How Congress WorksHow Congress WorksPart IPart I

CongressCongress

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

113th United States Congress Senators113th United States Congress Senators

113th US House113th US House

House/Senate differencesHouse/Senate differences

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 and PurposeFunction and Purpose

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

Standing CommitteesStanding Committees

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

Title: Resolution Artist: Bob GorrellDate: 12/28/06 Source: http://www.gorrellart.com/

Artist: R.J. Matson, New York Observer & Roll CallDate: 1/18/07Source: http://www.cagle.com