Chapter 13 Congress Know the terms/names (especially with FRQs) Congress House of Representatives Senate Almost always referred to as Congress A term of Congress is 2 years Term begins on January 3 rd of odd number years Each Term has 2 sessions Currently, we are in the 115 th Congress 1 st Session 1
Congress versus Parliament Two major types of legislatures are prevalent around the world: n Congress Independent representatives of their districts or states Principle work is representation and action n Parliament Loyal to national party leadership Principle work is debate Typically, Parliament chooses executive branch (Prime Minister) What the Framers Wanted in Congress n A bicameral Legislature To uphold checks and balances and separation of powers Each chamber would have its own powers n A chamber representing the People and a chamber representing the States House popularly elected members Senate Chosen by State Legislatures (changed with 17 th Amendment) n The ability to have chambers makes their own rules This is why the Senate has a filibuster, and can adjust those rules (Rule 22 allows Cloture ) 2
Powers of Congress The Powers of Congress are expressed in Article 1 Most are considered the enumerated powers Congress also uses the elastic language to carry out their powers There are two types: Legislative Powers and Non-Legislative Powers 3
Who is in Congress? Qualifications HOUSE 2 year term 25 Years Old 7 years citizen Live in state you represent Qualifications SENATE 6 yr term (staggered) 30 Years Old 9 Years Citizen Live in state you represent Sex and Race For years, Congress was made up of rich, old, white men. We have seen a big increase in last 25 years HOUSE Blacks Women Hispanics 1990 23 23 11 2015 46 83 34 SENATE Blacks Women Hispanics 1990 0 2 0 2015 3 21 4 Who is in Congress? The incumbency rate (over 90%) is why we see the same people year-after-year in Congress. THE (re)election OF CONGRESS Remember that there are 435 members of the House and each state gets a certain number of representatives (apportionment) Each represents approximately 720,000 people. We use the census every 10 years to determine the reapportionment of the House seats due to population shifts If a state gains or loses a seat, redistricting happens Gerrymandering usually occurs There are many more Safe Districts than Marginal Districts (those that are close in most elections) The Senate does not have redistricting 4
Percentage of Incumbents Reelected to Congress Do Members Represent Their Constituents? n Representational view members vote to please their constituents n Organizational View members vote to please fellow members of Congress (especially their Party) n Attitudinal View members vote on the basis of their own beliefs Trustee Role Delegate Role The People sent the representative to Congress and should vote the way they want since they were trusted with the job Congress serves the will of the People and should vote according on what the people want 5
A Polarized Congress n A more ideological perspective has been brought to Congress due to gerrymandering and safe seats. This causes much gridlock in Congress n Yet Voters are closer to the center of political spectrum. The Organization of Congress: Leaders, Committees and Caucuses (Oh, my) The presiding officers The Role of the Parties The House and Senate are divided by Party All committees have the same ratio democrat/republican as the chamber All committee chairs comes from the majority party Leaders and committee chairs are chosen in the party caucus before the term begins 6
The Organization of Congress: Leaders, Committees and Caucuses (Oh, my) The House SPEAKER MAJORITY LEADER MINORITY LEADER MAJORITY WHIP MINORITY WHIP The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House He/She holds a tremendous amount of power The Organization of Congress: Leaders, Committees and Caucuses (Oh, my) The Senate PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE (Vice President of the United States) PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE (Mostly Honorary given to longest-serving member of majority) MAJORITY LEADER MINORITY LEADER MAJORITY WHIP MINORITY WHIP The Majority Leaders holds the power in the Senate 7
The Organization of Congress: Leaders, Committees and Caucuses (Oh, my) Groups of members that share a (specific) ideology, interest, ethnicity, etc create a loose coalition in Congress. Those that have played significance in the past 25 years are: Congressional Black Caucus Blue Dog Caucus Prayer Caucus Committees- where the work gets done Types of Committees n n n The Organization of Congress: Leaders, Committees and Caucuses (Oh, my) Standing Committees found in both chambers, are permanent and they focus on work on legislation Select Committees Set up in both chambers, for a specific reason and for a limited time Joint Committees MEMBERS of BOTH chambers serve on committee and deal with routine item (i.e. Joint Committee on Printing) but the most important in the law-making process is the Conference Committee Conference Committee resolves differences between versions of the same Bill passed House and Senate (also called Reconciliation) 8
Committees in the House Committees in the Senate 9
Committee Organization Membership of Committee is decided by leadership Years of service, home state and loyalty get you placed on a committee Committee Chairs are selected in Party Caucus but the seniority system is really the chosen method The Organization of Congress: Staff and Specialized Offices n Agencies assisting Congressmen Congressional Research Service (CRS) Library of Congress General Accounting Office (GAO) Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) Congressional Budget Office (CBO) 10
How a Bill Becomes a Law n Introducing a Bill Public Bills deals with the public Private Bills deals with specific, private, personal or local matters n Committee Assignment Most bills die here (pigeonholed) Can be marked up (amended) Needs majority to favor bill to move on Rules committee needed in House n Floor Debate and Vote n Presidential Action 11
How a Bill Becomes a Law n Committee Assignment Most bills die here (pigeonholed) n Discharge petition can get it out of committee Can be marked up (amended) Needs majority to favor bill to move on Rules committee needed in House n This limits debate n Can get open rule (allows amendments on floor) or closed rule (doesn t allow amendments) How a Bill Becomes a Law n Floor Debate House has limited debate Senate does not à allows for filibuster n Cloture allows debate to end and call a vote n That takes 60 votes (called a supermajority) n Vote Majority rules 12
How a Bill Becomes a Law n Presidential Action 10 days to take action n No action in 10 days (while Congress is in session), it becomes a law n If Congress is NOT in session for all 10 days and POTUS takes no action, bill is dead If President signs the bill, it becomes a law The President can Veto the Bill n Goes back to Congress and both chambers must override the veto with a 2/3 vote 13
Pay and Perks $174,000 per year is their salary vote for their own pay increase Does not take effect until next Congress Speaker $223,000 Leaders get 193,400 Many perks Office and expense accounts for staff and supplies Travel allowances Pension plan Health coverage Franking Privilege free postal service Privileged Speech Reducing Power and Perks Pork-Barrel Legislation 14
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