1. Chapter 7: Congress

2. Purposes of Congress Rule initiation Interest representation Rule application Rule Interpretation Constituency Service

3. Bicameral Legislature Senate Senators serve 6 year terms Two per State for 100 total seats House Representatives serve 2 year terms 435 seats, seats apportioned by population

4. Senate Represent statewide constituencies The Senate is less formal than the house. For example, the Senate can allow “unlimited debate.” Cover a greater variety of issues Media coverage tends to be more extensive House Represent districts in the state Debate is limited and takes place according to a rule More specialization in the House b/c more members Generally, Reps. are not as well known nationally

5. Apportionment and Districting

6. Apportionment Apportionment is based on the national census Districting: drawing the lines for congressional districts (picture on previous slide shows Washington state’s congressional districts) Beware of districting manipulation (ex. Gerrymandering)

7. Informal Norms The culture of Congress and politics include unwritten understandings that define appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Informal norms can influence behavior as much as formal rules can. Individuals who fail to conform can find sanctions taken against them.

8. Informal Norms Examples 1.Work Hard 2.Specialize 3.Honesty 4.Reciprocity 5.Apprenticeship periods

9. Party Leaders NOTE: The Textbook is VERY outdated. Please check on www.senate.gov and www.house.gov to see the most up-to-date list of congressional leaders in office. www.senate.gov www.house.gov

10. Party Leaders in the House Speaker of the House: most powerful in House, member of majority party, can recognize members on floor, can set agenda, refers bills to committee, assigns members to committees. Majority Floor Leader: leader and spokesperson of party during floor debates, general asst. to Speaker.

11. House Leadership Majority Whip: serves as liaison between party leaders and rank-and-file members, responsible for rounding up votes on bills. Minority floor leader: duties similar to that of the majority counterpart, top position of minority party though Minority whip: like majority counterpart, tries to get party to vote together.

12. Senate Leadership Vice President of U.S.: can break a tie vote, rarely attends President Pro Tempore: Presiding officer of the Senate in VP’s absence, primarily an honorary position that is usually given to the most senior member of the senate. Other leaders: Majority floor leader, Majority whip, Minority Floor leader & Minority Whip

13. The Committee System A congressional committee is a legislative sub-organization in the Congress that handles a specific duty. The House relies more on its committees because of its larger size.

14. Types of Committees There are two types of committees: Standing— permanent group conducting business throughout the Congress which focuses on a certain, long-lasting issue Select, special or ad hoc — intended for a specific short-term purpose

15. Committees are formed in various configurations: Subcommittees — a smaller sub-group used by most committees Committee of the Whole — used by the House of Representatives, but not the Senate Joint Committee — members from both chambers Conference Committee — a joint ad hoc group to work out the differences between similar bills from both houses and then to make a single bill for final passage

16. House Committees Agriculture, Appropriations, Armed Services, Budget, Education & the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, Government Reform, Homeland Security, House Administration, International Relations, Judiciary, Resources, Rules, Science, Small Business, Standards of Official Conduct, Transportation & Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs, Ways & Means, Joint Economic, Joint Printing, Joint Taxation, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

17. House Committees The chair of each committee and a majority of its members represent the majority party. The chair primarily controls a committee’s business. Each party assigns its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among its subcommittees.

18. Senate Committees Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Appropriations, Armed Services, Banking, Budget, Commerce, Science & Transportation, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Finance, Foreign Relations, Health, Education Labor & Pensions, Homeland Security, Judiciary, Rules, Small Business, Veterans’ Affairs

19. Committee System Due to the high volume and complexity of its work, the Senate divides its tasks among 20 committees, 68 subcommittees, and 4 joint committees. Although the Senate committee system is similar to that of the House of Representatives, it has its own guidelines, within which each committee adopts its own rules. This creates considerable variation among the panels.

20. Senate Committee System As in the House, the chair of each committee and a majority of its members represent the majority party. The chair primarily controls a committee’s business. Each party assigns its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among its subcommittees. The Senate places limits on the number and types of panels any one senator may serve on and chair.

21. Committees Several thousand bills and resolutions are referred to committees during each 2-year Congress. Committees select a small percentage for consideration, and those not addressed often receive no further action. The bills that committees report help to set the Senate’s agenda.

22. Committees When a committee or subcommittee favors a measure, it usually takes four actions. 1. First it asks relevant executive agencies for written comments on the measure. 2.Second, it holds hearings to gather information and views from non-committee experts. At committee hearings, these witnesses summarize submitted statements and then respond to questions from the senators. 3.Third, a committee meets to perfect the measure through amendments, and non-committee members sometimes attempt to influence the language. 4.Fourth, when language is agreed upon, the committee sends the measure back to the full Senate, usually along with a written report describing its purposes and provisions.