HOW IS CONGRESS ORGANIZED?

BY: ALEXIS, EMMA, NATALIE, JARED

PARTY LEADERSHIP:

- Those whose party put them in charge

- Power is widely dispersed - Leaders have to appeal broadly

SENATE LEADERSHIP Vice President is the President of the Senate, but basically does nothing.

Senate Majority Leader Has the real power in the Senate Majority whipSenate Minoriy leader-Minority whip

HOUSE LEADERSHIP - Speaker of the house is in charge

Appoints Legislative Leaders Decide what bills go to what committee

- Majority Leader- Rounds up votes for the majority

party- Whips:

- Help majority leader get votes- Minority Leader

- Basically the same as majority leader, but for the minority party.

- Minority Whip

Congress is complex, bicameral, and decentralized

COMMITTEES -Standing committee- in both houses, permanent -Joint- people from both houses are in one committee, usually deals with taxes

-Conference- revises bill when the two houses pass different versions of the same bill

-Select- temporary, usually investigates scandals, ex- Watergate -House Rules Committee- reviews bills before they get to the house floor

-House Ways and Means Committee- tax-wrting

SUPPORT STAFF -personal staff – do casework, communicate the members’ views to voters, answer mail, help constituents solve problems

- committee staff – organize hearings, research legislative options, draft committee reports on bills, write legislation, keep tabs on activities of the executive branch