelligence in both chambers)
Conference committees
Temporary committee where selected members of both houses compromise if there is a different version of a bill from the H & S
Conference committees are sometimes called the “third house of Congress”

12. COMMITTEE POWER! MAJORITY PARTY RULES!
has the majority of seats on all committees & seniority rule is that senior member will generally become the committee chair (but NOT a requirement)
How does this affect the legislative process?
Ranking member is most senior member of the minority party…would become chair if….

13. COMMITTEE POWER!
House has more committees than Senate but since it’s so large, House members actually serve on less committees & become more specialized than Senators.
How does specialization in both houses impact committee work?
committee members become policy experts
Helps to get more attention paid to their legislation
Concept of “division of labor” can increase efficiency of committee and can result in better legislation.
Congressional committees have power to subpoena witnesses for committee hearings!
embers become policy experts. Helps to get more attention paid to their legislation. Concept of “division of labor” can increase efficiency of committee and can result in better legislation.
Logrolling: the widest accepted origin is the old custom of neighbors  assisting each other with the moving of logs. If two neighbors had cut a lot of timber which needed to be moved, it made more sense for them to work together to roll the logs

14. Seniority & Committees
Seniority is still the unwritten custom and can be important in selecting chairpersons BUT majority caucuses can now choose
Note: legislators may not Chair more than one committee
Supporters of maintaining seniority argue:
Ensures that an experienced member will head each committee
Eliminates conflicts within party
Opponents to Seniority Rule argue:
Results in chairpersons out of touch with current public opinion
Ignores ability & discourages younger members

15. Congressional Oversight What is it?

16. COMMITTEES Oversight Function
Committees are where the oversight function of Congress takes place if and when a bill ever becomes law.
Have authority to monitor and investigate the executive branch and its agencies, such as Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Justice
Oversight power gives Congress power to summon senior officials to answer questions, order audits of agencies, hold hearings to air grievances of citizens, etc.
Congressional committees have power to subpoena witnesses for committee hearings
Research – find examples of current congressional oversight investigations
Congressional subpoenas have same force as a court order requiring witnesses to appear