1. How Congress Works Part I
Structure & Organization

2. Who’s in Congress?

3. House-Senate Differences
435 members; 2 yr terms
Low turnover
Speaker bill referral hard to challenge
Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee (controls time of debate, amends., etc)
Senate
100 members; 6 yr terms
Moderate turnover
Referral decisions easily challenged
Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders

4. House-Senate Differences
Debate limited to 1 hour
Members policy specialists
Emphasizes tax & revenue policy
More formal & impersonal
Senate
Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked
Members policy generalists
Emphasizes foreign policy
More informal & personal

5. Party Leadership in Congress

6. Role of Political Parties
Not mentioned in the Constitution!!!!!!!!!!!!
Majority party is the party with the most votes, the minority party has the 2nd most votes
The majority party:
Chooses the Speaker of the House/Senate Majority Leader and President Pro Tempore
Holds committee chairs and majority on committees
House Rules Committee**********
Sets the legislative agenda in each of the chambers

7. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Chosen by majority party
Chief presiding officer (constitutionally) of the House AND 2nd in line for the presidency
Decides whom to recognize to speak on the floor
Rules on germaneness of motions
Decides to which committee bills go
Schedules bills for action
Appoints members of special and select committees
Has some patronage power

8. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH)
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

9. Crab Night

10. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER Chosen by majority party Assists Speaker
Plans party’s legislative program
Steers important bills through the House
Party leader

11. KEVIN McCARTHY (R-CA)

12. HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP Party floor leader
Keeps close watch on how majority members intend to vote
Attempts to influence voting

13. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA)

14. But it could be this guy…

15. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER Party leader for the minority party
Performs similar tasks to House Majority Leader
Has no power over scheduling work in the House

16. Former Speaker of the House – first female to hold that office
NANCY PELOSI (D-CA)
Former Speaker of the House – first female to hold that office

17. HOUSE MINORITY WHIP Assists party minority leader
Keeps close watch on how minority members intend to vote
Attempts to influence voting

18. STENY HOYER (D-MD)

19. President of the Senate
Vice-President of the United States
Elected in general presidential election
Chief presiding officer (constitutionally) of the Senate
Cannot participate in floor debate
Casts vote only in case of tie

20. Also holds a part-time job as Vice-President of the United States…
JOE BIDEN (D-DE)
Also holds a part-time job as Vice-President of the United States…

21. President Pro-Tempore
Chosen by majority party; often most senior member (longest service)
Presides over Senate in absence of vice-president
More about prestige than power
3rd in line of presidential succession…which is kinda scary…

22. The late Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) – age 92
President This Guy
The late Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) – age 92

23. ORRIN HATCH (R-UT)

24. Senate Majority Leader
Chosen by majority party
Holds the actual power in the Senate
Steers party’s bills through Senate
Plans Senate’s work schedule in consultation with Minority Leader
Makes sure majority members attend important sessions

25. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY)

27. Senate Majority Whip Chosen by majority party Assists Majority Leader
Rounds up members for key votes
Heads group of deputy whips

28. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX)

29. Senate Minority Leader
Chosen by minority party
Minority party leader in Senate
Develops criticisms of bills from majority party
Consults with Majority Leader re: Senate’s work schedule
Tries to keep members working together

30. HARRY REID (D-NV)

31. Senate Minority Whip Chosen by minority party Assists Minority Leader
Rounds up members for key votes
Heads group of deputy whips

32. DICK DURBIN (D-IL)

33. Strength of Party Structure?
Measure of party strength:
Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization
Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate
Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented

34. Party polarization - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans
Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal (PolarizedAmerica.com) have charted the trends from Reconstruction through 2010

35. CAUCUSES
Groups (may be bipartisan) meeting to pursue common legislative objectives
Rivals to parties in policy formulation
Examples: Democratic Study Group, Congressional Black Caucus, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Out of Iraq Caucus, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus, House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children

36. "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.”
- Woodrow Wilson

37. COMMITTEES
Committee assignments help members get reelected, gain influence, and make policy.
House committee members tend to develop expertise in their policy area more so than Senators
Some committees are “more equal” than others.
New members express committee preferences to party leaders.
Those who have supported their party’s leadership are favored in the selection process as parties try to grant committee preferences.

38. COMMITTEES
Committee Chair – Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills on the floor.
Seniority System – Members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party is the chamber majority become chair.
Replaced by elections, but seniority is still the norm

39. Legislative Committees
Function and Purpose

40. Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose
Consider bills (a.k.a. “mark-up” bills)
Most bills die in committee where they are pigeonholed or buried
Bills can be forced out of committee with a discharge petition signed by a majority of House members
Some bills are sent to floor for a vote, usually with a recommendation

41. Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose
2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing re: the Department of Defense Budget (May, 2006)

42. Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose
3. Conduct investigations
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb., 2006

43. Types of Committees
Standing Committees - full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities specific policy areas
Subcommittees – formed to tackle very specific tasks within the jurisdiction of the full committees
Select or Special Committees - groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration
Joint Committees - includes members of both chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks
Conference Committee - includes members of House & Senate to work out differences between similar bills

44. Standing Committees

45. House Standing Committees
Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education & the Workforce Energy & Commerce Ethics Financial Services Homeland Security House Administration Intelligence
Judiciary Natural Resources Oversight & Government Reform Rules Science, Space, & Technology Small Business Transportation & Infrastructure Veterans Affairs Ways & Means

46. House Rules Committee
The Rules Committee is controlled by the Speaker of the House, it serves as the Speaker’s “right arm” or traffic cop
Sets guidelines for floor debate
Places a bill on the legislative calendar
Determines what, if any, amendments will be permitted
Establishes time limits for debate
Open Rule – less strict time limits for debate and allows amendments from the floor
Closed Rule – strict time limits on debates and does not permit amendments from the floor

47. House Committee on Ways & Means
One of the most desired committee appointments
Has jurisdiction on all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures
Members of the Ways and Means Committee cannot serve on any other House committees

48. Senate Standing Committees
Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy & Natural Resources Environment and Public Works
Finance
Foreign Relations
Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Homeland Security &
Governmental Affairs
Judiciary
Rules and Administration
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Veterans Affairs

49. Special, Select Committees
Select Committee on Ethics Select Committee on Intelligence Special Committee on Aging
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee during a hearing on the Benghazi attacks.

50. Joint Committees Joint Economic Committee
Joint Committee on the Library
Joint Committee on Printing
Joint Committee on Taxation
Special joint committees are formed when the Congress feels it is necessary
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

51. Congressional Staff Agencies
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
analyzes the president’s budget
makes economic projections about the performance of the economy, the costs of proposed policies, and the economic effects of taxing and spending alternatives.
Congressional Research Service (CRS), administered by the Library of Congress.
The CRS uses researchers, many with advanced degrees and highly developed expertise, to respond to more than 250,000 requests yearly for information.
General Accounting Office (GAO)
reviews the activities of the executive branch to see if it is following the congressional intent of laws
investigates the efficiency & effectiveness of policy implementation.

52. Congressional Oversight over the executive branch
Senate must confirm cabinet nominees
Sets guidelines for bureaucratic agencies
Holds hearings and investigations on executive branch actions
Has control over the budget
Can reorganize bureaucratic agencies
Evaluates bureaucratic agency programs
ONLY CONGRESS CAN DECLARE WAR

53. Title: Resolution Artist: Bob Gorrell
Date: 12/28/06 Source:

54. Artist: R.J. Matson, New York Observer & Roll Call
Date: 1/18/07
Source: