How Congress Works Chapter 13

1. How Congress WorksChapter 13 Structure, Organization, & Legislative Process

2. Who’s in Congress?

3. Age Groups Party Ethnicity Gender Demographic Profile of the 111th Congress

4. House 435 members 2 yr terms 25 years old Speaker presented bills r hard to challenge Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee Senate 100 members 6 yr terms 30 years old Bills more easily challenged Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders House-Senate Differences

5. House Debate limited to 1 hour Members policy specialists Emphasizes tax & revenue policy More formal & impersonal Senate Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked Members policy generalists Emphasizes foreign policy More informal & personal House-Senate Differences

6. Party Leadership

7. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Speaker (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Steering & Policy Committee • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Speaker of the House Nancy Pelossi (D-CA) Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

8. HOUSE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • National Republican Congressional Committee • Research Committee Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA)

9. SENATE LEADERSHIP President of the Senate (Vice President) President Pro Tempore (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Steering Committee • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee President Pro Tem Robert Byrd (D-WV) President of the Senate Joe Biden (D-DE) Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

10. SENATE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • Republican Senatorial Committee Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

11. Strength of Party Structure? • Measure of party strength: • Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization • Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate • Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented

12. Party Unity • Lower today than 100 years ago, but….. • Ideology important variable explaining party voting (members vote with their party 80% of the time) • Party polarization - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans • Polarization trends: • 1976 HR = 36%; S = 37% • 1995 HR = 73%; S = 69% • 2000 HR = 43%; S = 49%

13. CAUCUSES • Caucus: an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest • Intra-party caucuses: members share a similar ideology • Personal interest caucuses: members share an interest in an issue • Constituency caucuses: established to represent groups, regions or both • Examples: Congressional Black Caucus, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus

14. "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee-rooms is Congress at work.” - Woodrow Wilson

15. Legislative Committees: Function and Purpose

16. 1. Consider bills(a.k.a. “mark-up” bills) Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose A bill with a member’s mark-up notes

17. 2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing re: the Department of Defense Budget (May, 2006)

18. 3. Conduct investigations Legislative Committees:Function & Purpose New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb.2 006)

19. Types of Committees • Standing Committees- permanent panel with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities ~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

20. Standing Committees

21. Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education & Workforce Energy & Commerce Financial Services Government Reform House Admin. International Relations Judiciary Resources Rules Science Small Business Standards of Official Conduct Transportation & Infrastructure Veterans Affairs Ways & Means House Standing Committees

22. Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy & Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Governmental Affairs Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans Affairs Senate Standing Committees

23. House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming Senate Select Committee on Ethics House & Senate Select Committees on Intelligence Special, Select Committees Gen. Michael Hayden is sworn in during a full committee hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on his nomination to bedirector of the Central Intelligence Agency.

24. Joint Committees • Joint Economic Committee • Joint Committee on Printing • Joint Committee on Taxation Joint Committee on Taxation hearing

25. Title: Resolution Artist: Bob Gorrell Date: 12/28/06 Source: http://www.gorrellart.com/

26. How Congress Works The Legislative Process

27. Bill- a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not yet been passed, enacted or adopted A Bill v. A Law

28. Law- a bill or act passed by a legislative body A Bill v. A Law

29. Step 1: An Idea for a Bill Members of Congress Citizens Interest Groups Federal Agency Governors Mayors White House

30. Senate: Bill formerly read aloud on floor Bill then given to clerk Referred to committee by Steering Committee House: Bill dropped in hopper Referred to committee by the Speaker Step 2: Writing & Introduction of Bill

31. Step 3: Committee Action • House & Senate committees conduct public hearings • Experts testify • Markup of bills • Committee vote: report favorably, unfavorably, or table bill House Armed Services Committee

32. Step 4: Floor Action - Senate • Party leaders schedule bills for floor debate on the calendar • Unlimited debate • Filibuster - member(s) keep talking to block debate on a bill • Cloturevote by 3/5 of Senators (60) can end filibuster • Floor vote: Roll Call, Standing, Voice Senator Strum Thurman still holds the record for the longest filibuster - 24 hrs 18 min. on the 1957 Civil Rights Act

33. Step 4: Floor Action - House • Rules Committee schedules bills on calendar & decides whether amendments may be added • Limited debate • Floor vote: Recorded, Standing, Voice

34. Step 5: Approved Bill Crosses Over to Other House • Approved bill must pass each chamber by a simple majority

35. Step 6: Conference Committee • Members from each chamber meet to reconcile differences in the two bills Senate-House Conference Committee works out details of the 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act

36. Step 7: Both Chambers Vote on Final Version of the Bill

37. Step 8: President Considers Bill President can: • Sign the bill into law • “Do nothing” law • Veto bill • Pocket veto Note: Congress can override veto with 2/3 vote in each house; only 4% of vetoes have been overridden City of New York v. William J. Clinton