Chapter 6 Congress 9/28/2015. Roots of the U.S. Congress 6.1. Bicameral legislature. TABLE 6.1 What are the powers of Congress? 6.

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1 Chapter 6 Congress Roots of the U.S. Congress 6.1 Bicameral legislature House Representatives based on population Two-year term Senate Two from each state Six-year term TABLE 6.1 What are the powers of Congress? 6.1 1

2 Eligibility and Apportionment 6.1 Members of the House Twenty-five years old and a citizen for at least seven years Senators Thirty years old and a citizen for at least nine years Census Conducted every ten years Key Powers 6.1 Make laws Both House and Senate must pass bills. Raise and spend revenue Impeachment Other powers "as necessary and proper" to carry out the functions of Congress TABLE 6.2 What are the key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate? 6.1 continued on next slide 2

3 TABLE 6.2 What are the key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate? 6.1 The Members of Congress 6.2 Congressional Demographics Running for and Staying in Office Incumbency Redistricting Congressional Demographics 6.2 Better educated than general population Two-thirds of members hold advanced degrees Wealthier than general population Senate "Millionaires Club" Recent increases in minority representation 3

4 Running for and Staying in Office Political party membership Republican or Democrat Incumbency 6.2 TABLE 6.4 What are the advantages to incumbency? 6.2 Redistricting 6.2 Follows census State Legislatures redraw districts Often political in nature Party in power controls the process Gerrymandering Drawing a district to favor a party or candidate 4

5 FIGURE 6.1 What is Gerrymandering? 6.2 Bettmann/Corbis How Congress Is Organized 6.3 Leadership in the House of Representatives Leadership in the Senate The Committee System Leadership in the House of Representatives 6.3 Speaker of the House Most powerful position in the House Leadership Teams Majority Leader Minority Leader Whips 5

6 Leadership in the Senate 6.3 Presiding Officer Majority Leader Leadership Teams The Committee System 6.3 Types of committees Standing committees Joint committees Conference committees Select (or special) committees Committee chairs Committee membership Powers of Congress 6.4 The Law-making Function The Budgetary Function The Oversight Function 6

7 The Law-making Function 6.4 Committee Referral Floor Debate Final Approval FIGURE 6.4 How does a bill become a law? 6.4 The Oversight Function 6.4 The War Powers Resolution Congressional Review Confirmation of Presidential Appointees Impeachment 7

8 War Powers Resolution 6.4 Passed over President Nixon's veto Requires Congressional approval to commit troops Limits power of president as commander in chief Congressional Review Confirmation of Presidential Appointees 6.4 Congressional review allows Congress to overrule regulations for federal agencies. Senate confirms Supreme Court, federal district court, and Cabinet nominations. Impeachment 6.4 Power to remove official from office House votes to impeach Senate conducts trial 8

9 How Members of Congress Make Decisions 6.5 Political Parties Constituents Colleagues and Caucuses Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and Political Action Committees Staff and Support Agencies Political Parties 6.5 Influence of political parties on the passage of legislation Divided government Different political parties control presidency and Congress Unified government Same political party controls presidency and Congress Constituents 6.5 People who live, work and vote in a member's district Wedge issues 9

10 Colleagues and Caucuses 6.5 Logrolling Supporting another member's legislation in exchange for future support Special Interest Caucuses Informal groups based on shared interest Interest Groups, Lobbyists and Political Action Committees 6.5 Research and Data Provide information to justify members' positions on legislation Persuade constituents to contact or pressure members Fundraising PACS Staff and Support Agencies 6.5 Congressional staffers Agency staffers Committee staffers 10

11 Toward Reform: Balancing Institutional Power Congress and the Executive Congress and the Judiciary Congress and the People 6.6 Congress and the Executive 6.6 Tenure of Office Act Weakened the power of the executive Fluctuations in power Strong executive versus strong legislative Congress and the Judiciary 6.6 Judicial review Supreme Court can determine if legislation is constitutional. Jurisdiction of federal courts 11

12 Congress and the People 6.6 The people's branch Congress serves best interests of citizens. Approval ratings Why are they so low today? 12