1. The Institutions Congress Unit IVA

2. The Capitol/Capitol Hill

3. Structure of Congress

4. Powers of Congress Lay and collect taxes Borrow money Regulate interstate and foreign commerce Immigration and naturalization rules Coin money and set its value Create lower federal courts Declare war Necessary and proper laws Bankruptcy rules Punish counterfeiters Fix weights and measures Post office and postal roads Issue patents and copyrights Piracy laws Raise army and navy Provide for militia Run D.C.

5. Non-legislative Powers House of Representatives (incoming) elects president if no electoral majority Propose amendments with 2/3 majorities from both houses House of Representatives may impeach; Senate tries (2/3 majority vote to convict) Senate approves presidential appointments (majority vote) and treaties (2/3 majority vote) ADVICE AND CONSENT OVERSIGHT – investigate/monitor the other branches, executive agencies

6. Meeting of Congress Both houses meet for a term of two years Makeup of congressional terms determined by congressional elections every two years Terms begin on January 3 rd of odd-numbered years 2012 Elections in November 113 th Congress began term on January 3, 2013 2014 Elections in November 2014 114 th Congress begins term on January 3, 2015 Special sessions President may call Congress in times of emergency situations or significant political developments Pearl Harbor in December 1941

7. House of Representatives Chamber

8. Senate Chamber

9. Evolution of Congress From 1789 to 1932, Congress virtually dominated the federal government Exceptions under Jackson, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, and Wilson From 1932 to the present the President has become the focus of federal government power and authority In conjunction with expansion of government with FDR’s New Deal programs Media coverage

10. Electing the House Directly elected by the people every two years Most (originally) responsible to electorate Frequency of elections Congress established 435 seats in the House in 1911 Apportionment Distribution of legislators based on state’s population Reapportionment Redistribution of legislators based on state’s population after decade census Redistricting Redrawing of congressional districts based on reapportionment State legislatures in charge of redistricting Gerrymandering Redistricting to favor a political party or group

11. Electing the Senate Staggered terms State legislatures originally elected senators “Millionaires’ Club” Seventeenth Amendment Popular election of senators

12. Incumbency Effect Current office holders winning reelection Advantages Name recognition Credit claiming Casework Visibility Media exposure Fund-raising Campaign experience Voting record Disadvantages Mistrust of government Unpopular political party Redistricting effect “Held responsible”

13. Privileges of Congress Salaries $174,000 for rank and file members $193,400 for Senate and House leaders $223,500 for Speaker of the House Benefits include pensions, health coverage Office Allowances Travel Allowances Franking Privilege Immunity Cannot be arrested during Congress business Cannot be sued for libel/slander during Congress business

14. Congressional Staffers Personal Staff Directly work for members in D.C. and district/state offices Committee Staff Research and analyze issues in committees and subcommittees Leadership Staff Work for congressional leaders such as Speaker of the House Institutional Staff Clerks, janitors, police/security of the Capitol Support Agency Staff – non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) - finances Congressional Research Service (CRS) – think tank, analysis Government Accountability Office (GAO) – audits, investigations

15. Congressional Term Limits Congressional members have NO term limits May be reelected as many times as possible U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995) Supreme Court overruled Arkansas law imposing term limits on U.S. congressional representatives

16. Congressional Decorum CENSURE Reprimand of a member for unprofessional, suspected, or admitted misbehavior or violation Must give up any committee chairs Requires simple majority Expulsion of a member requires 2/3 majority vote

17. House Districts by Party (113th Congress)

18. Senate States by Party (113th Congress)

19. Congressional Makeup Political Party House 231 Republicans 200 Democrats 4 Vacancies Senate 52 Democrats 46 Republicans 2 Independents Age House median age - 57 Senate median age - 62 Occupation 214 business members 211 lawyers 92 educators 21 House members only have a high school diploma; 1 in Senate Race/Ethnicity Whites – 82.9% Blacks - 7.66% None in Senate Hispanics – 6.7% Asians – 2.4% Religion 56.1% Protestant 30.6% Catholic 6.2% Jewish Gender 18% female in House 20% female in Senate

20. House Congressional Leadership SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE Presides over the House Most powerful person in Congress Most powerful member from majority party Assigns bills to committee, controls floor debate, appoints party member to committees and chairs Majority Leader Assists Speaker of the House Plans party’s legislative program Directs floor debate Minority Leader Represents leader of opposition party Majority and Minority Whips Assist in party voting, inform on voting, vote counts, voting pressure

21. Senate Congressional Leadership President of the Senate Vice-President presides Votes only to break a tie President Pro Tempore Majority party senior member to preside in absence of VP Majority Leader Most powerful Senate member and party spokesperson Minority Leader Represents leader of opposition party Majority and Minority Whips Rallies respective party member to votes, vote counts

22. 113 th Congress Leadership House of Representatives Speaker of the House: John Boehner (R) Majority Leader: Eric Cantor (R) Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy (R) Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (D) Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer (D) Senate President of the Senate: Joe Biden (D) President Pro Tempore: Patrick Leahy (D) Majority Leader: Harry Reid (D) Majority Whip: Dick Durbin (D) Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R) Minority Whip: John Cornyn (R)

