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American government

American government. Unit 4. Lesson 22 pages 151-160. How does Congress perform its functions in the American Constitutional System?

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American government

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  1. Americangovernment Unit 4

  2. Lesson 22pages 151-160 How does Congress perform its functions in the American Constitutional System? • Objective:Describe the role of rules, committees, and political parties in the organization and operation of Congress. Describe the process through which proposed legislation becomes law. Identify the primary sources on which members of Congress rely for information in the lawmaking process and to explain the importance of Congress’s inherent power to investigate. Explain the importance of compromise in the deliberative process.

  3. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • Committees: • Both the House and the Senate have standing committees. Each committee has jurisdiction over a particular subject and appoints subcommittees to examine proposals within specific areas. • House committees & subcommittees: • Hold public hearings to receive testimony from individuals and groups about specific proposals and subjects.

  4. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • Oversight hearings also may be held where members of administrative agencies are called into testify as to how they carry out laws enacted by Congress. • There are also select committees and task forces • Specific assignments • Exist for a limited time

  5. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • Rules: House rules adopted by each Congress specifies the size of committees and specifies the jurisdiction of each committee. • House jurisdiction: specific kinds of draft proposals for legislation (BILLS) such as: • Education • Energy • Defense • Etc… • **Each are handled by a specific committee

  6. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • House Rules: Limits on the number of members on committees and subcommittees. • How many committees a member of Congress can serve on. • Term limits for chairpersons. • Form and structure of debates on the floor • House: For important bills the Rules Committee of the House, which is controlled by the majority party, creates “special rules”.

  7. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • Senatealso operates according to rules. • Rules are more informal than in the House • Use filibuster to prevent a vote on a proposal • *filibuster- refusing to surrender the floor during a debate • Huey P. Long, LA (recipes, Shakespeare) • Strom Thrumond, SC (24 hrs, 18mins) • 1917: vote of 60 members to cut off a debate- a cloture vote, and thus bring a vote by the full Senate.

  8. How do committees and rules help Congress do its work? • Political parties: have organization and leaders within Congress. • Job- encourage members to adhere to party policy and platforms. (usually a stronger influence in the House rather than the Senate) • Committee chairs are appointed not only according to seniority, but on the basis of party loyalty. • Chairs of committees are limited to 3 two-year terms.

  9. Who leads the House and the Senate? House of Representatives: • 1. Strong institutional speakers: • Speaker of the House- very powerful political figure in the country. • Tight control over the organization and legislative agenda of the House. • Controls committee appointments and chairs the Rules Committee. • Decides which bills will come to the floor and what the rules of debate will be • Current: John Boehner (R)

  10. Who leads the House and the Senate? • 2. Decentralized committee leadership: • Sometimes leadership in the House is decentralized. • Members can become discontented with centralized power located in the Speaker of the House and allocate that leadership power to committee chairpersons instead. • During these times, chairs are frequently selected on the basis of seniority.

  11. Who leads the House and the Senate? • 3. Political Party Control: • House leadership is a strong speaker who represents the majority party. • Sometimes when a Speaker of the House is a particularly strong political figure and focuses mainly on his/her party agenda committee chairs will be appointed based on party loyalty rather than on seniority.

  12. Who leads the House and the Senate? Senate: • Vice President- per the Constitution is the President of the Senate. • Not a member of the Senate • Often not a member of the majority party • Casts tie breaking votes when needed.

  13. Who leads the House and the Senate? • In absence of the Vice President the person in charge is elected by the Senate. • Called the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. • NOT a formal position. Traditional role, not mentioned in the Constitution.

  14. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? • Enacting a law is complicated and difficult. • Only one in ten proposed laws survive the process of Congress. • Many times members will cosponsor bills to give them more weight. • Bill, Resolution, Joint Resolution, Concurrent Resolution.

  15. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? Legislation: • Bill can be introduced in either or both chambers. (Revenue bills can only be introduced in the House via the Constitution). • Bill or joint resolution assigned a number: • Prefix “H” if introduced in the HOUSE. • Prefix “S” if introduced in the SENATE.

  16. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? 3. Committee Assignment: • Committee chair usually refers bills to subcommittees. • Rigorous scrutiny occurs • Sponsors must agree to compromises in the form of amendments to the bill 4. Hearings: • Committees schedule hearings: • Usually open to the public • Often announced in newspapers, etc. • Expert testimonies, interest groups, governmental organizations

  17. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? 5. Deliberations: • Mark-up sessions in which the committee members review the bill: • Modify • Approve final version • Recommend to full House or Senate • If the bill is assigned to more than one committee or is significantly amended it is not likely to service this process.

  18. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? • Report: • If bill wins favorable committee vote it is reported to the full chamber • It is accompanied w/ a report explaining why the committee acted as it did (always open to the public) • Floor Vote: • Places on a calendar • Voted by full House or Senate

  19. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? • Referred to Other Chamber: • House to Senate OR Senate to House • Process begins again • Other chamber may defeat, amend or approve without amendments. • Conference Committee: • Few bill emerge without being amended. • When House or Senate bills differ a conference committee, composed of members from both chambers usually is appointed to try and reach a compromise. • Agreement- submits it for a vote by both chambers

  20. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? • Referred to the President: • Once approved by both chambers it is sent to the President for action. • Signs- becomes law. • Vetoed- will only pass if it is passed again by a 2/3 majority of those present in each chamber. • If the President does not sign the bill in 10 days and Congress adjourns, the bill is dead– pocket veto.

  21. What roles do majority rule and compromise play in congressional deliberations? • A bill must win majority support at every stage. • Bill must be acceptable to those who manage the process • Members who submitted the bill must be present and willing to compromise. • By the time a proposal becomes a law, many groups and individuals have scrutinizes and debated it. • Law-making process demonstrates: • Representative government • Limited government • Checks and balances

  22. Where do members of Congress get ideas for legislation and information in deciding which bills to support? • Members initiate legislation based on: • Campaign promises • Responses to problems and crises • Their own analysis of need • Request of others • Library of Congress helps in research • Congressional Budget office- analysis of budget and cost of project.

  23. Where do members of Congress get ideas for legislation and information in deciding which bills to support? • Additional Sources requesting legislation: • Executive branch • State of the Union • Executive Departments • Constituents • Interest Groups • lobbyists

  24. How does Congress use its power to investigate? • Inherent Power– Purpose of investigating: • Finding facts to base legislation • Discovering or influencing public opinion • Overseeing administrative agencies • Probing questionable activities of public officials • Securing partisan political gain • Examples: • Labor practices in the 1930s • Examine explosion of the Challenger in 1986 • Terrorist attacks in 2001

  25. How does Congress use its power to investigate? • Investigative power to impeach: • Investigate and bring charges against a public official for a crime or other misdemeanor. • Only 2 Presidents have been impeached. Both were acquitted: • Andrew Johnson (1868) • Bill Clinton (1998) • Sect. or War – William Blount - acquitted • Federal judges- 13 • Threat of Impeachment is powerful: • Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 under threat.

  26. Finishing up! Reflect Work on Projects

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