how congress works part i. congress house-senate differences house house 435 members; 2 yr terms 435...
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House-Senate DifferencesHouse-Senate Differences HouseHouse
435 members; 2 yr 435 members; 2 yr termsterms
Low turnoverLow turnover Speaker bill referral Speaker bill referral
hard to challengehard to challenge Scheduling/rules Scheduling/rules
controlled by majority controlled by majority party with powerful party with powerful Rules Committee Rules Committee ((controls time of debate, controls time of debate, amends., etc)amends., etc)
SenateSenate 100 members; 6 yr 100 members; 6 yr
termsterms Moderate turnoverModerate turnover Referral decisions Referral decisions
easily challengedeasily challenged Scheduling/rules Scheduling/rules
agreed to by majority & agreed to by majority & minority leadersminority leaders
House-Senate DifferencesHouse-Senate Differences
HouseHouse Debate limited to 1 Debate limited to 1
hourhour Members policy Members policy
specialistsspecialists Emphasizes tax & Emphasizes tax &
revenue policyrevenue policy More formal & More formal &
impersonalimpersonal
SenateSenate Unlimited debate Unlimited debate
unless cloture unless cloture invokedinvoked
Members policy Members policy generalistsgeneralists
Emphasizes foreign Emphasizes foreign policypolicy
More informal & More informal & personalpersonal
Party LeadershipParty Leadership
House Republican LeadershipHouse Republican Leadership
113th Congress113th Congress
Senate Democratic Senate Democratic LeadershipLeadership
110th Congress110th Congress
HOUSE LEADERSHIPHOUSE LEADERSHIP
Speaker (majority party)
Republicans:• Majority Leader• Majority Whip
Speaker of the HouseJohn Boehner (R-OH)
Majority LeaderEric Cantor(R-VA)
Majority WhipKevin McCarthy(R-CA)
HOUSE LEADERSHIPHOUSE LEADERSHIP
Democratss:• Minority Leader• Minority Whip
Minority LeaderSteny Hoyer(R-OH)
Minority WhipSteny Hoyer(D-MD)
SENATE LEADERSHIPSENATE LEADERSHIP
President of the Senate (Vice President)
President Pro Tempore (majority party)
Democrats:• Majority Leader• Majority Whip
Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-NV)
President Pro TemPatrick Leahy(D-VT)
Majority WhipRichard Durbin
(D-IL)
President of the Senate
Joe Biden (D-DE)
SENATE LEADERSHIPSENATE LEADERSHIP
Republicans:• Minority Leader• Minority Whip
Minority LeaderMitch McConnell
(R-KY)
Minority WhipJon Kyl (R-AZ)
Strength of Party Strength of Party Structure?Structure?
• Measure of party strength:
1. Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization
2. Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate
• Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented
Party UnityParty Unity• Ideology is an important variable explaining party Ideology is an important variable explaining party
voting (members vote with their party 90% of the voting (members vote with their party 90% of the time)time)
• Party polarizationParty polarization - vote in which majority of - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicansdemocrats oppose majority of republicans
• Polarization trends:Polarization trends:o 1976 HR = 36%; S = 37%1976 HR = 36%; S = 37%o 1995 HR = 73%; S = 69%1995 HR = 73%; S = 69%o 2000 HR = 43%; S = 49%2000 HR = 43%; S = 49%
CAUCUSESCAUCUSES• Groups (may be bipartisan) meeting to
pursue common legislative objectives• Sometimes Rivals to parties in policy
formulation• Examples: Democratic Study Group,
Congressional Black Caucus, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Out of Iraq Caucus,Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus, House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children
Congress ConvenesCongress Convenes• Congress convenes every two years—on January 3 of
every odd-numbered year.
• The House has formal organizational meetings at the beginning of each term to determine committee membership and standing officers.
• The Senate, because it is a continuous body, has fewer organizational issues to address at the start of each term.
• When Congress is organized, the President presents a State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress. This message, in which the President reports on the state of the nation as he sees it, is given annually.
Chapter 12, Section 1Chapter 12, Section 1
The Presiding OfficersThe Presiding OfficersThe Speaker of the
House• The Speaker of the House
is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the acknowledged leader of the majority party.
• The Speaker’s main duties revolve around presiding over and keeping order in the House.
• The Speaker names the members of all select and conference committees, and signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House.
The President of the Senate
• The job of president of the Senate is assigned by the Constitution to the Vice President.
• The president of the Senate has many of the same duties as the Speaker of the House, but cannot cast votes on legislation.
