ORGANIZATION OF CONGRESS

Congress’ Constitutional responsibilities

To provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States…

…Lay and collect Taxes… …Borrow Money; …Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and

among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

…Coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures

…Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, …

…To constitute Tribunals (Courts)… …Declare War etc..

The “Elastic” Clause

…To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

House special powers Originate all tax bills Impeach (charge) presidents and judges

Senate special powers Try impeachments Confirm ambassadors, public ministers,

judges Ratify treaties (2/3 vote)

WHY MIGHT IT BE HARD FOR 435 REPRESENTATIVES AND 100 SENATORS TO

WRITE ALL OF THE LAWS THAT “PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE AND PROMOTE THE

GENERAL WELFARE?”

HOW DOES CONGRESS COPE WITH THOSE PROBLEMS?

HOW DOES IT FULFILL ITS CONSTITUTIONAL

RESPONSIBILITIES?

Institutions to overcome obstacles

Committee System Party organization Floor Procedure Staff

COMMITTEE SYSTEM

What do committees do? They write, revise, and approve the bills

that become laws.

Who sits on committees and how do they get there?

Members of Congress sit on committees.

They sit on committees that deal with policy that especially concerns their constituents They ask for those assignments Party leaders grant them

Committees composed of members of each party in proportion to the party’s share of seats in the House.

House committees Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the Workfo

rce Energy and Commerce Ethics Financial Services Foreign Affairs Homeland Security House Administration

Judiciary Natural Resources Oversight and Government Refo

rm Rules Science, Space, and Technol

ogy Small Business Transportation and Infrast

ructure Veterans’ Affairs Ways and Means Intelligence

Senate committeesAgriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans' Affairs

Subcommittees: House Agriculture Committee

Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research Jurisdiction: Soil, water, and resource conservation; small watershed program; agricultural credit;

rural development; rural electrification; farm security and family farming matters; agricultural research, education and extension services; plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests; biotechnology.

Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Jurisdiction: Program and markets related to cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans,

oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils; Commodity Credit Corporation; crop insurance; commodity exchanges.

Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs Jurisdiction: Peanuts; sugar; tobacco; honey and bees; marketing orders relating to such

commodities; foreign agricultural assistance and trade promotion programs, generally. Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Dairy, Nutrition and Forestry Jurisdiction: Agency oversight; review and analysis; special investigations; dairy; food stamps,

nutrition and consumer programs; forestry in general, forest reserves other than those created from the public domain; energy and biobased energy production; dairy.

Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture Jurisdiction: Livestock; poultry; meat; seafood and seafood products; inspection, marketing, and

promotion of such commodities; aquaculture; animal welfare; grazing; fruits and vegetables; marketing and promotion orders

How a bill becomes a law Introduced by a member in either chamber House.gov Referral to the committee(s) with jurisdiction

Committee assignments and makeup Committee (and subcommittee) chairs

After referral to subcommittee Into the Garbage can Hearings Markup Vote

Same process at full committee level Before it goes to the floor: Rules committee

How a bill becomes a law Same process in the other chamber Senate.gov Referral to the committee(s) with jurisdiction

Committee (and subcommittee) assignment Committee (and subcommittee) chair

After referral to subcommittee Into the Garbage can, hearings, Markup, Vote

Same process at full committee level Floor procedure

Unlimited debate, filibuster, cloture Powers of the Majority leader

FLOOR PROCEDURE

An analogy

How is a carpool different than a bus line?

House floor procedure

Limited debate The Rules Committee Open and closed rules

The “bus line”

Note: conditional party government: when a party is more unified, it will have more rigid, centralized rules

Senate floor procedure

No rules committee Unlimited debate

Filibuster Cloture Rule

Complex Unanimous Consent Agreements

“The car pool”

PARTIES

What do parties do? Elect organizational leadership that…

Hands out committee assignments Hands out committee chairmanships Controls Rules Committee (Speaker) Influences distribution of pork Can help with campaigns

Other institutions Staff

(provides information)

Decorum (regulates conflict)

Seniority system (reduces incentive to free ride)

Differences between the House vs. Senate

Prominence of constituents and reelection

Degree of Specialization Hierarchy Protection of partisan minorities

How a bill becomes a law Bill that passes both houses goes to

Conference Committee Re-passage of identical bill in both houses President’s Desk for veto or signature 2/3 vote in both houses to override