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Leadership of the 112 th Congress. It starts today!. 112 th Congress In the HR: 193 D’s & 242 R’s Which party has the majority?. In the S: 53 D’s & 47 R’s. Leadership. All the leadership positions are held by the majority party. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH). Roles:
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Leadership of the112thCongress It starts today!
112th Congress In the HR: 193 D’s & 242 R’s Which party has the majority? In the S: 53 D’s & 47 R’s
Leadership All the leadership positions are held by the majority party
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) Roles: Presides over HR Determines committee assignment Sets rules Generally, most powerful person in Congress HR
Majority Leader From majority party Sets agenda for party Eric Cantor (R-VA) Minority Leader From minority party Is the leader for the party out of power Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Floor Leaders – HR
Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (D-CA) Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Whip - Ensures party members are voting according to party line, attend
Your Rep from CA - District 35 Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Senate • President of the Senate = Vice President of the US • Breaks ties Joe Biden (D, Delaware)
Senate Leadership • President pro tempore / pro tem • Temporary president • Majority Party • Presides over Senate Daniel Inouye (D- HI)
Majority Leader Most powerful position in S Harry Reid (D-NV) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) S Leadership
Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Senate Whips
Barbara Boxer (D) Dianne Feinstein (D) Your CA Senators
Congress # 14: Committees • All of the following are expressed powers of Congress EXCEPT • Tax B. Declare war C. Outlaw discrimination • Which part of Congress gives each state equal representation? • Senate B. House of Representatives • Which part of Congress is responsible for removing impeached officials, confirming nominations, and ratifying treaties? • Senate B. House of Representatives • Which of the following is an implied power? • Draft B. Raise military C. Coin money • Creating districts that give an unfair advantage to a political party is known as • Gerrymandering B. Malapportionment
Structure • Committees – divides work into specific categories (for each house) • Agriculture • Education and Labor • Judiciary • Veteran’s Affairs • Library (of Congress)
Chair of the S Cmte on Foreign Relations John Kerry (D-MA) • Chair • Leader of cmte • Seniority Rule • Person from majority party who has been on the cmte longest is chair • Majority party has proportional number of seats If a bill sponsored by a Republican goes to a cmte in the S, what chance does it have of passing?
Standing Cmte • Permanent, where most bills begin
Subcommittees • smaller cmte’s that can specialize even further • House Committee on Agriculture • Subcmte on Conservation, Credit, Energy & Research • Subcmte on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition & Forestry • Subcmte on Horticulture & Organic Agriculture • Subcmte on Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry
Select / Special Committees • Temporary or permanent on specific topic • Special Committee on Aging
Joint Committees • Cmte made of both HR & S • Library • Economic • Taxation • Printing
Where’s Boxer? Where’s Feinstein? • Chairs Environment & Public Works • Foreign Relations • Commerce, Science & Transportation • Select Cmte on Ethics • Select Cmte on Intelligence • Judiciary • Rules & Administration • Appropriations
Caucus: a group of like-minded representatives • Party Caucus: determines party leadership and direction • Others: Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Out of Iraq Caucus
I’m Just a Bill – How it should look - Bruiser’s Bill Summary: If passed, this bill will outlaw animal testing in the United States. This includes all four legged animals, but does not include worms… Arguments: This bill should pass because…. Committee: This bill should be assigned to…