2. Organization and Committees of Congress 110 th Congress

3. U.S. Representatives Serve only their districts More homogenous constituencies Less inclined to compromise Frequent re-elections 20% from “marginal districts” 6 committee assignments

4. U.S. Senators Serve their entire state More heterogeneous constituencies Therefore, more inclined to compromise 35% from “marginal districts” 10 committee assignments

5. Committes Officers Committees Standing Select Joint Staffs chosen by chairs

6. Importance of Committees Most of the work in Congress gets completed in committees. Committees are the workshops of Congress.

7. Formation of Committees House: –Policy Committee selects standing committees and chairs –Speaker nominates Rules Committee. Senate: –Steering Committee selects standing committees and chairs –Majority Leader nominates Steering Committee –Majority Leader appoints Select Committees

8. Standing Committees Permanent status Fixed membership Officers from majority party

9. Duties of Standing Committees Divide into subcommittees Receive proposals for bills Receive bills on basis of subject matter Kill most proposals Process some into official bills Base hierarchies on seniority on this committee

10. House Standing Committees  Agriculture  Appropriations  Armed Services  Budget  Education and the Workforce  Energy and Commerce  Financial Services  Gov’t Reform  House Admin.  Internat’l Relations  Judiciary  Resources  Rules  Science  Small Business  Standards of Official Conduct  Transportation and Infrastructure  Ways and Means

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

12. Budget Committees Appropriations: How will U.S. spend money to fund government agencies and programs? Budget: How can we build a budget that balances requests from all agencies? Ways and Means: How will we raise funds to pay for agencies and programs? Tax issue

13. Select Committees Intelligence (only and Senate House committees that work behind closed doors)

14. Rules Committee Decides order in which bills come up for a vote Determines specific rules governing length of debate Determines if bills can be amended from floor

15. House/Senate Joint Committees –Economic –Library –Printing –Taxation –Conference Committees (Closed to public)

16. Committee Chairpersons Select subcommittee members Appoint committee staffs (2000 total) (Powers diluted in last decades –Many subcommittees –Each members has his/her staff Help determine hearing schedules

17. Senate –Officers –Committees –Standing –Select –Joint –Staffs of the Senators

18. Budget Committees: Appropriations: How will we spend money raised by taxes & other sources Budget: How will money be allotted between agencies and programs? Finance: How will we fund programs?

19. Both Houses: Personal Staffs 1930 –House 870 –Senate 280 1993 –House 7,400 –Senate 4,138 Work in Home State and D.C. Offices

20. Both Houses: Staff Agencies Congressional Research Service (CRS) (Performs research for legislators) General Accounting Office (GAO) (Congress can investigate financial and administrative affairs of any federal program/agency) Congressional Budget Office (CBO) (Assess the economic implications and likely cost of proposed federal programs)

21. Both Houses: Caucuses Groups of members who share certain –Opinions –Interests –Social Characteristics Strategize to advance certain causes

22. Reforms (?) 104 th Congress, led by Newt Gingrich, –eliminated 25 of 115 House subcommittees –Gave committee chairs more power over subcommittees