AP US Gvernment Chapter 12 The Representatives and Senatrs The jb Salary f $174,000 (2014) with retirement benefits Office space in DC and at hme with staff Travel allwances and franking privileges (ability t send free mail) Requires lng hurs, a lt f time away frm family, and pressure frm thers t supprt their plicies Requirements Senate (100 members) 30 years ld American citizen fr nine years Residents f the state they represent Huse (435) 25 years ld American citizen fr 7 years Residents f the state they represent The prblem? Lack f descriptive representatin Des nt reflect the ppulatin f the US In the ppulatin there are mre wmen than men, lts f middle-aged and ld peple, and lts f ethnic and racial diversity. All f which is nt prprtinately represented in the makeup f Cngress Cngressinal Electins The advantages f Incumbents Advertising The gal is t be visible t yur cnstituents Frequent trips hme, use f newsletters and technlgy Credit claiming Service t cnstituents thrugh: Case Wrk: specifically helping cnstituents get what they think they have a right t Prk Barrel: federal prjects, grants, etc. made available in a cngressinal district r state Psitin Taking Prtray themselves as hard-wrking, dedicated individuals Occasinally take a partisan stand n an issue Weak ppnents Page 1 f 6
Inexperienced in plitics, unrganized, and underfunded Campaign Spending Challengers need t raise large sums t defeat an incumbent PACs give mst f their mney t incumbents The Rle f Party Identificatin Mst members represent the majrity party in their district, and mst wh identify with a party reliably vte fr its candidates Defeating Incumbents One tarnished by scandals r crruptin becmes vulnerable t a challenger Tdd Akin (R) Missuri Redistricting may weaken the incumbency advantage Majr plitical tidal wave may defeat incumbents 2010 Cngressinal races? Open seats (n incumbent running) Greater likelihd f cmpetitin Mst turnver ccurs in pen seats Massachusetts senate race Stability and change Incumbents prvide stability in Cngress Change in Cngress ccurs less frequently thrugh electins Are term limits an answer? Redistricting The prcess f redrawing district lines fr cngress Happens after every census (10 years) Methds f redistricting Advisry cmmissins Plitician cmmissins Independent cmmissins State legislatures Federal rules f redistricting Equal ppulatin Equal representatin fr minrities but nt based n race (Vting Rights Act f 1965) Reynlds vs Sims Baker vs Carr Lines must be cntiguus Gerrymandering The prcess f redrawing a district t give a grup an unfair advantage Page 2 f 6
Hw Cngress is Organized t Make Plicy American Bicameralism The Huse Senate 435 members 100 members 2 year terms f ffice 6 year terms f ffice Initiates all revenue bills Gives advice and cnsent Mre influential n budget Mre influential n freign affairs Limited debates Unlimited debates (filibuster) Huse Rules Cmmittee Initiates impeachment Jury and trial f President if charges are brught t attentin by the Huse Filibuster Only in Senate Strategy whereby ppnents f a piece f legislatin try t talk a bill t death Why is this pssible: Senate has a traditin that allws unlimited debates n bills Tday, 60 members present and vting can stp a filibuster (3/5 ths) Super Majrity Clture - The prcedure t stp a filibuster r prevent ne frm ccurring Huse f Representatives FAST! Mre institutinalized Mre centralized Mre hierarchal (first term members rarely d anything) Less anarchic Mre party lyalty Rle f the speaker and whip Speaker f the Huse Majrity Leader Whip Elected by Huse members (majrity party wins) Bth parties have a majrity leader Tries t get assured vtes in any way necessary Presides ver the Huse Ally f the speaker Majr rle in cmmittee assignments and legislatin Influences cmmittee assignments 2 nd in line t presidency Schedules bills Huse Rules Cmmittee Reviews bills befre ging t the full Huse fr a vte Sets date fr debate Rules fr amending the bill Page 3 f 6
