Senate Reforms

1
Senate Reforms

• 6 year term limits for committee chairs
• Senators prohibited from reclaiming seniority
  upon return to a committee on which they
  previously served
• Secret ballot elections for committee chairs
• Majority leader can nominate chair

2

• Committee System
• Standing Committees
• 13 in each chamber
• most important
• only ones that can propose legislation
• Continue from one Congress to the next
• Powerful
• Usually around 10,000 bills are proposed each
  session
• 113th H - 4020 S 2013
• 112th H 6722 S 3715

3

• Joint Committees
• Both houses serve
• Conducts investigations or special studies
• Conference Committee
• Joint committee created to iron out differences
  between Senate and House versions of a specific
  piece of legislation
• Select Committee(or special committee)
• Temporary committee one session
• Appointed for specific purposes
• Conducting a special investigation or study

4

• Committee Membership
• Seek assignment based on
• Own interests or expertise
• Help with prospects for reelection
• Committee Chairs Maj. Party
• Power, prestige, influence
• Authorized to select subcommittee chairs
• Call meetings
• Recommends members for conference comm.
• Can kill a bill by not scheduling hearings on it
• pigeonhold
• Have staff at their disposal gt 3,000

5
Key Committees

• Appropriations 12 subcommittees
• Large committee 50 House, 30 Senate
• Defined by the Constitution
• appropriations made by law prior to expenditure
  of any from the Federal treasury
• Writes legislation allocating federal funds to
  government agencies
• Levels limited by Budget Resolution
• Charlie Dent RPA member in House

6
Armed Services

• Senate chair 25 members
• House chair 60 members
• Aeronautical and space activities
• Develop of weapons
• Military operations
• Branches of military
• Nuclear energy/national security
• Armed Forces pay/benefits