How Congress Works

1. How Congress Works

2. SENATE Two from each State Upper House

3. 113 Congress (2013-2014) Senate: Majority Party: Democrat (53 seats) Minority Party:  Republican (45 seats) Other Parties: 2 Independents (Caucus with the Democrats) Total Seats: 100 Note: Senator Angus King was elected as an Independent from Maine Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont was elected as an Independent.

4. Vice President of the United States Only votes in case of tie First in line for Presidency Former Senator from Pennsylvania President of the SenateJoseph Biden

5. President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (Democrat) Vermont– Handles day-to-day leadership of the Senate Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid (Democrat) Nevada – also known as Floor Leader

6. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Republican Kentucky SENATE MINORITY LEADERSHIP

7. House of Representatives Based on Population Lower House

8. 435 Members • Party Divisions • 233 Republicans– Majority Party • 199 Democrats - Minority Party • 3 Seats are currently vacant • 435 Members

9. Current Vacancies

10. Speaker of the House – Leads the House of Representatives and is a member of the majority party. Second (2nd) in line for the Presidency. John Boehner Republican Ohio

11. Kevin McCarthy– House Majority Leader Republican, California Develops the issues and policies that form the Republican agenda. Sets the legislative schedule by selecting which bills the House will consider and the timing of their consideration. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADERSHIP

12. House Minority Leader • Nancy Pelosi • Represents Democrats on the House • Democrat from California • She leads the Minority Party. Presently that is the Democratic Party.

13. Every new bill introduced goes to committee The Committee decides if the bill will go on to the floor for a vote They can: pass it kill it pigeon hole it. Committees

14. Types of Committees • Standing – permanent committee that specializes in one topic – ex. Appropriations • Subcommittees – Smaller committees within a standing committee • Select – Temporary committee to deal with issues needing special attention • Joint Committees- includes members of both houses • Conference Committees – work out language of a proposed law.

15. Copy and Answer the Following Questions. • What is a whip in Congress? • Who are the majority and minority whips in the House and Senate? • On what committees do Saxby Chambliss, Johnny Isakson, and Austin Scott serve? • What type of committee has been working on the budget crisis?

16. Miscellaneous Committee Information • Committee Chairperson is usually a member of the majority party • Membership of committee is in ratio to make up of Senate or House • Seniority System determines who get the best or most important committee assignments.

17. AGE • The average age of Senators in August of the 113th Congress was 62 • The average age of the Representatives in August of the 113th Congress was 57

18. Ethnicity/Gender • African American 44 (2 are nonvotingdelegates) • American Indian 2 • Asian Pacific 13 (2 are nonvotingdelegates) • Caucasian 440 • Hispanic 38 (2 are nonvoting delegate/commissioner) • Women 101 (Includes 2 nonvoting delegates)

19. 7 MOST POPULAR RELIGIONS • Catholic • Baptist • Methodists • Jewish • Presbyterian • Episcopal • Protestant

20. Other Characteristics • Most common professions were public service/politics, business, and law. • Most have college degrees • Most were born in the State that elects them • Many are not independently wealthy and depend on their salaries • Nearly 1/3 of Senators were once House members • Some have only a high school diploma

21. Compensation - Salary • Congressmen/women - $174,000 per year. • The Majority and Minority Leaders in both the House and Senate and the President pro tempore of the Senate earn $193,400 • The Speaker of the House earns $223,500. • http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm

22. Compensation – Nonsalary • Special tax exemption for maintaining two houses • Hospitalization, life, and health insurance • Retirement pay • Provide both office and budget funds for staff • Franking privilege: Mailing is free • Free printing • Free parking • Gymnasiums

23. Limits on Congressional Pay? • Presidential veto • Voter fallout (we get mad!) • Twenty-seventhAmendment says no increase can take place until the next session of Congress • The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 set a pay raise equal to what other government employees were getting unless Congress voted against it

24. Free Speech Privilege • Article I, Section 6, Clause 1 • Congressmen/women can feel free to speak their mind without fear • This extends to anything said in the House or Senate or in committee • Protects legislative debate • They can not defame or lie about another member

25. House of Representatives Basic Facts

26. Key Green – Gained Purple – Lost Yellow – no change State Representation

27. House of Representative Size • Congress set the size at 435 members • State’s representation set by the Census • The 435 votes are apportioned • Each State has at least one vote • Washington DC, Guam, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa elect a representative with no voting power • Puerto Rico chooses a resident commissioner, also with no vote

28. Reapportionment • The representation is redistributed after each Census • The original number was set at 65 until a Census could be taken • After the first Census the number was changed to 106. • By 1912 the size was 435 • The House ignored the 1920 Census

29. States that gained Arizona – 2 Florida – 2 Georgia – 2 Texas – 2 California – 1 Colorado – 1 Nevada – 1 North Carolina - 1 States that lost New York – 2 Pennsylvania – 2 Connecticut – 1 Illinois – 1 Indiana – 1 Michigan – 1 Mississippi – 1 Ohio – 1 Oklahoma – 1 Wisconsin - 1 2003 Apportionment

30. Reapportionment Act of 1929 • Set the “permanent” size of the House at 435 • The Census Bureau decides the reapportionment after each census • The President then sends this plan to Congress • Each house has 60-days to reject the plan. If neither does, it becomes effective.