• The president pro tempore, the leader of the majority party, is elected from the Senate and serves in the Vice President’s absence.
Chapter 12, Section 1Chapter 12, Section 1
Committee Chairmen Committee Chairmen and Seniority Ruleand Seniority Rule
Committee Chairmen• The committee
chairmen are the members who head the standing committees in each chamber of Congress.
• The chairman of each of these permanent committees is chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus.
Seniority Rule• The seniority rule, an
unwritten custom, holds that the most important posts will be held by those party members with the longest records of service in Congress.
• The head of each committee is often the longest-serving member of the committee from the majority party.
Chapter 12, Section 1Chapter 12, Section 1
Composition of Composition of CongressCongress
Chapter 12, Section 1Chapter 12, Section 122 33 44
Senate party standingsSenate party standings (as of October 31, (as of October 31, 2013) 2013) 53 Democrats53 Democrats2 Independents, both caucusing with Democrats2 Independents, both caucusing with Democrats45 Republicans45 Republicans
Composition of Composition of CongressCongress
Chapter 12, Section 1Chapter 12, Section 1
House party standingsHouse party standings (as of February 18, (as of February 18, 2014) 2014) 232 Republicans232 Republicans199 Democrats199 Democrats 4 vacancies4 vacancies
House Senate Reason(s) [Examples Below]
435 members; 2 yr terms 100 members; 6 yr terms
House closer to the people with representation based on population and 2 yr terms
Senate smaller, more deliberative
Low turnover Moderate turnover
Incumbents win re-election over 90% of the time in the House
Senate races are state-wide and more competitive
Speaker bill referral hard to challenge
Referral decisions easily challenged
Difficult for individual members to challenge the Speaker of the House; members limited by strict rules
Members of the Senate more independent operators
Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party; powerful RulesCommittee
Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders
House - majority party tightly controls Leadership and Rules with little minority party
Senate – much more cooperation between parties
Debate limited to 1 hourUnlimited debate unless cloture invoked
Impractical with 435 members to have unlimited debate in the House; nothing would get done
Senate has only 100 members; more time
Members policy specialists Members policy generalists
House – in order to get re-elected, members most become experts in policies that directly effect their districts; must serve on those committees
Senators represent diverse interest of an entire state
Emphasizes tax & revenue policy
Emphasizes foreign policy
All tax and revenue bills must originate in the House; much of public policy decisions in HR involve the budget
Senate “advice and consent” of ambassadors, cabinet; ratify treaties
More formal & impersonal More informal & personal
House much bigger, need strict rules to be efficient; members 1 of 435
Senate smaller, more collegial; members 1 of only 100
"Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.”
- Woodrow Wilson
Legislative Committees:Legislative Committees:
Function & PurposeFunction & Purpose
1. Consider bills (a.k.a. “mark-up” bills)
A bill with a member’s mark-up notes
Legislative Committees:Legislative Committees:
Function & PurposeFunction & Purpose
2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies
Oversight Hearing on Bengahzi
Legislative Committees:Legislative Committees:
Function & PurposeFunction & Purpose
3. Conduct investigations
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb., 2006
Types of CommitteesTypes of CommitteesStanding Committees - permanent panel
with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilitieso Subcommittees – formed to tackle very specific tasks within the
jurisdiction of the full committees
Select or Special Committees - groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration
Joint Committees - includes members of both chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks
Conference Committee - includes members of House & Senate to work out differences between similar bills
House Standing CommitteesHouse Standing CommitteesAgricultureAppropriationsArmed ServicesBudgetEducation & WorkforceEnergy & CommerceFinancial ServicesGovernment ReformHouse Admin.International
Relations
JudiciaryResourcesRulesScienceSmall BusinessStandards of
Official ConductTransportation &
InfrastructureVeterans AffairsWays & Means
Senate Standing CommitteesSenate Standing CommitteesAgriculture,
Nutrition, & Forestry
AppropriationsArmed ServicesBanking, Housing, &
Urban AffairsBudgetCommerce, Science,
TransportationEnergy & Natural
ResourcesEnvironment and
Public Works
FinanceForeign RelationsGovernmental
AffairsHealth, Education,
Labor & PensionsJudiciaryRules and
AdministrationSmall Business and
EntrepreneurshipVeterans Affairs
Special, Select CommitteesSpecial, Select Committees
• House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming
• Senate Select Committee on Ethics
• House & Senate Select Committees on Intelligence
Gen. Michael Hayden is sworn in during a full committee hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Joint CommitteesJoint Committees• Joint Economic Committee• Joint Committee on Printing• Joint Committee on Taxation