Congress in Action

1. Congress in Action Chapter 12 US Government

2. The HouseFirst Day Congress Convenes • Speaker is the senior member of the majority party • Seating • Democrats to left • Republicans to right • Officers chosen by membership • Rules adopted • Committee members appointed Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan

3. SenateFirst Day Congress Convenes • New members sworn in (Remember only 1/3 of seats are up at a time) • Many incumbents are reelected • Committee vacancies filled

4. State of the Union Address (Article 2, Section 3) • Once organization is complete, joint committee of Congress lets the President know when and where the State of the Union Address is to be delivered by the President to a Joint Session of Congress (President must be invited to address Congress) • Purpose • To report on domestic/foreign affairs • Recommends legislation • Lays out policy

5. Presiding Officers • Speaker (Article 1, section 2, clause 5) • Leader of the majority party • Presides over sessions • Recognizes members to speak-cannot speak until recognized • Interprets rules • Refers bill to committee • Rules on points of order • Puts questions to a vote • Appoints committee members • Signs bill/resolutions • Tie breaking vote - a tie defeats a measure

6. President of the Senate (Article 1, section 3, clause 4) • Filled by vice president • Same powers of Speaker except cannot participate in debate • President Pro Tempore • Presides in absence of President of the Senate • Elected by Senate • Member of the majority party Vice President and President of the Senate Mike Pence Orin Hatch (R), Senate President Pro Tem

7. Floor Leader • Party caucus • Closed meeting of members of each party in each house • Meets just before session convenes • Deal with party organization, select floor leaders, and discuss committee membership • Majority and Minority leaders (both houses) • Picked by party members • Are legislative strategists - carry out the decisions of caucus • Chief party spokesperson in their chamber • Steer floor action to party’s benefit

8. Majority and Minority Whips (both houses) • Help floor leaders • Keep check on vote count • Serve as liaison between party members and party leadership

9. Floor LeadersHouse House Majority Leaders Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy Republican WhipSteve Scalise House Minority Leaders Democratic LeaderNancy Pelosi Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer

10. Floor LeadersSenate Senate Minority Leaders Democratic LeaderChuck Schumer Democratic WhipDick Durbin Senate Majority Leaders Republican LeaderMitch McConnell Republican WhipJohn Cornyn

11. Committee Chairman • Chosen by majority party • Decide • When committee will meet • Which bills will be heard • If hearings will be public or private • What witnesses will be called • Testbook Page 143 for List of Committees of Congress

12. Types of Committees • Standing • Permanent committees • 20 in House; 16 in Senate • Number of members varies from 10-75 in House and 14-28 in Senate • Representatives serve on 1 or 2 major committees • Senators serve on 3 or 4 major committees • Chairmen are chosen according to seniority • Bills referred to proper committees by Speaker of the House or President of the Senate

13. Majority party holds the most seats on a committee • Members chosen by floor vote but this merely ratifies what was decided by the caucus • Committees are divided into subcommittees: 99 in House and 70 in Senate • House Rules Committee most powerful as it schedules bills to appear on the floor for consideration • In Senate, Majority Floor Leader decides which bills appear on floor

14. Select • Special group set up for a specific purpose and a limited time • Usually investigative in nature – remember oversight function • Joint • Has members from both houses • Some are investigative and issue reports to both houses • Some are permanent and some are temporary • Conference • Temporary committee designed to iron out differences between the House and Senate versions of the same bill

15. How a Bill Becomes a Law …Admit it… You started to sing in your head didn’t you?

16. How a Bill Becomes a Law - House • Bill - a proposed law • Revenue Bills must originate in the House

17. Types • Public - measures that apply to the whole nation ie taxes • Private - measure that apply to certain people/places • Resolution - measure relating to the internal workings of Congress and concern only one house

18. Joint resolution - must be passed by both houses and approved by the President (ie: appropriate money) • Concurrent resolution - passes by both houses; used to express legislative opinion or internal rules; does not have the force of law • Rider - provision attached to another bill because it probably wouldn’t pass on its own

19. Referred to committee • Bill is placed in hopper • Clerk of House numbers/titles bill • Bill is entered into the House Journal and Congressional Record • This is the first reading • Bill is printed/distributed to members • Bill is referred by Speaker to appropriate committee

20. Committee stage • Very few bills pass this stage • Hold hearings in committee or subcommittee • May recommend it to floor • May amend it • May unfavorably recommend it • May make a new one • May pigeon-hole it - dies in committee though a discharge petition can force it to the floor

21. Calendar • After making it through committee, the bill is placed on a calendar • Union - for bills dealing with revenue, appropriations, government property • House - for all public bills • Private - for all private bills • Corrections - for bills taken out of order • Discharge - for petition to discharge bills from committee

22. House Rules Committee approves taking bill off calendar and sets up time for its appearance on the floor - bill can die here

23. Floor • Bill gets its second reading • General debate occurs - strict rules govern debate • Voted on • House may act as a Committee of the Whole to bypass part of the procedure and speed things up; this is used for important bills and requires a quorum (218 members)

24. Voting • Voice - aye or nay • Standing - stand up to be counted • Teller - walk down aisle and count (rarely used today because of electronic voting) • Roll call - call each individual for vote • Electronic - used today the most

25. Final steps • If approved at the second reading, bill is printed (engrossed) • Read for third time • Final vote

26. How A Bill Becomes A Law - Senate • Introduction by Senator • Given a number and title • Read twice • Referred to committee • Committee • Same as in House • Only one calendar • Bills called to floor by majority floor leaders

27. Debate • Unlimited • 2 speech rule - Senator may only speak twice on same piece of legislation • Filibuster - attempt to talk a bill to death by monopolizing floor until Senate drops bill • Cloture rule – procedure limits a Senator’s speech to one hour • Hard to get • 3/5 (60) must vote for it • Vote

28. How A Bill Becomes A Law - Final Stages • Conference committee • Irons out differences in the two versions of the bill • Bill submitted to both houses for approval • May not be amended at this stage • Goes to President

29. Presidential action • May sign • May veto • Pocket veto - may keep it for 10 days and do nothing • If Congress in session, automatically becomes law • If Congress adjourns, automatically vetoed • Line item veto - gives President power to reject/veto parts of bill without vetoing the whole bill • Clinton v. New York City 1998 • Supreme Court ruled line item veto unconstitutional