1. Congress has impeached and removed eight judges from the bench since Why does Congress need this impeachment power over judges?

3. Warm Up: Working in Committees
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, once said of Congress, “Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, while Congress in its committee rooms is Congress at work.” Briefly describe what you think Wilson meant by this quote.

5. This chronology shows the steps of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Why might the attempt to remove President Clinton have failed?

7. Committees
Groups of representatives who focus on a certain area of policymaking
Are found in both the House and the Senate
Standing Committees
permanent bodies that have expertise about certain policy areas
these are the most important committees

8. Committees In-depth study of bills is done in the Standing Committees
Most important committees
House: Rules, Ways and Means, Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Agriculture committees
Senate: Foreign Relations; Appropriations; Finance; Judiciary; Armed Services; and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committees

9. Committee Leadership
Chairperson: member who heads a standing committee in a legislative body
The head of each committee is almost always the longest-serving majority party member of that committee
The chairman of each of these permanent committees is chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus
Each chairperson has a major say in such matters as which bills a committee will consider and in what order and at what length

11. This chart shows the path of the Food and Energy Security Act through the House, including the Rules Committee, in How many subcommittees studied the bill?

12. Chairing a committee is viewed as a powerful role and a badge of honor
Chairing a committee is viewed as a powerful role and a badge of honor. What conclusions can you draw about committees' jurisdictions based on their titles?

13. The definition of torture has been a subject of considerable debate in recent years. Why would testifying before a Senate committee feel like a hardship?

14. Special Committees
House Rules Committee: controls the flow of bills to the floor and sets the conditions for their consideration there
Normally, a bill gets to the floor only if it has been granted a rule— been scheduled for floor consideration
Joint Committee: legislative committee composed of members of both houses

15. This chart describes four long-standing and permanent joint committees
This chart describes four long-standing and permanent joint committees. Why are some matters dealt with by joint committees?

16. Committees
Subcommittee: division of existing committee that is formed to address specific issues
Select Committee: legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose
Most Congressional investigations are held in select committees
Example: Benghazi Committee, Intelligence Committee

19. Closing
Was there a need for the Benghazi Select Committee to conduct several investigations into the incidents in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012 or was there some other, non-oversight purpose for the multiple investigations? Explain. Should laws be passed that restrict the frequency of Congressional committee investigations on a single, specific incident? Explain.

20. Special Committees
Conference Committee: temporary joint committee created to form a compromise between any differences between the two houses' versions of a bill
Goal: to pass identical bills in both the House and the Senate

21. Examine a Committee
With a partner, find the following information about a committee in either the House or Senate:
Name of the Committee (this will tell you what it focuses on)
Chair and vice chair/ranking member
Description of what the committee does
Summary of recent activity