To Accompany Comprehensive, Alternate, and Texas EditionsAmerican Government: Roots and Reform, 10th editionKaren O’Connor and Larry J. Sabato Pearson Education, 2009

Chapter 7

Congress

Roots of the Legislative Branch

Great Compromise leads to bicameral legislature.

Two per state in Senate, House by population.

House district size determined by apportionment.

House district shape determined by redistricting.

Senators must be 30, serve six-year terms.

Representatives must be 25, serve two-year terms.

Powers of Congress Most important power is to make law.

Bill cannot become law without both branches.

Also declare war, coin money, raise military.

Regulate commerce, immigration, courts.

Revenue bills must begin in House.

Senate handles impeachment trials.

Role of Political Parties Majority party has most members.

Minority party has second most members.

Key role in committee system and organization.

Party caucuses also choose policy priorities.

House of Representatives More tightly structured, governed by more rules.

Party loyalty plays a more important role.

Powerful Speaker of the House chosen by all members.

Party caucuses pick majority and minority leaders.

Whips assist party leaders.

Senate Vice president is the official presiding officer.

Official chair is the president pro tempore.

True leader is the majority leader.

Also have whips.

More informal than House.

Controlling Senate challenging, run by folkways.

Importance of rules such as filibuster and cloture.

Committee System Much of the actual work gets done by

committees.

Standing committees are where bills are referred.

Joint committees include members from both houses.

Conference committees finalize bills.

Select committees deal with temporary issues.

Importance of House Rules Committee.

Discharge petitions force bills out of committee.

Committee Membership Members serve on multiple committees at a time.

Request assignments based on interest or district.

Often want access to pork or earmarks.

Some assignments are good for campaigning.

Membership represents party division in house.

Chairs have tremendous agenda-setting power.

Chairs no longer chosen by seniority.

Members of Congress Professionalization after World War I.

Members must please those in D.C. and in district.

Incumbency helps members to stay in office.

95 percent of incumbents win reelection.

Members more educated, white, and male than U.S.

Theories of Representation Trustees hear constituents and make own

judgments.

Delegates vote as their constituents want.

Most members act as politicos.

May also be influenced by race or gender.

How Members Make Decisions

Party has become important in divided government.

Constituent opinion, especially on important issues.

Colleagues and caucuses.

Role of logrolling.

Interest group lobbying and money.

Staff and support agencies.

How a Bill Becomes a Law Stage-by-stage process offers many opportunities

to fail.

Parallel processes in House and Senate.

Committee is first step, role of markup.

Moves to floor, Senators may use hold or filibuster.

Conference committee if both chambers approve.

President can sign or veto.

Congress and the Executive President has become increasingly powerful.

Congress, in turn, has increased oversight hearings.

Also uses congressional review.

War Powers Act should give Congress role in war.

Congress confirms presidential appointments.

Congress can impeach president.

Congress and the Judiciary Courts can overturn laws if unconstitutional.

Congress reviews judicial nominees.

Role of senatorial courtesy.

Congress also sets courts’ jurisdiction.

AV- Congressional Approval

Back

Figure 7.1- Organization of Congress

Back

Figure 7.2- 111th Congress

Back

Figure 7.3- Female and Minority Members

Back

Figure 7.4- How a Bill Becomes a Law

Back

Table 7.1- The Powers of Congress

Back

Table 7.2- House Versus Senate

Back

Table 7.3- Congressional Committees

Back

Table 7.4- A Day in the Life of a Member

Back

Table 7.5- Advantages of Incumbency

Back

Table 7.6- Support Agencies

Back

Table 7.7- Impeachment

Back

ApportionmentThe process where following a censusStates are allotted Congressional seats according to their proportion of the population.

Example: The average number of citizens in a Congressional District is roughly 650,000. Take the number of people in a state and divide by the magic number (650,000) and that will tell you how many Congressman you state can have.

Northeastern states, whose pop, is decreasing usually loose Districts to the Southwest states whose pop is increasing.

Redistricting

When you win or lose Districts the state governmentcan redraw districts (usually in the advantage of their majority party) to correctly (evenly) proportionalize the Districts to the state’s population.

BillThe name of a wonderful person.

A proposed law that eventually hasto be voted on in both houses.

Back

Impeachment

The power given to the House of Representatives by the Constitution, after investigation of facts, to charge any civil officer (govt official) that they have committed a high Crime or Misdemeanor against the Constitution. To include Treason Bribery or criminal intent.

This is just the first step in the process.

Back

Speaker of the House

The only officer of the House that is mentioned in the Constitution. Traditionally a member of the Majority Party who oversees House business and is the spokesperson of the House.

Also Second in Line for the Presidency, in case of misfortune to the President and Vice President.

Back

President Pro Tempore

Official chair of the Senate that the most senior member of the Majority Party attends to when the Vice President is not available.

There are no powers to this position, it is one of honor only.

Back

FilibusterWay of halting action on a bill, a senator or group will give long speeches to delay any actions

Cloture

To stop a filibuster sixty senators have to agree to end the action.

Back

Back

Congressional Demographics Combined

30 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 60 - 69 >700

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

NumberSeries1

AgeBack

Congressional Demographics Combined

Category Number of Members

African- American 42Asian 8Japanese American 1Asian American 1American Indian 1Caucasian 431Not Stated 24Indian American 1Hispanic 29 Back

Logrolling

You back my bill and I will back a bill of yours.

Back

Select Committees

Temporary committees appointed for specific purposes. Conduct special investigations or studies.

Back

Joint Committees

Members of both houses used to expedite matters of major attention and conduct investigations or special studies.

Back

Standing Committees

Continue from one Congress to the next automatically. Bills are referred her for consideration.

Back

Conference Committees

Joint committees to reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate

Discharge Petitions

When a committee doesn’t do anything on investigating a bill, the majority party can use this petition to bring the issue to the floor for a vote.

Back

Whips

Key member who talks to with all members everyday to clarify how votes would turn out

Back

Markup

Changes made by committee members before it goes to the floor for consideration

Back

hold

A senatorial tactic that allows one senator the power to stop (hold) a bill so it can’t be debated, until such time as that senator decides it is now worthy

Back

Oversight

Congressional review of the activities of an agency or department

i.e. they can investigate the CIA to find out if they are telling the truth.

Is a department doing what it says it is or are they overstepping their boundaries.

Back

Congressional Review

Ability of Congress to overturn bureaucratic decisions that some agencies have created.

Back

War Powers Act

The President can only send troops overseas in a nonwar era for sixty days without garnering permission from the Congress. This is a reaction to the Vietnam War when was not voted on by Congress and the President authorized up to 500,000 troops to Vietnam at a time.

Back

Senatorial Courtesy

Presidents will defer the selecting of district court judges to the senator in that state from which the vacancy occurs.

Back