Congress

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CommitteesCommittees are the most important organizational feature of Congress

Consider bills or legislative proposals

Maintain oversight of executive agencies

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Committees Conduct investigations

Membership is divided in proportion to the membership of the respective branch of Congress

Assignments usually are based on party loyalty and length of service

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Types of Committees

Standing committees: permanent bodies with specified legislative responsibilities Hold meetings, hear speakers, and gather information about a bill

Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Budget

Subcommittees – subdivisions on specific issues Africa, Middle East, Europe

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Types of CommitteesSelect committees: groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration – often related to scandals

Joint committees: those on which both representatives and senators serve

5Joint Committee on Taxation

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House Select Committee on Intelligence

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Types of CommitteesConference committee: a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in Senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation before final passage

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Committee PracticesMajority party has majority of seats on the committees and names the chair

House - Committee Chairmen are limited to three terms

Speaker of the House to four terms

Senate – Committee Chairmen are limited to six years

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Senator Herb Kohl Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging

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Committee Membership How would the length of service on a committee benefit a member of Congress?

Specialization – It allows the member to become an expert in developing policy

Allows for a division of labor

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Congressman Paul Ryan

Committee Membership

They are not dependent on the executive branch for guidance

They can pay special attention of a few areas of legislation

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Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner

Committee MembershipHow does the number of party representatives on committees benefit the party?

Committee representation reflects the whole chamber

It allows the party to control the agenda

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Senator Ron Johnson

Committee Membership

It allows the party to determine the leadership on the committees – gives direction to the legislative discussions

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Congressman Tom Petri

Congressional StaffConstituency service is a major task of members’ staff

Legislative functions of staff include devising proposals, negotiating agreements, organizing hearings, and meeting with lobbyists and administrators

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Congressional Staff

Members’ staff consider themselves advocates of their employers

Much of the negotiation over bills is conducted by the staff intermediaries

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Personnel: Each Member is allotted $748,312 to hire up to 18 staff and four additional temporary, part-time, or shared staff. Staff can not be paid more than $151,974 per year.

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Senators do not have a limit on the amount staff they can hire. Administrative and clerical: This allowance is allocated based on the size of the Senator's state. The amount varies from $1,685,301 for a state with a population less than 5 million to $2,833,718 for a state with a population topping 28 million. Legislative assistance: Each Senator is allotted $450,477 to hire three Legislative Assistants to be paid no more than $150,159.

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ResolutionsSimple Resolution - simple resolutions are used to express nonbinding positions of the House/Senate or to deal with the House/Senate's internal affairs, such as the creation of a special committee.

They do not require action by the other Congressional body.

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Simple House ResolutionH.RES.96 : Recognizing the soldiers of the 14th Quartermaster Detachment of the United States Army Reserve who were killed or wounded by an Iraqi missile attack on Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the attack.

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ResolutionsConcurrent Resolution - A legislative

measure, generally employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses, such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee.

Concurrent resolutions are not submitted to the President and thus do not have the force of law.  

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Concurrent ResolutionH.CON.RES.31 : Expressing the sense of Congress that the President is required to obtain in advance specific statutory authorization for the use of United States Armed Forces in response to civil unrest in Libya.

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ResolutionsJoint Resolution – a legislative measure,, which requires the approval of both chambers and, with one exception, is submitted (just as a bill) to the President for possible signature into law.

J.R. also are used to propose constitutional amendments – these resolutions require a two-thirds affirmative vote in each house but are not submitted to the President; they become effective when ratified by three-quarters of the States.

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Joint ResolutionThe Iraq Resolution or the Iraq War Resolution (formally the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, 116 Stat. 1498, enacted October 16, 2002, H.J.Res. 114) is a joint resolution passed by the United States Congress in October 2002 as Public Law No: 107-243, authorizing the Iraq War.

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Joint ResolutionCongress by joint resolution called on the United States to recognize Texas's independence from Mexico in 1836.

Another significant joint resolution was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964, by which the Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to take any military action necessary to prevent communist aggression in South Vietnam.

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How a Bill Becomes a LawBill must be introduced by a member of Congress

Bill is referred to a committee for consideration by either Speaker or presiding officer of the Senate

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How a Bill Becomes a Law

All bills for raising revenue must originate in the House

Most bills die in committee

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How a Bill Becomes a LawAfter hearings and mark-up sessions, the committee reports a bill out to the House or SenateBill must be placed on a calendar to come for a vote before either houseHouse Rules Committee sets the rules for consideration

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Rules of DebateQuorum – the minimum number of members that must be present to conduct business

Committee of the Whole – requires only 100 House members – They can do everything to a bill, except vote on it (218 members are required in the House)

Cloture - shuts off a filibuster – requires 3/5ths of the Senate – 60 members

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Rules of DebateDouble tracking – a procedure used to keep the Senate going during a filibuster – temporarily shelve the disputed bill so the Senate can go on with other business

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Rules of DebateHold - An informal practice by which a Senator informs his or her floor leader that he or she does not wish a particular bill or other measure to reach the floor for consideration.

The Majority Leader need not follow the Senator's wishes, but is on notice that the opposing Senator may filibuster any motion to proceed to consider the measure.

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How a Bill Becomes a LawBills are debated on the floor of the House or Senate

If there are major differences in the bill as passed by the House and Senate, a conference committee is appointed

The bill goes to the president31

How things work - HouseDischarge petition – procedure used to get a stalled bill out of a committee

House – Closed Rule – strict time limit, forbids introduction of amendments from the floor, only allows amendments from the sponsoring committee

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How things workOpen Rule – permits amendments from the floor

Restrictive Rules – limits the type of amendments from the floor

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How a Bill Becomes LawThe president may sign it

If the president vetoes it, it returns to house of origin

Both houses must support the bill, with a two-thirds vote, in order to override the president’s veto

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Congressional LexiconRider – a provision added to a bill that is not germane to the bill’s purpose

Christmas Tree Bill – the addition of many riders to a bill

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Congressional LexiconPork Barrel – a piece

of legislation that contains benefits to an individual Congressmen’s district – the hope is to win additional votes in future elections

Log Rolling – supporting legislation of another in return for support of their bill

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Powers of the House and SenateThe House elects the President, if neither of the candidates receives a majority vote in the Electoral College

Impeachment – The House determines whether or not to bring criminal charges against a federal official

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Powers of the House and Senate

The Senate conducts the trial and votes to convict and remove an impeached official

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court serves as the trial judge

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Powers of the House and SenateThe Senate selects the Vice-President when the Electoral College fails

The House initiates all revenue bills

The Senate ratifies all treaties

The Senate confirms judicial and executive appointments

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House – Closer to the people

More representative of and responsive to the public because of its size and two-year terms

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Powers of the House and SenateSenate - more mature/”august” body

Longer and staggered terms

More closely reflects state, rather than individual district, interests

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