Chapter Five: Committees Chapter Seven: Congress at work

1
Chapter Five CommitteesChapter Seven Congress
at work
2
Congress Convenes

• Opening day for congress
• January 3rd at noon, on odd numbered years
• Opening day in the House
• A clerk calls the chamber to order and checks the
  role of newly elected representatives.
• The members-to-be choose a Speaker, who takes the
  oath of office and swears in the rest of the
  members.
• The House elects a clerk, sergeant at arms,
  doorkeeper, postmaster, and chaplain, and then
  adopts rules and organizes committees.

3
Congress Convenes (cont.)

• Opening day in the Senate
• B/c it is a continuous body, with only one third
  new/re-elected membership each terms, they dont
  have an extensive re-organization.
• Instead, newly elected and reelected members are
  sworn in and vacancies are filled.
• The Presidents State of the Union message
• A constitutionally mandated speech, the President
  outlines the shape of the administrations
  policies and plans, and may recommend specific
  legislation action.

4
The Presiding OfficersThe Speaker of the House

• Nancy Pelosi
• The most influential member of the House of
  Representatives.
• Has two duties
• Preside over all sessions keep order.
• Allowed to debate and vote on any matter.
• But they rarely vote, except to cause or break a
  tie. If there is a tie, they must vote!

5
The Presiding OfficersThe President of the
Senate

• According to the Constitution, the president of
  the Senate is the VP of the US.
• They recognize members, put questions to a vote.
• Only votes to break a tie.
• If they are absent, a president Pro Tempore, who
  is elected by the Senate and is a member of the
  majority party, presides.

6
Floor Leaders other Party Officers

• The Floor Leaders
• The floor leaders in both the House and the
  Senate consist of a majority and a minority floor
  leader, chosen by party colleagues.
• The assistants of floor leaders are called
  whips.
• They go around and make sure that party members
  are voting the way they want them to.
• Whip them into good party members
• The Party Caucuses
• Closed meetings of each party in each house and
  deal with party organization, selection of floor
  leaders, and committee membership.

7
Committee Chairpersons

• Committee Chairpersons decide
• When their committees will meet
• Which bills they will consider
• Whether they will hold public hearings
• What witnesses to call
• Seniority Rule
• Unwritten custom, most important posts are
  awarded according to length of service.
• Criticisms of Seniority Rule
• Say the rule ignores ability, discourages young
  members, encourages constant reelection of
  stale members
• Defenders of Seniority Rule
• Say it ensures experience in key posts and
  minimizes conflict within the party.

8
Standing Committees (see pg. 143)

• Are permanent groups to which all similar bills
  are sent.
• Today there are 19 standing committees in the
  House (9-74 members) and 17 (12-28) in the
  Senate.
• House members can only serve on one, and Senate
  members can serve on two.
• The Speaker of the House or the President of the
  Senate is responsible for assigning bills to the
  appropriate standing committees.
• Tax bills go to Ways and Means, etc.

9
The House Rules Committee

• The Traffic Cop in the House.
• This committee manages the flow of bills for
  action by the full House by scheduling their
  consideration.
• Because the Senate has less formal organization,
  the majority floor leader controls the appearance
  of bills on the floor.

10
Select Committees

• Are special groups set up for specific purposes
  and for a limited period whose members are
  appointed by the Speaker or the president of the
  Senate.
• Usually a select committee is formed to conduct
  especially important investigations, like The
  Senate Watergate Committee of 1973.

11
Joint Committees

• Composed of members from both houses.
• Appropriations, Budget, Judiciary, Small
  Business, Veterans Affairs.
• Usually permanent groups that serve on a regular
  basis.

12
Conference Committees

• Before a bill is sent to the President, it must
  be passed in identical form by each house.
• Sometimes they will pass differing versions of a
  bill in the first phase, and not agree on each
  others provisions.
• Conference Committees are created to iron out the
  differences on the bills.
• They need to produce a compromise bill both
  houses will accept.

13
How a Bill becomes a Law!

• Jumping to Chapter 7!!!

14
Introduce Activity

• Passing a Bill Simulation!

15
Bill Simulation Steps

• Assign Roles
• 4 total committees
• Two for the House
• Two for the Senate
• Two readers (1 for Bill One, 1 for Bill Two)
• Speakers for Bill One 3
• Speakers for Bill Two 3

16
Bill Simulation Steps

• Bill is read to class
• Split into your four groups
• Talk about the bills for 2-5 minutes
• Conduct Hearings
• Speakers testify about the bills
• Committee members ask one question of each
  speaker
• Vote on whether or not to proceed with the bills
• Mark up time!
• Meet for five minutes to revise the bills to your
  liking

17
Bill Simulation Steps

• Reconvene
• All House members come together
• All Senate members come together
• Each side introduce your revisions
• Floor consideration (vote yay/nay)
• If the bill doesnt passit dies
• If it does pass, it goes to conference committee
• Conference Committee
• Nominate/vote on members (two from each group)
• Work out the kinks on the passed bills

18
Bill Simulation Steps

• Vote again
• The Conference Committee has one bill
• If it passes, it goes to the President who has
  four options
• Pass
• Veto
• Pocket Veto
• Ignore for ten days, and automatically it passes

19
How it a bill becomes a law the House

• 1st reading
• Goes to committee and then subcommittee
• Reviewed and back to full committee
• Can report favorably, amend it, unfavorably,
  totally redo it, or pigeonhole it (refuse to
  report).
• Placed on a calendar (H.R. Co.) for floor debate.

20
Continued bill in the House

• Bill read a 2nd time
• Floor debate strict time limits
• Voting!
• Voice vote, standing vote, 1/5 quorum asks for a
  teller vote, or a roll-call vote.
• Bill read a 3rd time and signed by Speaker
• Sent to Senate President (aka Vice Pres)

21
The Bill in Senate

• Bill is read, given a title, referred to
  committee.
• Bills are called to floor by majority floor
  leader different from House Rules Co.
• Read twice and comes back to full Senate
• Floor debate unlimited!
• Filibuster only in Senate.
• Strom Thurmond
• Cloture rule shuts down with a 4/5 vote
• Conference Committee smooth out differences b/t
  House bill and Senate bill
• Goes to President

22
What are the Presidents options?

• Sign the bill law!
• Veto no law!
• Congress can override with a 2/3 vote.
• Not sign within ten days of receiving it law!
• If Congress is about to end (within 10 days) he
  can give the bill a POCKET VETO.
• Basically sticks it in his pocket and it goes away