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The Congress

The Congress. Chapter 13. Due to the Great Compromise the Congress is Bicameral Bicameral An institution consisting of two chambers The two chambers are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

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The Congress

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  1. The Congress Chapter 13

  2. Due to the Great Compromise the Congress is Bicameral • Bicameral • An institution consisting of two chambers • The two chambers are the House of Representatives and the Senate

  3. Senate terms are six years. Elections are staggered so that approximately one third of the seats are up for election every two years. • House terms are two years, with Elections being held in every even numbered year.

  4. Senate: • Roy Blunt- R- 2016 • Claire McCaskill - D - 2018

  5. House Districts

  6. US House of Representatives members from Missouri (8 districts) • William Lacy Clay (D) • Ann Wagner (R) • Blaine Luetkemeyer (R) • Vicky Hartzler (R) • Emanuel Cleaver (D) • Sam Graves (R) • Billy Long(R) • 8th District is currently vacant

  7. While JoAnn Emerson was elected to be the representative from the 8th, she chose instead to retire into a job in the private sector. • This means Missouri will have a special election on June 4 2013 to select the new representative

  8. June 4 2013 Special Election • To represent Missouri’s 8th district in the US House • Steve Hodges (D) • Jason Smith (R ) • Doug Enyart (C ) • Bill Slantz (L)

  9. Lawmaking function • Representation function • Oversight function

  10. Lawmaking Function - The authority (of a legislature) to make the laws necessary to carry out the government’s powers

  11. Representative Function - The responsibility of a legislature to represent various interest in society

  12. Trustee Model of Representation • Says that representatives should act as trustees of the broad interests of the entire society. • Trustee • A legislator who acts according to their own conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.

  13. Instructed Delegate Model of Representation • Instructed Delegate • A legislator who is an agent of the voters who elected him or her and who votes according to the views of constituents regardless of personal beliefs.

  14. Oversight Function - A supervisory activity of Congress that centers on its constitutional responsibility to see that the executive branch carries out the laws faithfully and spends appropriations properly.

  15. Constituents • The people who reside within an elected official’s political jurisdiction Or: The body of citizens eligible to vote for a particular representative. • Members of Congress must be mindful of the demands of their constituency, lest they not get re-elected

  16. Pork-Barrel Projects - Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted at a particular legislator’s constituency (such as a new highway or hospital) • Service Strategy - Use of personal staff by members of Congress to perform services for constituents in order to gain their support in future elections.

  17. Most of the work in Congress is done in standing committees • Standing committee - Permanent congressional committee with a well defined, relatively fixed policy jurisdiction. (Example: Senate Foreign Relations Committee)

  18. Select Committees - Temporary committees created for a specific time period and specific purpose. (Example: Senate Select Committee on Intelligence – Oversees the CIA) • Joint Committees - Committee composed of members of both houses to provide advisory functions. (Example: Joint Committee on the Library – Oversees the Library of Congress)

  19. Subcommittee • A smaller organizational unit within a committee that specializes in a particular segment of the committee’s responsibilities.

  20. Conference Committees - Temporary committees formed to bargain over differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill. Membership is usually appointed from House and Senate standing committees that originally worked on the bill.

  21. Enumerated Powers(Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution) • Include taxing, spending, borrowing, and coining; regulation of foreign trade and trade among states; regulation of the military (state militias, an army and navy, and to declare war); as well as the power to define the court structure. • Powers of the Senate • Must approve treaties and Presidential Appointments

  22. The Necessary and Proper Clause • Allows Congress to make laws that are deemed to be necessary to carry out the expressed powers. (Implied Powers)

  23. More rules are needed to govern the House because it is so large. (435 members to the Senate’s 100) • Rules Committee - A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended and considered by the house.

  24. Some of the differences between the House and Senate

  25. Redistricting – Getting favorable boundaries • After every ten year census, the 435 House seats are re-allocated among the states by population. • Reapportionment • The reallocation of House seats among states after each census as a result of population change. • States who have gained population may gain a house seat, and visa versa with states who have lost population.

