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Congress

Congress. “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” - Mark Twain, a Biography. Office and Qualifications. Structure House of Representatives Senate Qualifications House Senate. Powers of Congress.

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Congress

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  1. Congress “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”- Mark Twain, a Biography

  2. Office and Qualifications • Structure • House of Representatives • Senate • Qualifications • House • Senate

  3. Powers of Congress • The authority to make laws is shared by both chambers of Congress • Bill • A proposed law • Other shared powers • Declare war • Raise an army and navy • Coin money • Regulate commerce • Establish the federal courts and their jurisdiction • Establish rules of immigration and naturalization • Make laws necessary and proper to carrying out the powers previously listed • Special powers • House – origination of revenue bills • Mandate has blurred over time • Impeachment authority (but Senate tries; 2/3 vote) • Senate – treaties, presidential appointments

  4. Congressional Organization • New Congress is seated every two years • Elect new leaders • Each house has a hierarchical leadership structure • Political Parties • Organization of both houses of Congress closely tied to political parties and their strength in each chamber. • Majority Party • Minority Party • Role in the committee system • Controlled by the majority party • Party caucus or conference • Variety of roles and specialized committees

  5. House Leadership • Speaker of the House • Presides over House • Official spokesperson for the House • Second in line of presidential succession • Great political influence within the chamber • Majority Leader • Elected leader of the party controlling the most seats in the House or the Senate • Second in authority to the Speaker—in the Senate, is the most powerful member • Minority Leader • Elected leader of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senate • Whips • Keep close contact with all members and take nose counts on key votes, prepare summaries of bills, etc. • Party caucus or conference • A formal gathering of all party members

  6. Senate Leadership • The Constitution specifies the vice president as the presiding officer of the Senate. • He votes only in case of a tie. • Official chair of the Senate is the president pro tempore (pro tem). • Primarily honorific • Generally goes to the most senior senator of the majority party • Actual presiding duties rotate among junior members of the chamber • True leader is the majority leader, but not as powerful as Speaker is in the House

  7. Senate Operation • Senate rules give tremendous power to individual senators • Offering any kind of amendment • filibuster • Because Senate is smaller in size organization and formal rules have not played the same role as in the House

  8. Committee System • Congress operates by committee • Rationale • Growth • Members often seek assignments to committees based on • Their own interests or expertise (specialization) • Subcommittees • Appointment Process • Role of Seniority • A committee’s ability to help their prospects for reelection • Pork/earmarks: legislation that allows representatives to bring home the “bacon” to their districts in the form of public works programs, military bases, or other programs designed to benefit their districts directly • Access to large campaign contributors

  9. Committee System • Standing Committees • Continue from one Congress to the next—bills referred here for consideration • Powerful • Discharge petitions • Joint Committees • Includes members from both houses of Congress, conducts investigations or special studies • Conference Committees • Joint committee created to iron out differences between Senate and House versions of a specific piece of legislation • Select (or special) Committees • Temporary committee appointed for specific purpose, such as conducting a special investigation or study

  10. The Legislative Process • Markup • Pigeonhole • Discharge Petition • Hold • Filibuster • Cloture • Veto • Earmark • Rider • Pork • Logrolling • Omnibus

  11. Checking for Understanding • What is a key difference between how the House and Senate operate? • Identify and briefly describe three ways in which a bill can die in Congress. • What are two advantages of the “committee system” in Congress?

  12. Apportionment and Redistricting • Apportionment • Redistricting • Gerrymandering • Baker v. Carr (1962) • Majority-minority districts • Shaw v Reno (1993) • Strict Scrutiny

  13. Theories on Representation • Why do members of Congress vote the way they do? • Trustee • Delegate • Politico

  14. Why Congress Votes • Party • Divided government • Constituents • Colleagues and Caucuses • Logrolling (vote trading) • Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and PACS • Staff and Support Agencies • Congressional Research Service (CRS) • Government Accountability Office (GAO) • Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

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