A. term "a two year period of time during which Congress meets" *a period of time that elected officials hold office B. session period of time each year that Congress assembles and conducts business--start on noon on Jan. 3 (unless a different day is set) C. special session a session of Congress, called by the president, to deal with emergency situations D. adjourn to suspend until the next session December 15, 2011
E. apportionment distribute, as in seats, in the legislature F. off-year election election held between presidential elections; generally have lower voter turn-out G. continuous body (refers to the Senate) only 1/3 of total seats are up for election every two years H. constituency people of interest that the congressmen represent I. partisans lawmaker who owes his/her first allegiance to the political party and vote according to the party lines J. oversight function Congress, working through the committees, checks on the executive branch to see that they are working correctly. K.franking privilege The benefit of free postage afforded to members of Congress
IV. The Members A. Backgrounds Age: 53 (H) 58 (S) Women: 63 (H) 14 (S) Ethnicity: 39 (A.A.) 23 (H) 4 (As.A.) 2 (N.A.) 1 (N.H.) Married w/ average 2 kids Religion: 60% Protestant, 25% Catholic, 8% Jewish Career: majority are lawyer 112th Congress Age: 56.7 (H) 62.2 (S) Women: 74 (H) 17 (S) Ethnicity: 44 (AA), 28 (H), 13 (A or NA), 1 (NH./PI) Religion: 57% Protestant, 29% Catholic, 7% Jewish, Career: public servant/politics, business, lawyer Salary: $174,000 B. The Job 1. Trustee Follow the guidance of their constituents. Rely on their own morals, values, judgement, etc. 2. Partisan Make decisions based on their party's recommendations or demands. 3. Politicos Try to find a balance between the partyline and their own constituency's demands or expectations
C. Compensation 1. Salary Average: $174,000/year 2. Non-salary Special tax deductions. Retirement plans. Life insurance. Health care. Offices in Washington. Funds for hiring staff. Franking privilege. Some dining discounts. Health clubs. Free parking at the capital. 3. Politics of Pay Limits on Pay: 1-Changes don't go into effect until after the next election (27th Amendment) 2-Presidential veto power. 3-Backlash from constituents. 4. Privileges 1-Cannot be arrested while on official business (IN the House or Senate) 2-Cannot be sued for comments made during debates.
Organization of the Legislative Branch I. House of Representatives Opening Day: All are up for election every two years. Clerk from preceding term acts as chair, calls roll, Leadership sworn in by the Dean of the House (member elect with longest tenure). Democrats sit on right, Republicans on the left. Elect clerk, sergeant at arms, chief administrative officer, chaplain. Determine rules. Appoint committees. December 15, 2011
Democrats Independent Republicans A. Speaker of the House Determine the flow of the debate. Interprets and applies the rules. Refers bills to committees. Determines committee members. Follows the vice-president in succession.
1. Majority Leader Not an official position. Steer the actions of the party members. Provide guidance and leadership. Help steer debate. a. Majority Whip A.K.A. the assistant floor leader. Actually does the work to keep the party in line. Serves as the liaison between the leadership and the members of the party. Count the votes prior to the formal motions. b. Rep. Conf. Chair c. Rep. Policy Cmte. Chair (1) Committee Chairs Selected by the majority party leader (Speaker and/or Floor Leaders). Determine order of debate within the committees. Determine order of business. Seniority Rule: the oldest, longest serving members get the most important responsibilities. 2. Minority Leader a. Minority Whip b. Asst. Dem. Leader c. Dem. Caucus Chair * Conference or Caucus is a meeting of or organization of all party members in the House or Senate
II. Senate Opening Day: Continuous body. First day is very short. Swear in new senators. Fill vacancies on committees. A. President Vice-president of the US-not elected to the legislature (not as powerful as Speaker). Can only vote to break a tie. Has no voice on the floor. Democrats Independent Republicans
1. Majority Leader a. Majority Whip b. Democratic Conference c. De. Conf. Cmte. Chair & Policy Cmte. Chair d. Dem. Conf. Sec (1) Committee Chairs 2. Minority Leader a. Minority Whip b. Republican Conf. Chair c. Rep. Conf. Vice-Chair d. Rep. Conf. Cmte. Chair 3. President Pro tempore Serves in President's absence. Leading member of the majority party, selected from within the Senate. Reapportionment of the House Constitution requires that seat in the House be apportioned (distributed) among the states based on population Each state is guaranteed one rep regardless of population (Vt, Alaska, De, Mt, ND, SD, Wy. only have one) Non-voting Members--DC, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa send a delegate to the House, Puerto Rico sends a resident commissioner (none are full members of the Housecan serve on committees, vote in cmte, but not on House floor)
Single-Member Districts vs. At-Large Districts SMD- Each district votes for their congressman At-Large- The whole state votes, completely unfair- 1842 No more At-Large Elections State Legislature is responsible for drawing congressional districts. Districts should be "contiguous territory" (connected) 1872- districts should have nearly same population 1901- district should be 'compact territory' (as small as possible) Reapportionment Act of 1929 1. 435 members set as permanent size 2. Census, taken every 10 years, determines how many members each state has. 3. Census Bureau sends new #s to House and Senate to approve. 1932- Wood vs. Broom challenged contiguity, population eq., and compactness rules. The rules had never been enforced and weren't part of the 1929 Act, so they were declared repealed by the courts
Gerrymandering drawing congressional districts to the advantage of the political party that controls the state legislature. Districts that are gerrymandered look bizarre (S's, Y's, squiggles, etc) Two reasons a. to concentrate the opposition's voters in one or a few districts thus leaving the other party safe to dominant. b. to spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting their ability to win any seats Wesberry vs. Sanders, 1964