Phase I: Introduction to Congress February 13 th, 2013 (2.20.14) Part 1: Who s In Congress? demographics - selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research; commonly-used demographics include race, age, level of education, gender, religion, political affiliation and occupation. 1) Use Student Handout 1: Demographic Profile 111 th Congress. a. Identify at least five demographical characteristics of a typical representative in the 111th Congress based on the data above. b. List three groups of people who might have reason to question whether or not the Congress adequately represents their interests. c. Can a legislative body make decisions that are in the best interest of the whole if that legislative body does not truly reflect the whole? Explain with evidence from handout 1. Fun Facts (research on your own) 2) The House of Representatives has members. There are representatives from my state. I live in the district and my representative is? Since Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms, one session of Congress lasts two years. Each two-year session has a number. The current session is the Congress, which began January 20. It ends on? 3) Do the math, what session of Congress would have the Contract with America been signed? Part 2: Differences between House and Senate. 4) Using the information from Student Handout 2 complete the Comparison Chart in Student Handout 3. 5) Read the green box on pg. 318 of your textbook and identify two other differences. Part 3: Scavenger Hunt: Party Leadership (Google) 6) Every two years the Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the party. 7) Currently, the Party has the most seats in the House of Representatives. 8) Complete Student Handout 4a-b by using the website sources AND pages 297-299 in your textbook. Once this is finished please complete Activity A individually. Activity A: Assume your entire class are Republicans. Using your knowledge of each leadership position, choose a member from your class who would fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the Top three leaders in the House. Justify your choices!!! Part 4: Congressional Committees 9) Read Student Handout 5: CRS Report for Congress AND Text book pages 304-308. Use the information to fill out Student Handout 6
10) Based on that knowledge, match the three picture collages (A,B,C) to the three types of committees they represent (Student Handout 7) List the reasons why the collage represents the committee. 11) "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee is Congress at work. - Woodrow Wilson (1885). Based on what you learned in part 4 Explain. Part 5: Congressional Caucuses: 12) Using pages 303-304 Define Congressional Caucuses. 13) List, explain and cite examples of four types of Congressional Caucuses. Part 6: Delegates or Trustees? Who do Members of Congress Represent? 15) Read pages 294-297. After reading, select 1 of the 2 activities to complete. Please see Student Handout 8 & 9 for examples. A. Draw a Sensory Figure that represents the different explanations of how a Congressperson might vote. Try to use at least 4 of the 5 senses. Try to create a 6th Sense and use it to represent an aspect of each view B. Create a THREE headed Mutated caricature of a Congressperson. The caricature should incorporate symbols that reflect the dilemmas a Congressperson will face when trying to decide on how to vote on certain issues. Tie in references from the text. 16) Why are the terms Delegates and Trustees used to represent the different responsibilities of a Congressperson? Which is the better fit? Part 7: Congressional Support 17) Read pages 309-310. What role do Congressional Staff members play in the following? (a) linking Congressman to constituents, (b) in the legislative process (c) dealing with lobbyist, (d) changing the structure of Congress? 18) Define both the GAO and the CBO. Which one is most essential to government? Explain 19. Which quote or cartoon is the best description of Congress? WHY Churchill's remark that "democracy is the worst system devised by the wit of man, except for all the others," still rings true. "Suppose you were an idiot... And suppose you were a member of Congress... But I repeat myself." --Mark Twain I m so confused! If the opposite of pro is con, does that mean that the opposite of progress is Congress?
Student Handout 1 Demographic Categories House of Representatives Senate General Population (2001 stats) Party Association: Democrats 256 56 48% Republicans 178 41 26% Independents 0 2 26% Median Age: 57 63 36.6 Gender: Men 82% 83% 48.6% Women 18% (78) 17% (17) 51.4% Education (college) 95% college educated HR & S combined 36.6% Religion: Protestants 59% 53% 56.1% Catholics 28% 25% 25.9% Jews 7% 13% 1.4% Muslims >1% (1) 0% 0.6% Other/None >1% 9% 16% Ethnicity: Whites 84% 94% 67% Hispanics 6% (28) 3% (3) 14.8% African Americans 10% (41) 1% (1) 13.4% Asian Americans >1% (9) 2% (2) 4.4% Native Americans >1% (1) 0% >1% Military Service: 25% (96) 25% (25) 10% (approximate) Occupation: Lawyers 50% (215) 58% (58) 0.5% Businesspersons 37% (162) 26% (26) 9.9% Public Officials 20% (109 combined HR & S) NA Educators 19% (82) 14% (14) 4.6% Length of Service 11 yrs. (5.5 terms) 12.9 yrs. (2.2 terms) N/A
Student Handout 2 House Senate 435 members; 2 yr terms 100 members; 6 yr terms Low turnover Speaker bill referral hard to challenge Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party; powerful Rules Committee Debate limited to 1 hour Members policy specialists Emphasizes tax & revenue policy More formal & impersonal Moderate turnover Referral decisions easily challenged Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked Members policy generalists Emphasizes foreign policy More informal & personal
House v. Senate Student Handout 3 House Senate Reason(s) Why did the Founders create the difference?
