Organization of Congress

1. Organization of Congress Temporally (by time) Leadership Caucuses Committees Agencies

2. Temporal Organization • Terms and Sessions • Each term lasts two years • Begin on first Monday in January in odd numbered years • Numbered consecutively (just finished 106th) • Adjournment at end of term (must be agreed upon by both houses) • Two regular sessions per term – periodic recesses (not to be confused with adjournments)

3. Significance of Adjournment • When Congress adjourns, it’s term is over and all business ceases • Pending bills die ; no matter what stage of the legislative process they are in, they must be reintroduced in the next Congress and considered from the beginning • Veto implications • “Pocket Veto” – by refusing to sign a bill, a president can effectively veto it if Congress adjourns within 10 days after bill submitted to him for signature

4. Significance of Recess • Recess Appointments (e.g. for judges, cabinet posts, other bureaucratic positions) • A president can by-pass Congress and avoid the Constitutional requirement of Senate confirmation of an appointment by making the appointment during a Congressional recess • Limitation: the appointee serves only until the end of the Congressional term

5. Party Leadership - House • Speaker of the House – elected by vote of majority party • Used to be more powerful – still most powerful single person in Congress • Presides over House • Appoints select and conference committees • Appoints Rules Committee chairman and members • Assigns bills to committees • Second in line after VP in presidential succession • Informal powers – patronage, assigning office space, etc.

6. Party Leadership - House • Majority/Minority Leaders • Partisan positions chosen by party members • Floor leaders and legislative strategists • Whips • Assistant floor leaders • Inform party leaders on “mood” of House • Keep “nose count” on important votes • Persuade party members to vote with party

7. Party Leadership - Senate • VP • President and presiding officer of Senate • Votes in case of a tie • ceremonial job • President pro tempore • most senior of majority party (Robert Byrd) • ceremonial job • 3rd in line in presidential succession • presides in absence of vp

8. Party Leadership - Senate • Majority leader • true leader in Senate • recognized first for all debates • true leader of majority party (chosen by members) • influences committee assignments • with minority leader, influences Senate Agenda • Informal powers (spokesperson, ties with media, etc) • Minority leader and whips • same as House

9. Caucuses • Definition – a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic • Party Caucuses • For members belonging to each major party and their “invited guests” • The two independents in the Senate vote with the Democrats and attend their caucus meetings • all party members meet periodically for business such as electing leaders and devising strategies

10. Caucuses • Other types (usually comprised of members of both parties and from both houses) • Intra party caucuses : members who share common ideologies (e.g. Democratic Study Group) • Personal interest caucuses : organized around shared interest in a particular issue (e.g. Congressional Family Caucus) • National constituency concerns (e.g. Black Caucus) • Regional constituency concerns (e.g. Western States) • State or district constituency concerns (e.g. Rural Caucus) • Industrial or business concerns (e.g. Steel Caucus)

11. Committees • Where the real work of Congress is done; committees do the following: • study bills • hold hearings on bills or issues that could lead to bills • debate bills • Amend bills • kill bills • recommend bills to the entire house for passage

12. Committees • Types • Standing • permanent with legislative and oversight powers • Conference • Temporary; established to reconcile bills passed by each house • Select • limited, temporary purpose • Joint • similar to select but containing members from both houses

13. Committees - Standing • House – most important are • Rules – most powerful – sets legislative calendar and establishes rules for debate and amendments • Ways and Means – tax bills • Appropriations – spending bills (those which provide actual funding for authorized programs) • Budget • Armed Forces • Party Committees • Steering and Policy (D) – sets legislative agenda and assigns members to committees • Committee on Committees (R) – assigns members; Policy Committee (R) – sets agenda

14. Committees - Standing • Senate – most important are • Finance – tax bills • Appropriations – spending • Budget • Foreign Relations – Highly prestigious reflecting Senate’s increased foreign relations role (treaty ratification and ambassadorial confirmation) • Judiciary – decides on President’s appointees to federal court positions • Party Committees • Steering (D) - assigns members to committees; Policy Committee (D) – sets agenda  • Committee on Committees (R) – assigns members; Policy Committee (R) – sets agenda

15. Committees - Conference • Consists of both Senators and Representatives (members of both houses) • Members chosen by the leadership of each house • Majority has final word and often totally controls conference committees • Opportunity for leadership to exercise more control over legislation • Job is to reconcile different versions of the same bill that are passed by each house of Congress • Done by developing compromise language or changing controversial provisions • Bills passed by the conference committee are submitted to each hose for a straight up or down vote (they cannot be changed) • Often referred to as the third house of congress

16. Committees - Leadership • Committees are headed by Chairmen or Chairwomen (the unisex tem is simply “Chair”) • Chairs are always a member of the majority party (or a member who caucuses with the majority party) • Chairs have substantial power over • setting the committee agenda • hiring staff • membership on subcommittees • jurisdiction of subcommittees

17. Committees - Leadership • There are 3 methods for choosing Committee Chairs: • Seniority: The majority party committee member with the most seniority is the chairperson. • Election by Caucus: The members of the majority party in the legislative body elect the chairperson. • Appointment by party leaders: The Speaker and/or the majority leader (House) or the majority leader (Senate) selects the committee chairperson • Discussion: • What are the pros and cons of each method? • Which method would you support?

18. Committees - Membership • Membership – assigned by Committee on Committees (R) or Steering and Policy (D) • Important to be on the “right” committee • criteria: visibility, opportunity to serve constituents (not necessarily the same) • Majority party gets majority of seats on the committee

19. Congressional Staff • rapid growth • in 1935, average rep had 2 aides; in 1996 the number was 15 • What the staff does • service constituents (vocab - “case working”) • legislative work (drafting, analyzing) • scout for issues • communicate with media • negotiate with other staffers • meet with lobbyists

20. Congressional Agencies • Purpose: • provide specialized knowledge or skills to Congress • important for Congress to keep up with the presidency • GAO (Government Accountability Office) – Congress’s accountant; audits and makes recommendations • CRS (Congressional Research Service) – researches; non-partisan • CBO (Congressional Budget Office) – advises Congress of likely economic effects of proposed programs