23. Lawmaking Process

24. Bills and Resolutions Bill Proposed legislation to become law on passage by both chambers and signed by the President Public bill – affects the general public Private bill – affects a private individual Simple Resolution (non-binding) Applied and passed by either chamber to establish rules of procedures or sense of chamber Concurrent Resolution (non-binding) Applied and passed by both chambers to establish rules and procedures for both houses Allow a joint session of Congress, provide recess, creating a temporary joint committee Joint Resolution Legislative measure passed by both chambers and signed into law by President For declarations of war, temporary exceptions to laws, authorize small appropriations, establish temporary commissions Historical Examples Gulf of Tonkin Resolution War Powers Resolution

25. Types of Legislative Actions Distributive Distribution of goods/services for general public i.e. highway construction project Redistributive Using taxes on one segment of population for entitlements on another segment i.e. welfare program Regulatory Limits on groups and individuals i.e. Clean Air and Water Act

26. Introducing a Bill Only a member of Congress may introduce a bill May be suggested by executive administration (i.e. President), interest groups, citizens Revenue bills may only originate in the House of Representatives House of Representatives handed to the Clerk of the House or placed in the hopper Introduced and assigned a number ex. H.R. 913 Senate Handed to the presiding officer or introduced on floor Introduced and assigned a number ex. S. 913 The Hopper

27. Committees Committee Work Consider bills, maintain oversight, conduct investigations Gatekeeping authority Proposal power Hearings and Testimonies Allows for specialists to determine merits of a bill Subpoena power Bill Assignments Speaker of the House/Presiding Senate Officer

28. Types of Committees Standing Committee Permanent committee over specific policy Subcommittee Subset of a standing committee for specific details of a bill SelectCommittee Temporary committee for specific purpose Usually for investigations on major public concerns Joint Committee Made up of members of both houses Conference Committee Temporary committee of both houses to resolve differences of chamber versions of a bill

29. Standing Committees House Rules Ways and Means Appropriations Judiciary Agriculture Armed Services Budget Education and Labor Foreign Affairs Homeland Security Energy and Commerce Natural Resources Science and Technology Small Business Veterans’ Affairs Senate Appropriations Finance Judiciary Foreign Relations Agriculture, Nutrition, Forestry Armed Services Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Health, Labor, Education Homeland Security Rules and Administration Small Business Veterans’ Affairs

30. Committee Chairperson Responsibilities Presides over the committee Set committee agendas Assign subcommittee members Decide on hearings and witnesses Selection From majority party of respective chamber Used to be based on seniority system Now usually long-standing member of committee

31. Committee Membership The percentage of a committee reflects overall percentage of political party members in respective chamber Members desire relevant committees related to districts and/or experience Ambitious members strive for membership in major standing committees and/or become chairperson Committee assignments based on party leadership and patronage

32. Committee Actions on a Bill Assign to Subcommittees Subcommittees refer bill back to committee TABLE Motion to kill a bill in committees MARKUP Committees add amendments to bills REPORT OUT If not reported out, House of Representatives may call for a DISCHARGE PETITION Requires absolute majority (218 votes)

35. House Rules Committee In the House of Representatives, once bills are reported out they are sent to the RULES COMMITTEE Nothing like this in the Senate Sets rules, restrictions, and times on bills during floor debate with input by Speaker of the House CLOSED RULE Severe limits on floor debate and amendments Bill proponents tend to prefer closed rule OPEN RULE Allows floor debate and amendments Bill opponents tend to prefer open rule

36. House Floor Debate Controlled by the Speaker of the House and limited by Rules Committee Amendments must be GERMANE, or relevant, to the bill RIDERS (additions not relevant to the bill) are not allowed Once debate is completed or terminated, bill heads to a vote

37. Senate Floor Debate The Senate has unlimited debate Amendments and riders are allowed FILIBUSTERS (only in Senate) A bill could be killed by senators delaying its passage by “talking it to death” CLOTURE Debate can be ended with 60 votes; prevent filibusters HOLDS (only in Senate) Designed to stall or prevent a bill from being vote on Anonymous or public Strom Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957

38. Voting on a Bill QUORUM/QUORUM CALL A majority of members must be present to vote, conduct business 218 in the House; 51 in the Senate PARTY VOTE House of Representatives Electronic vote Roll call Teller vote Senate Roll call Voice vote

39. Finalizing a Bill Once either chamber passes a bill it is ENGROSSED and sent to the other chamber for passage Both chambers must pass an identical bill Conference Committee Amendments and riders from House and/or Senate versions of a bill Joint committee of House and Senate members iron out differences Resulting bill sent to House and Senate for vote

40. To the President/Veto Power President signs the bill into law May also become law after 10 days* * If Congress is still in session Presidential Veto Power Congress may override veto with 2/3 majority of both houses Pocket veto President ignores bill; after 10 days if Congress has adjourned, the bill dies Legislative Veto* House or Senate rejects executive action INS v. Chadha (1983) Legislative vetoes unconstitutional Still practiced without much protest

41. Other Legislative Tactics EARMARKS Expenditures for specific districts/states determined on appropriations-based legislation PORK BARREL “Bring home the bacon.” Pass appropriations and/or projects for one’s specific district/state LOGROLLING Reciprocal support on bills CAUCUSES Informal voting blocs among members who share common goals Party caucus Congressional Black Caucus, Tea Party Caucus

42. How a Member Represents and Votes Representational View/ Delegate Model Vote based on interests and beliefs of districts/states CASEWORK Organizational View Influenced by party members, president, lobbyists Vote based on party lines PATRONAGE Attitudinal View/Trustee Model Based on ideology, personal beliefs