How Congress is Organized

1. How Congress is Organized Chapter 6, Section 1

2. Section 1 Vocabulary • Bicameral • Census • Constituents • Gerrymander • Majority Party • Minority Party • Speaker of the House • President Pro Tempore • Standing Committees • Select Committees • Joint Committees • Conference Committees • Seniority

3. Terms of Congress • The framers of the Constitution intended the Legislative Branch to be the most powerful. • Each term starts January 3rd of odd numbered years • Each term lasts 2 years • Each term has 2 sessions • Congress holds special sessions in times of crisis. • When both houses meet together it is called a joint session

4. A Bicameral Legislature • The Great Compromise established Congress as a two house, or bicameral, body. • The House of Representatives • 435 members, based on population • Congress adjusts the number of representatives based on each census, or population count. • States are divided into districts, with 1 representative from each district. States draw districts to include, roughly, the same number of constituents, or people represented. • Some abuse the process by drawing a gerrymander, or oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group • House members focus on concerns of their district

5. A Bicameral Legislature • The Senate • 100 members – 2 from each state • Represent their entire state • Serve 6 year terms • Elections are staggered to ensure some stability

6. Congressional Leaders • Majority Party • The political party to which more than half the members belong • Minority Party • The political party to which less than half the members belong • Party members choose the leaders at the beginning of each term • Floor leaders try to make sure the laws Congress pass are in the best interest of their own party.

7. Congressional Leaders House of Representatives Senate The leader of the Senate is technically the vice president. He rarely attends and only votes in the case of a tie The person who acts as the chairperson id the president pro tempore He is a member of the majority party, and the position is mostly ceremonial • The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the House of Representatives • The speaker always belongs to the majority party • The speaker is in charge of floor debates and influences most House business. • If something happened to the president and vice president, the speaker would become president

8. Committees: Little Legislatures • The detailed work of lawmaking is done in committees. • Each house has permanent standing committees that continue their work from session to session. • Most are divided into smaller subcommittees that deal with specialized issues • Both houses also have select committees that are created to do a special job for a limited period. • They disband after completing the task

9. Committees: Little Legislatures • Joint committees include members of both houses. • Temporary conference committees help the House and Senate agree on details of a proposed laws • Members of Congress try to get assigned to important committees that affect the people who elected them. • Party leaders make committee assignments based on members’ preferences, expertise, party loyalty, and seniority, or years of service. • Members with the most seniority usually get the preferred committee spots