Party Leadership Student Handout 4a Directions Your task is to research the major leadership positions in the House and Senate and include the following information in the table below: 1) identify the current leader, her/his party and state, 2) briefly describe the major roles and responsibilities of each position. The websites below are excellent resources: http://www.ushistory.org/gov/6b.asp http://www.ncsl.org/programs/leaders/lrdroles.htm#pos http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_leadershippositions.htm http://www.house.gov/leadership/ http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm House of Representatives Leadership - 113 th Congress LEADERSHIP POSITION CURRENT LEADER ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES Speaker of the House House Majority Leader House Majority Whip House Minority Leader House Minority Whip
Student Handout 4b Senate Leadership - 113 th Congress LEADERSHIP POSITION CURRENT LEADER ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES President of the Senate President Pro Tempore Senate Majority Leader Senate Minority Leader Senate Majority Whip Senate Minority Whip
Student Handout 5 Committee Types and Roles Valerie Heitshusen Analyst in American National Government Government and Finance Division Structure of the Committee System Congress divides its legislative, oversight, and internal administrative tasks among more than 200 committees and subcommittees. Within assigned areas, these functional subunits gather information; compare and evaluate legislative alternatives; identify policy problems and propose solutions; select, determine, and report measures for full chamber consideration; monitor executive branch performance (oversight); and investigate allegations of wrongdoing. For more information on legislative process, (http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml].1) The 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act (60 Stat. 812) sets the framework for the modern committee system. The act organized the Senate and House committees along roughly parallel lines, but divergences have emerged over time. Within the guidelines of chamber rules, each committee adopts its own rules addressing organizational, structural, and procedural issues. As a consequence, there is considerable variation among panels and across chambers. Following organizational meetings at the beginning of the 110th Congress, there were 20 standing committees in the House with 97 subcommittees, and two select committees. The Senate has 16 standing committees with 72 subcommittees, as well as four select or special committees with no subcommittees. In addition there are four joint committees. CRS-2 Types of Committees There are four main types of committees: standing, select or special, joint, and conference. Standing committees are permanent panels identified as such in chamber rules (House Rule X, Senate Rule XXV). Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for consideration by their respective chambers. They also have oversight responsibility to monitor agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions. Most standing committees recommend funding levels authorizations for government operations and for new and existing programs. A few have other functions. For example, the Appropriations Committees recommend legislation to provide budget authority for federal agencies and programs. The Budget Committees establish aggregate levels for total spending and revenue, via the annual budget resolution, that serve as guidelines for the work of the authorizing and appropriating panels. Select or special committees are established generally by a separate resolution of the chamber, sometimes to conduct investigations and studies, and, on other occasions, also to consider measures. Often, select committees examine emerging issues that do not fit clearly within existing standing committee jurisdictions, or which cut across jurisdictional boundaries. A select committee may be permanent or temporary. Select committees may have certain restrictions on member tenure or may include certain specified representatives (e.g., party leaders or certain standing committee chairs) as ex officio members. Instead of select, the Senate sometimes uses the term special committee (e.g., the Special Committee on Aging).
Joint committees are made up of Members of both the House and Senate. Today s joint committees are permanent panels that conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks rather than consider measures. For instance, the Joint Committee on Printing oversees the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures of the federal government. The chairmanship of joint committees usually alternates between the House and Senate. A conference committee is a temporary joint committee formed to resolve differences between competing House and Senate versions of a measure. Conference committees draft compromises between the positions of the two chambers, which are then submitted to the full House and Senate for approval.
Student Handout 6 Committee Type Description House Examples Senate Examples Standing Committee Subcommittee Select or Special Committee Joint Committee Conference Committee
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 8