Allts time fr debate - Restricts the rle f the minrity party Senate Leadership The Senate Frmally lead by Vice President Really led by the Majrity leader chsen by party members Assisted by Whips Must wrk with minrity leader President pr Tempre f the Senate Highest ranking Senatr Elected by the Senate Typically the lngest serving member f the majrity party 3 rd in line t presidency Hnrary psitin Hw Cngress is Organized t Make Plicy Cmmittees and Subcmmittees Standing Cmmittees: Separate subject-matter cmmittees in each huse f Cngress that handle bills in different plicy areas. Jint Cmmittees: Cngressinal cmmittees n a few subject-matter areas with membership in drawn frm bth huses. Select Cmmittees: Cngressinal Cmmittees appinted fr a specific purpse, such as the Watergate investigatin Cnference Cmmittees: Cngressinal cmmittees frmed when the Senate and the Huse pass a particular bill in different frms, Party leadership appints members frm each huse t irn ut the differences and bring back a single bill The cmmittees at wrk: legislatin and versight Legislatin Cmmittees wrk n 11,000 bills every sessin (nly abut 8% f bills pass) Sme hld hearings and mark up meetings Legislative Oversight Mnitring f the bureaucracy and its administratin f plicy thrugh cmmittee hearings As publicity value f receiving credit fr cntrlling spending has increased, s t has versight grwn Oversight usually takes place after a catastrphe Getting n a cmmittee Members want cmmittee assignments that will help them get reelected, gain influence, and make plicy New members express their cmmittee preferences t the party leaders Thse wh have supprted their party s leadership are favred in the selectin prcess Page 4 f 6
Parties try t grant cmmittee preferences Getting ahead n the cmmittee Cmmittee Chair: The mst imprtant influencers f the cngressinal agenda. They play dminant rles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appinting subcmmittees, and managing cmmittee bills when they are brught befre the full Huse Mst chairs are selected accrding t senirity system Members wh have served n the cmmittee the lngest and whse party cntrlled Cngress becme Chair Caucuses: the infrmal rganizatin f Cngress Caucus: a grup f members f Cngress sharing sme interest r characteristic Abut 300 caucuses Caucuses pressure fr cmmittee meetings and hearings and fr vtes n bills Caucuses can be mre effective than lbbyists Cngressinal Staff Persnal Staff: wrk fr the member, mainly prviding cnstituent service, but help with legislatin t Cmmittee Staff: rganize hearings, research and write legislatin. Target f lbbyists Staff Agencies: CRS, GAO, CBO prvide specific infrmatin t Cngress The Cngressinal Prcess Legislatin Bill: a prpsed law Anyne can draft a bill, but nly members f Cngress can intrduce them Mre rules in the Huse than in the Senate Party leaders play a vital rle in steering bills thrugh bth huses, but less in the Senate Cuntless influences n the legislative prcess Presidents and Cngress: Partners and Prtagnists Presidents attempt t persuade Cngress that what they want is what Cngress wants Presidents have many resurces t influence Cngress But t succeed, the president must win at least 10 times Ultimately, presidential leadership f Cngress is at the margins Party, Cnstituency, Idelgy Party influence Party leaders cannt frce party members t vte a particular way, but many d vte alng party lines Cnstituency versus idelgy Prime determinant f member s vte n mst issues is idelgy On mst issues that are nt salient, legislatrs may ignre cnstituent pinin But n cntrversial issues, members are wise t heed cnstituent pinin Page 5 f 6
Lbbyists and interest grups There are 35,000 registered lbbyists trying t influence Cngress the bigger the issues, the mre lbbyists wrking n it Lbbyists try t influence legislatrs vtes Lbbyists can be ignred, shunned, and even regulated by Cngress Ultimately it is a cmbinatin f lbbyists and thers (cnstituents) that influence legislatrs vtes Understanding Cngress Cngress and Demcracy Leadership and cmmittee assignments are nt representative Cngress des try t respnd t what the peple want, but sme argue it culd d a better jb Members f cngress are respnsive t the peple, if the peple make it clear what they want Cngress and the Scpe f Gvernment The mre plicies Cngress wrks n, the mre ways it can serve their cnstituencies The mre prgrams Cngress creates, the bigger the gvernment gets Cntradictin in public pinin: everybdy wants gvernment prgrams cut, but nt their prgrams Summary Knw hw Cngress makes plicy Describe the incumbency advantage Knw hw Cngress is structurally cmplex Knw hw president, parties, cnstituents, lbbyists, and interest grups all effect a legislatrs vte chices Page 6 f 6