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Chapter 12

Chapter 12. Congress. Qualifications. HOUSE 25 years old; citizen for 7 years; live in the state you represent SENATE 30 years old; citizen for 9 years; live in the state you represent. The House 435 members, 2-year terms of office

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Chapter 12

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  1. Chapter 12 Congress

  2. Qualifications • HOUSE 25 years old; citizen for 7 years; live in the state you represent • SENATE 30 years old; citizen for 9 years; live in the state you represent

  3. The House 435 members, 2-year terms of office Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget House Rules Committee Limited debates The Senate 100 members, 6-year terms of office Gives “advice & consent,” more influential on foreign affairs Unlimited debates (filibuster) American Bicameralism

  4. Bicameral Legislature • Two house Congress • House of Reps. = 435 members • 5 non-voting members = Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Washington D.C., American Samoa • Senate = 100 members Connecticut Compromise @ the Constitutional Convention

  5. Congressmen from Arizona Representative Jeff Flake http://www.house.gov/flake/ Senator Jon Kyl http://kyl.senate.gov/ Senator John McCain http://mccain.senate.gov/

  6. The Representatives and Senators • The Job • Salary of $168,500 with retirement benefits • Office space in D.C. and at home with staff • Travel allowances and franking privileges • Requires long hours, a lot of time away from family, and pressure from others to support their policies

  7. Incumbency in Congress Individuals who already hold office usually win 90% of elections

  8. Congressional Elections • The Advantages of Incumbents • Advertising: • The goal is to be visible to your constituents • Frequent trips home, use of newsletter, and technology • Credit Claiming: • Service to constituents through: • Casework: specifically helping constituents get what they think they have a right to • Pork Barrel: federal projects, grants, etc. made available in a congressional district or state

  9. Congressional Elections • The Advantages of Incumbents • Position Taking: • Portray themselves as hard working, dedicated individuals • Occasionally take a partisan stand on an issue • Weak Opponents: • Inexperienced in politics, unorganized, and underfunded • Campaign Spending: • Challengers need to raise large sums to defeat an incumbent • PACs give most of their money to incumbents • Does PAC money “buy” votes in Congress?

  10. Servicing the Constituency • Constituents: citizens that the Congressperson represents • Casework: helping constituency as individuals (cutting through red tape to give people what they think they have a right to get • Pork Barrel: List of federal projects, grants and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges and institutions

  11. Money in electing Congressmen • Most of the turnover in the membership in Congress results from vacated seats, particularly in the House • It costs a great deal more money to elect a congressperson than to elect a president • 2000, all presidential candidates spent a total of $200 million • 2000, general election Senate races alone cost $350 million

  12. Comparing the Senate and the House of Representatives

  13. House of Representatives • More centralized, hierarchical, less anarchic • Party loyalty to leadership and party-line voting more prevalent • Leaders do more leading • Speaker appoints committee members • Five calendars based on kind of bill • House can impeach officials (16 so far)

  14. House Rules Committee • Most important committee in the House • Reviews most bills coming from a house committee before they go to the full House (traffic cop) • Gives each bill a “rule”, which schedules the bill on the calendar, allots time for debate, and can even specify what kind of amendments to bill can be offered • Initiates all revenue bills in House

  15. Senate • Less disciplined, less centralized • Ratifies treaties • Confirms important presidential nominations • Tries impeached officials • Party leaders schedule bills • Pro Tempore seniority rule

  16. Congressional Leadership

  17. The House Led by Speaker of the House—elected by House members Presides over House Major role in committee assignments and legislation Assisted by majority leader and whips The Senate Formally lead by Vice President Really lead by Majority Leader—chosen by party members Assisted by whips Must work with Minority leader How Congress is Organized to Make Policy Congressional Leadership

  18. Speaker of the House • Most important person in Congress • Presides over House • Makes committee assignments • Appoints party’s legislative leaders • Exercises substantial control over which bills get assigned to which committees

  19. Majority Leader in each house Minority Leaders in each house Whips: A member of a legislative body, charged by his or her party with enforcing party discipline and ensuring attendance Daniel Inouye (D) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell (R) Other Congressional Leaders

  20. Whips…in the Senate • Richard Durbin (D) Majority whip • Jon Kyl (R) Minority whip

  21. Whips...in the House • Kevin McCarthy (R) majority whip • Steny Hoyer (D) minority whip

  22. Legislative Oversight • Congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy (hearings)

  23. Committees in Congress

  24. Committees in Congress • Standing committees: Permanent committee in a legislative body to which bills in a specified subject matter area are referred • Joint committees: Legislative committee composed of members of both houses (usually permanent also) • Conference committees: Temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses’ versions of a bill • Select committees: Legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose; also known as a special committee

  25. House STANDING Committees • There are 19 standing committees in the House of Representatives. • Representatives are normally assigned to one or two standing committees. • The most important committees in the House are: Rules, Ways and Means, Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary, International Relations, andAgriculture

  26. Senate STANDING Committees • There are 17 standing committees in the Senate. • Senators are normally assigned to three or four committees. • The most important committees in the Senate are: Foreign Relations, Appropriations, Finance, Judiciary, Armed Services, and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

  27. Important Facts about Committees Committees are where most bills receive thorough consideration. The fate of most bills is decided in the various standing committees. Most bills DIE in the committees (action) to which they are referred!!!

  28. Congressional Caucus • Informal organization of Congresspersons who share some interest on characteristics • Promote the interests around which they are formed • Interest group within Congress

  29. Congressional process

  30. The Congressional Process

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