  26. Due to population change in the 2010 census, Missouri went from 9 members of the House to 8, beginning with the 2012 election

  27. After reapportionment, the house districts in each state have to be re-drawn, a responsibility that rests with state governments. They are required to be nearly equal in population. • Redistricting - The process of altering election districts in order to make them as nearly equal in population as possible.

  28. Missouri Districts 2002-2012

  29. The New Missouri Districts

  30. There are numerous ways to draw districts and keep them equal in population, including doing it in a way that will benefit the party. • Gerrymandering • The process by which the party in power draws election district boundaries in a way that is to the advantage of its candidates.

  31. Illinois Fourth District

  32. Party Caucus or Party Conference - A group that consists of a party’s members in the House or Senate and that serves to elect the party’s leadership, set policy goals, and plan party strategy. • Party Leaders - Members of the House and Senate who are chosen by the Democratic or Republican caucus in each chamber to represent the party’s interest in that chamber and who give some central direction to the chamber’s work.

  33. Party Discipline - The willingness of a party’s House or Senate members to act as a unified group and thus exert collective control over legislative action.

  34. In the chambers, Congress is organized by party. When one party holds a majority of the seats in a chamber, they also hold the positions of power in that chamber.

  35. Speaker of the House • The presiding officer in the House of Representatives. The Speaker is always a member of the majority party and is the most powerful and influential member of the House. • “The second most powerful person in Washington”

  36. Majority Leader of the House • A legislative position held by an important member of the majority party in the House of Representatives. Duties include fostering cohesion among party members and to act as spokesperson for the majority party. • Elected by the majority party to this position

  37. Minority Leader of the House • Legislative position held by an important member of the minority party in the House of Representatives, with the same duties as the majority leader, except for the opposition party. • Also elected by their party.

  38. The Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and may vote to break a tie. However, the Vice President is rarely present for Senate meetings • President Pro Tempore - The senator who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President.

  39. Senate Majority Leader - The chief spokesperson of the majority party in the Senate, who directs the legislative program and party strategy. • Senate Minority Leader - The party officer in the Senate who commands the minority party’s opposition to the policies of the majority party and directs the legislative program and strategy of his or her party.

  40. Whips - A member of Congress who aids the majority or minority leader of the House or Senate. Duties include delivering messages, keeping track of votes and encouraging party unity.

  41. Bill - A proposed law within Congress • To become law, a bill must pass through both the Senate and the House.

  42. Step 1: The Bill is introduced into either the House or Senate, is assigned a number, and is then sent to the relevant committee. • Step 2: The relevant committee reviews the bill, and sends it to an appropriate sub-committee. Many bills simply die here, because they lack interest to most members or simply don’t have merit.

  43. Since most bills die in committee, we say they have “gate-keeping authority” • Gate-Keeping Authority • The power to decide whether a particular proposal or policy change will be considered

  44. Step 3: Assuming the bill has merit, the subcommittee will schedule hearings on it, hearing testimony from interested experts, lobbyists and administrators. • Step 4: The subcommittee, if they still find merit in the bill, then recommends the bill back to the original committee who can hold more hearings.

  45. Committees are the site of most congressional logrolling • Logrolling - The trading of votes between legislators so that each gets what he or she most wants.

  46. Step 5: If the majority of the committee recommend passage, then the bill goes back to the full chamber for action.

  47. Things are different in the House and the Senate. In the House, the rules committee determines when the vote will be, how long debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed. This rules committee exists in the House because it is too large to effectively operate without strict rules.

  48. In the Senate, the majority and minority leaders schedule bills. Then, there is unlimited debate unless 3/5 (60) of the Senate vote for Cloture. • Cloture - A parliamentary maneuver that limits Senate debate.

  49. Cloture is a pre-emptive way to block a filibuster. • Filibuster • A procedural tactic in the U.S. Senate whereby a minority of legislators prevent a bill from coming to a vote by holding the floor and talking until the majority gives in and the bill is withdrawn from consideration. • In modern times, the mere threat of a filibuster will often make the other party move on to other business.

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