How Congress Is Organized Chapter 6.1 P138-144
Terms of Congress The Framers of the U.S. Constitution intended the legislative branch to be the most powerful branch.
Terms of Congress Each term starts January 3 of odd-numbered years and lasts two years. Each term has two sessions. Congress holds special sessions in times of crisis. A joint session occurs when both houses meet together, such as for the president s State of the Union address.
Terms of Congress How are different terms of Congress identified? Each new Congress is given a number to identify its two-year term. For example, the first Congress met in 1789, and 107 th Congress began meeting in 2001.
A Bicameral Legislature The Great Compromise established Congress as a two-part, or bicameral, body. The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, allotted to the states by population. After each census, or population count taken by the Census Bureau, Congress adjusts the number of representatives given to each state.
A Bicameral Legislature States are divided into districts, with one representative elected from each district. The states draw districts to include roughly the same number of constituents, or people represented.
A Bicameral Legislature Some abuse the process by drawing a gerrymander, or oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group. House members focus on the concerns of their districts.
A Bicameral Legislature The Senate has 100 members two from each state. Senators represented their entire states. They serve six-year terms. Elections are staggered to ensure some stability.
A Bicameral Legislature Members of the House of Representatives focus on the concerns of their district, rather than on the concerns of their state as a whole. Is this what the Framers of the Constitution intended?
A Bicameral Legislature Yes. In allotting House seats by population, the Framers designed Congress so that House members would be closer to the people than would members of the Senate.
Congressional Leaders In both houses, the political party to which more than half the members belong is the majority party. The other party is the minority party. Party members choose their leaders at the beginning of each term.
Congressional Leaders The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the House of Representatives. The speaker always belongs to the majority party. The speaker is in charge of floor debates and influences most House business.
Congressional Leaders If something happened to the president and vice president, the Speaker would become president. The leader of the Senate is technically the vice president, who rarely attends and votes only in case of a tie.
Congressional Leaders The person who actually acts as chairperson is the president pro tempore. The majority party fills this mostly ceremonial position.
Congressional Leaders Powerful floor leaders try to make sure the laws Congress passes are in the best interest of their own party. They speak for their parties on the issues and try to sway votes.
Congressional Leaders Party whips help by keeping track of where their party members stand on issues and rounding them up for key votes.
Congressional Leaders How does the Speaker of the House exercise influence? Speakers today often influence through persuasion. They talk with many members of Congress, listen to requests for favors, and in return expect the representatives to support important issues.
Committees: Little Legislatures The detailed work of lawmaking is done in committees. Each house has permanent standing committees that continue their work from session to session. Most are divided into smaller subcommittees that deal with specialized issues.
Committees: Little Legislatures Both houses also have select committees that are created to do a special job for a limited period. They disband after completing their task.
Committees: Little Legislatures Joint committees include members of both houses. Temporary conference committees help the House and Senate agree on the details of a proposed law.
Committees: Little Legislatures Members of Congress try to get assigned to important committees that affect the people who elected them. Party leaders make committee assignments based on members preferences, expertise, party loyalty, and seniority, or years of service.
Committees: Little Legislatures Members with the most seniority usually get the preferred committee spots. The most senior members from the majority party traditionally become chairpersons. Chairpersons of standing committees are the most powerful members of Congress.
Committees: Little Legislatures What are the main arguments for and against the use of the seniority system in choosing committee members? Some people think the seniority system prevents fights over committee jobs and ensures that chairpersons will have experience. Others complain that talented people may be overlooked in favor of those who simply have been around for a while.