6Congress

Trace the roots of the legislative branch outlined by the U.S. Constitution

Characterize the demographic attributes of members of Congress, and identify factors that affect their chances for reelection

6.1

6.2

Learning Objectives 6

Assess the role of the committee system, political parties, and congressional leadership in organizing Congress

Identify three of the most significant powers of Congress

6.3

6.4

Learning Objectives 6

Analyze the factors that influence how members of Congress make decisions

Evaluate the strategic interactions between Congress, the president, the courts, and the people

6.5

6.6

Learning Objectives 6

Roots of the Legislative Branch of Government

Bicameral legislature House Representatives based on population Two-year term

Senate Two from each state Six-year term

6.1

TABLE 6.1: What are the powers of Congress?

6.1

Eligibility and Apportionment

Members of the House Twenty-five years old and a citizen for at least seven years

Senators Thirty years old and a citizen for at least nine years

Census Conducted every ten years

6.1

Key Powers

Make laws Both House and Senate must pass bills

Raise and spend revenue

Impeachment

Other powers “as necessary and proper” to carry out the functions of Congress

6.1

TABLE 6.2: What are the key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate?

6.1

a. Executive Branch

b. Senate

c. House of Representatives

d. A joint committee of the House and Senate

6.1 According to the Constitution, where must all revenue bills originate?

6.1

Members of Congress

Congressional Demographics

Running for and Staying in Office Incumbency Redistricting

6.2

TABLE 6.3 A Typical Day for a Member of Congress

6.2

Congressional Demographics

Better educated than general population Two-thirds of members hold advanced degrees

Wealthier than general population Senate “Millionaires Club”

Recent increases in minority representation

6.2

Running for and Staying in Office

6.2

Who are the nonvoting members representing Washington, D.C.?

6.2

TABLE 6.4: What are the advantages to incumbency?

6.2

Redistricting

Follows census State Legislatures redraw districts

Often political in nature Party in power controls the process

Gerrymandering Drawing a district to favor a party or candidate

6.2

FIGURE 6.1: What is Gerrymandering? 6.2

a. Congress

b. State legislatures

c. Political parties

d. Independent commissions

6.2 Responsibility for redistricting most often belongs to:

6.2

How Congress Is Organized

Leadership in the House of Representatives Leadership in the Senate The Committee System

6.3

FIGURE 6.2 How are the House of Representatives and the Senate Organized?

6.3

Leadership in the House of Representatives

Speaker of the House Most powerful position in the House

Leadership Teams Majority Leader Minority Leader Whips

6.3

FIGURE 6.3: What is the partisan composition of the 113th Congress?

6.3

Who was the first female speaker of the House?

6.3

Leadership in the Senate

Presiding Officer Majority Leader Leadership Teams

6.3

The Committee System

Types of committees Standing Committees Joint Committees Conference Committees Select (or Special) Committees

Committee chairs Committee membership

6.3

TABLE 6.5: What were the committees of the 112th Congress?

6.3

a. Standing Committees

b. Joint Committees

c. Special Committees

d. Conference Committees

6.3 Which committees are responsible for hammering out differences in House and Senate bills?

6.3

Powers of Congress

The Law-making Function The Budgetary Function The Oversight Function

6.4

The Law-making Function

Committee Referral Floor Debate Final Approval

6.4

FIGURE 6.4: How does a bill become a law? 6.4

What is the president’s role in lawmaking?

6.4

The Budgetary Function

Congressional Budget Act of 1974 Establishes levels of spending Reconciliation process to limit debates

Pork and Programmatic Requests

6.4

TABLE 6.6: What is the timeline for the congressional budgetary process?

6.4

The Oversight Function

The War Powers Resolution Congressional Review Confirmation of Presidential Appointees Impeachment

6.4

War Powers Resolution

Passed over President Nixon’s veto Requires Congressional approval to

commit troops Limits power of president as commander

in chief

6.4

Congressional Review Confirmation of Presidential Appointees

Congressional review allows Congress to overrule regulations for federal agencies

Senate confirms Supreme Court, federal district court, and Cabinet nominations

6.4

Impeachment

Power to remove official from office House votes to impeach Senate conducts trial

6.4

a. Impeachment

b. Congressional review

c. Senate confirmations

d. All of the above

6.4 Which of these is among Congress’s oversight authority?

6.4

How Members Make Decisions

Political Parties Constituents Colleagues and Caucuses Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political

Action Committees Staff and Support Agencies

6.5

Political Parties

Influence of political parties on the passage of legislation

Divided government Different political parties control presidency and Congress

Unified government Same political party controls presidency and Congress

6.5

Constituents

People who live, work and vote in a member’s district

Wedge issues

6.5

How do members of Congress learn about their constituents’ opinions on political issues?

6.5

Colleagues and Caucuses

Logrolling Supporting another member’s legislation in exchange

for future support

Special Interest Caucuses Informal groups based on shared interest

6.5

Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political Action Committees Research and Data

Provide information to justify members’ positions on legislation

Persuade constituents to contact or pressure members

Fundraising PACS

6.5

Staff and Support Agencies

Congressional staffers Agency staffers Committee staffers

6.5

TABLE 6.7: What are the Congressional Support Agencies?

6.5

a. Trustee

b. Delegate

c. Politico

d. Logroller

6.5 When a member votes the way his constituents want, he is voting as a:

6.5

Toward Reform: Balancing Institutional Power

Congress and the Executive Congress and the Judiciary Congress and the People

6.6

Congress and the Executive

Tenure of Office Act Weakened the power of the executive Fluctuations in power Strong executive versus strong

legislative

6.6

Congress and the Judiciary

Judicial review Supreme Court can determine if legislation is

constitutional

Jurisdiction of federal courts

6.6

Congress and the People

The People’s Branch Congress serves best interests of citizens

Approval Ratings Why are they so low today?

6.6

FIGURE 6.5: What do Americans think about Congress?

6.6

a. Judicial review

b. Checks and balances

c. Congressional review

d. Impeachment

6.6 The process by which federal courts determine the constitutionality of laws is:

6.6

Discussion Question

Describe the differences between the two branches of Congress. What purposes do the different structures of these two chambers fulfill?

6