And so we begin…There are two Congresses…The tight-knit

complex world of Capitol Hill is a long way from home, in perspective and outlook as well as in miles

Trustees v. delegatesCongress is considered first among equals…

why?House: 25, 7, stateSenate: 30, 9, state

PerksTime of the Founding v. now

Who wanted to run?Salary is about $170,000 nowGetting elected is tough…staying there isn’t

95% and 85%Districts play a role

Constituency servicePork-barrelH: $800,000 and no more than 18S: Between $2 and $4M and between 30-50Franking privilege

PerksFundraising

Incumbents have a major advantage Why??

Costs are escalating ($1M for H…$20M for some S)

Open-seat elections

RedistrictingReapportionment after censusRedistricting rests with state governments

Supposed to be near equal in populationBut we can still gerrymander

What happens when a state loses seats?Key role for state party heads

RedistrictingPopulation Equality - Each election district must have the

same number of constituents. This number ranges between 640,000 - 650,000 people, approximating the size of current U.S. congressional districts. At the federal level, courts tend to enforce the population equality standard very strictly.

Contiguity - Each district must be one continuous shape. No "land islands" are allowed. U.S. courts always enforce the principle of contiguity.

Compactness - Generally speaking, districts need to be drawn in compact shapes. Extremely jagged edges and skinny extensions are features that are the hallmarks of gerrymandered districts. Because compactness is a traditional standard about which there is no generally accepted method of measurement, the courts in most states do not usually enforce the compactness principle in practice.

RedistrictingCracking

Spreading like-minded voters apart across multiple districts to dilute their voting power in each. This denies the group representation in multiple districts.

PackingConcentrating like-minded voters together in

one district to reduce their voting power in other districts. This gives the group representation in a single district while denying them representation across districts.

RedistrictingPartisan GerrymanderBipartisan Gerrymander

The goal of a bipartisan gerrymander is to eliminate unpredictability in potentially competitive districts. For instance, two adjacent competitive (50/50) districts might be redrawn so that each one is 70/30 for its respective party. The resulting districts all but guarantee re-election by an incumbent of each party (or a representative from the incumbent's party).

Voting Rights Act Under Section 2 of the VRA, plaintiffs can challenge the unfair

political representation of racial and language minority communities in court. In the redistricting context, a state may violate the VRA by failing to protect a numerically large and geographically compact group of voters in a single district. Usually, a state cannot divide such a group if it could make up a majority in a single district. By showing attention to these concerns, the law guarantees a norm of fair play to racial communities of interest that have been historically denied political power.

RedistrictingReform

Tanner's Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act (FAIR Act) seeks to eliminate the problems with partisan bickering and manipulation that often surrounds the current process of redistricting. By creating independent oversight in each state and limiting the factors that can be considered in drawing lines, the Tanner Proposal seeks to make a more fair redistricting process for the entire country.

Specifically, the FAIR Act mandates the establishment of independent redistricting commissions in each state. These commissions would be charged with drawing non-partisan district maps. The law would also eliminate the practice of mid-term redistricting, limiting the process to once every ten years. This independent commission would present a non-partisan solution to what has become a very partisan problem, with the ultimate goal of leading to better popular representation at the federal level.

Pitfalls of IncumbencyDisruptive issues

Look at 2010Personal misconduct

ScandalTurnout variation

Midterm effectStrong challengers

House LeadershipSpeaker

Elected by membersActive in developing party positions and in

persuading membersRight to speak first, recognize members, time

limits, chooses chairperson and majority-party members of House Rules Committee

Assigns bills to committeeMajority LeaderMajority Whip

Senate LeadershipVice PresidentPresident Pro TemporeMajority leader

Agenda and supportNot presiding officerNo time limits

Majority whip

Committee SystemMost work happens in committee systems

Standing committees (20 H/16 S p. 289) 35 to 40 members/15-20 members Most have subcommittees (about 200 total)

12 members roughly10,000 bills every two years

Committee staffsSelect committees

Specific time period and purpose (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence)

Joint committeesMembers of both houses that advise

Conference committees

Committee SystemBills should go to proper committee with

jurisdictionServe on 2 House committees, 4 SenateCommittee chairs

Schedule meetings, determine order of consideration, preside, direct staff, can lead debate

Seniority v. other considerationsSix year term-limit

How a Bill Becomes a Law…1. Introduction

One of the housesNumber and titleSent to committee

2. Committee action90% of bills will die hereSubcommittee will schedule hearings if bill has

meritIf seems good, will send back to full committeeThey can mark up or hold more hearingsVote it to the floor

How a Bill Becomes a Law…3) Floor action

House Rules Committee sets rules (or Senate Leadership) When, how long, open/closed Filibuster—cloture—30 hours

Germaneness Difference between H and S (riders)

4) Conference actionSimple majority to passThen goes to the other houseDifferent versions will require conference committee

Pass, defeat, or return…no amendment

How a Bill Becomes a Law…5) Presidential action

VetoFail to signPocket veto

Congress’s Policymaking RoleLawmaking Function

Remember it is two housesDifferent constituencies and interestsPresidency better set for national issues (and

media shows it)Congressional Budget OfficeGovernment Accountability OfficeCongressional Research Service

Congress’s Policymaking RoleRepresentation Function

Lean toward local orientationLogrollingWhat do we do with national interests?

We tend to disagree on course of actionDebates over national goals fall on party lines

Oversight FunctionSheer magnitude is toughHold hearingsBudgets

For Thursday…Look at the tax debate between Alexander

Hamilton and Brutus and be ready to discussLet’s talk about the 2010 elections…

Search the news and find some articles that talk about the November elections

Google some info about the Tea Party movement and some of their big candidates