31. Term • Each elected Representative serves a two year term. • There is no limit to how many times they can be elected • John Dingell, Democrat from Michigan, has served the longest. He first took office in 1955 when he took his late father’s seat.

32. When are they held? First Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even numbered years Off-Year Elections Also known as midterm elections Held in the middle of the Presidential term Usually the party in charge, President’s party, loses seats in this election Congressional Elections

33. Congress after the 2006 elections

34. Voting Districts • Single Member District – Congressional District - The voters of each district will elect their own Representative • General Ticket - at large – Since1842 this can only be used for States with one Representative

37. Gerrymandering • Voting districts drawn to favor one party over the other by including more of that parties members. • Districts may be drawn to concentrate the opposition’s voters in just a few districts leaving the majority vote for their candidates • Districts may be drawn to leave just a few members of the opposition party in each district and keep them from winning

38. Wesberry v. Sanders: 1964 Wesberry’s Georgia 5th Congressional district was larger than most He sued saying it violated his equal vote based on 14th Amendment Supreme Court agreed and Georgia was forced to redraw its districts. Oyez: Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964), U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument Reynolds v. Sims: 1964 Alabama law required one State Senator from each county Some counties had more people Did it violate 14th Amendment equal protection clause? Supreme Court –Alabama law did violate – that districts should be drawn by population Oyez: Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964), U.S. Supreme Court Case Summary & Oral Argument “One person, one vote”

39. House of Representatives Qualifications • 25 years old • US citizen for at least seven (7) years • Must be an inhabitant of the State from which he/she is elected • Informal qualification is that they live in the district from which they are elected • Others that can make or break a candidate: party identification, how well known is the name, gender, ethnic characteristics, and political expertise

40. Challenges • Majority vote to refuse to seat a member-elect • 1900 Brigham Roberts (Utah) because he was a polygamist • 1967 Adam Clayton Powell was denied a seat because he was accused of misappropriating funds– Supreme Court said they must seat him because he met the qualifications

41. Punish for “disorderly behavior” • Requires a majority vote • 1989: Jim Wright (D) resigned before he could be reprimanded for financial dealings with interest groups • 2006: Tom Delay (R) resigned before he was reprimanded • 1990: Barney Frank (D) was reprimanded for his relationship with a male prostitute – reelected by his constituents • 2006: Mark Foley (R) resigned after it was revealed he sent inappropriate e-mails to a page • 1997: Gerry Eastman Studds (D) Censured by the House of Representatives for having sexual relations with a teenage House page.

42. Expel a member by a 2/3 vote Five members have been expelled from the House • three of them were removed in 1861 for supporting the Confederate States' secession, which led to the Civil War. • In 1980, Michael Myers (D) was expelled for accepting bribes (376 to 30) • In 2002 James Traficant (D) was expelled following his conviction for taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm in Ohio and on his houseboat in Washington DC, and is currently serving out an 8-year prison term scheduled to end in 2010..

43. How a Bill Becomes a Law • More than 10,000 bills are introduced during each term of Congress, yet only several hundred pass all the hurdles and become law. • Bills: Two Categories: • Private-Concern individual people or places. • Public-Apply to the entire nation, involve general matters like taxation, civil rights, or terrorism.

44. Ideas for bills come from sources such as • Members of Congress • Citizens • Lobbyists representing Special-interest groups • Presidents • Officials working in the Executive Branch

45. Introducing a Bill • Members of Congress who wants to sponsor a bill has to draft it or put the idea in written form. • Staff’s for representative’s or senator’s draft bills.

46. Introducing a Bill • Senator’s introduce a bill by making a formal announcement in the Senate. • HOR’s introduce a bill by dropping it in a “hopper” (a box that is specific for the purpose) The bill might be given a number such as HR 1266.

47. The bill is then sent to the Standing Committee, of each chamber of Congress, which is concerned with bills on that particular subject.

48. The Work of Committees • Several options when a bill goes to committees • Pass it without changes • Change it and suggest it be passed • Replace with an alternative bill • kill it by majority vote • pigeonhole it (set it aside without considering it). This is what happens to most bills in committee.

49. Favored bills • Committees may keep the bill as is or make changes • Throw out bill but write new one with same subject • Then passed to subcommittee

50. Subcommittee • Further work and study • By law public hearings are held for people affected by bill • May be other changes • Then returned to full committee