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Organization of Congress

Organization of Congress. Section 1 Chapter 6. Focus Questions. What are the terms and sessions of Congress? How is congressional leadership organized? What are the rules of conduct in Congress?. Congress is governed by rules to carry out responsibilities

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Organization of Congress

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  1. Organization of Congress Section 1 Chapter 6

  2. Focus Questions What are the terms and sessions of Congress? How is congressional leadership organized? What are the rules of conduct in Congress?

  3. Congress is governed by rules to carry out responsibilities Some of these rules are in the Constitution and others are made by Congress themselves

  4. Terms and Sessions Congressional elections take place every even numbered year in November Each new term begins on January 3 following the election year and lasts for two years Each Congress is numbered Each term is divided into two 1-year sessions Congress usually stays in session the entire year A quorum (a majority of members) must be present to conduct business If Congress is in a recess and a major problem arises the President can call them into special session

  5. Term Limits Today there are no term limitsfor members of congress Those who want term limits argue that Washington is run career politicians that dominate the lawmaking process Those who support the current system point to the fact that voters generally are satisfied with their own representatives and senators Therefore incumbents, officeholders, have the best chance of being re-elected Voters often time identify the incumbent as helping their state or community and the challengers as untried and inexperienced

  6. Term Limits The Permanent Congress There is only about an 8% turnover in Congress from election to election Many people are worried that with so many incumbents winning that the Congress is becoming a “Permanent Congress” In 1992, there was a 43% turnover, numbers have gone back and forth since

  7. Term Limits Support for Term Limits • There has been a grassroots campaign to institute term limits that started at the state level • In 1995, the Supreme Court determined that the only way to establish term limits would have to come from a Constitutional amendment

  8. Congressional Leaders Congressional leadership is organized strictly by party The Majority Party is the party that has the most seats The Minority Party is the party with fewer seats Presiding officers and committee chairs always come from the majority party The House is controlled by stricter rules and therefore the majority party has more power More members requires a need for more rules

  9. Congressional Leaders House Leaders The Speaker is the most influential position in the House of Representatives The Constitution mentions the Speaker but does not give its powers The Speaker controls debates and has a powerful hand in controlling the flow of legislation The Speaker is also in charge of assigning representatives to committees

  10. Congressional Leaders House Leaders Members also choose their own party floor leaders The minority leader and majority leader are their party’s chief spokesperson in Congress

  11. Congressional Leaders House Leaders Each party also chooses its own party whips and their job is to monitor and influence how members will vote They work as an intelligence network for their party– gathering opinions which allows the leadership to be efficient in gathering support

  12. Congressional Leaders Senate Leaders • The presiding officer in Senate is the vice president • The only substantial role the vice president fills is to cast a vote incase of a tie

  13. Congressional Leaders Senate Leaders • When the vice president is absent the president pro tempore is the head of Senate • This person is in the majority party and has been in Senate the longest

  14. Congressional Leaders Senate Leaders • The most powerful Senate leader is the majority party leader • That person is the main strategist and serves as the party’s chief spokesperson

  15. Rules of Conduct The Constitution gives Congress the power to judge its members’ qualification The Congress can refuse to seat a member until they address the concerns of Congress Either house may vote to discipline on of its members because of poor conduct Censure is a discipline that is stronger then reprimand In 1997, Newt Gingrich became the first formal punishment for a Speaker (he was fined 300,000) Serious or criminal conduct may result in Expulsion (two-thirds vote for removal)

  16. Focus Questions What are the terms and sessions of Congress? How is congressional leadership organized? What are the rules of conduct in Congress?

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