The United States Congress

1
The United States Congress

• Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you
  were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
• Mark Twain

2
Differences in the House and Senate

• The House of Representatives
• More partisan and unified
• More loyalty to party
• More structured and organized
• Majority rules always
• Limited debate and amendments

• The Senate
• Senators more powerful individually
• Less party-oriented and party-dependent
• Looser rules of debate and amendments
• Minority can block the majority (the
  filibuster)

3
Special Rules of the Senate

• Unlimited debate
• Bills brought to floor by
• consent of party leaders
• Filibusters
• (can be ended by a
• cloture vote,
• 60 votes)
• The hold put on bills
• non-germane amendments
• riders, Christmas Tree Bills

4
Structure of the House

• The Majority Party
• Speaker of the House
• Nancy Pelosi (D - CA)
• Elected by House members
• Only Congressional office mentioned by the
  Constitution

5
Structure of the House

• The Majority Leader
• Steny Hoyer (D MD)

• The Majority Whip
• James Clyburn (D SC)

6
Structure of the House

• The Minority Leader
• John Boehner (R OH)

• The Whip
• Roy Blunt (R MO)

7
Structure of the Senate

• President of the Senate
• Dick Cheney
• Duties
• presides over the Senate
• can not vote unless there is a tie
• rarely present in the Senate
• President Pro Tempore replaces,
• Robert Byrd (D-WV)

8
Structure of the Senate

• The Majority Leader
• Harry Reid (D NV)

• The Majority Whip
• Richard Durban ( D - IL)

9
Structure of the Senate

• The Minority Leader
• Mitch McConnell ( R - KY)

• The Minority Whip
• Trent Lott ( R - MS)

10
Party Leadership- Influence on Legislation

• Assignment of members to committees
• Assignment of committee chairs
• Scheduling
• Agenda setting (rules committee)
• Party discipline
• Use of media
• Recognition on floor
• Control of electoral support

11
Member Voting Behavior

• Three primary theories
• 1) representational view- members vote to please
  their constituents
• 2) organizational view- members primarily respond
  to cues from colleagues
• 3) attitudinal view- the members ideology
  determines his/her vote

12
Congressional Caucuses

• Rivaling parties in terms of source of policy
  leadership
• Types
• Intraparty- share similar ideology
• Personal Interest- issue oriented (arts, human
  rights)
• Constiutency- share representation of common
  groups/regions

13
The Committees

• Four Types
• Standing (permanent),
• Joint (for investigations)
• Select (info gathering)
• Conference (to reconcile
• different bills from
• House and Senate)

14
The Committees

• Most Important (House)
• Ways And Means
• Appropriations
• Rules

• Most Important (Senate)
• Finance
• Judiciary
• Appropriations

15
The Committees

• Chair Positions
• Based on seniority (usually)
• Majority party holds chairs
• Power to hold or move bills forward
• Conducts hearings

16
The Committees

• Staff (CRS,GAO,CBO)
• Does research
• Gathers information
• Assigned to committees
• or to Congress itself

17
Committees-Elements that Effect Legislative
Process

• Specialization- members develop policy expertise,
  independence for exec. branch, more attention to
  legislation, better leg.?
• Party Representation-reflective of the chamber as
  a whole, pushes agenda, determines leadership of
  committee
• Reciprocity/Logrolling-vote trading, exchanges,
  speeds process, government does more, more pork
  (earmarks)

18
Powers of Congress

• Non-legislativeOversight,
• Investigative (i.e. Watergate)

19
Powers of Congress

• Non-legislative
• Electoral chooses president when no majority
  is achieved in Electoral College

20
Powers of Congress

• Non-legislative
• Executive Senate Confirms appointments of
  the president
• Also confirms treaties

21
Powers of Congress

• Non-legislative
• Impeachment House files charges,
• Senate acts as jury, Chief Justice presides

22
Powers of Congress

• Non-legislative
• Amendment two thirds of House and Senate
  needed to send amendments to States (3/4 needed
  for ratification)

23
Powers of Congress

• Types
• Expressed Article I, Section VIII
• Implied necessary and proper clause
• (the Elastic Clause)

24
The Electoral Connection

• Advantages of the incumbent
• Money Communication with voters
• 
  franking or
• 
  free mail
• Service to constituents
• credit
  claiming

25
The Electoral Connection

• Advantages of the incumbent
• Position-taking

• name recognition

26
The Electoral Connection

• Advantages of the incumbent
• Lack of quality opponents
• 
  Ignorant voters

27
The Electoral Connection

• Reasons for defeatgerrymandering
• Scandal Redistricting
  Shifts in
• 
  the
• 
  electorate
• 
  1932
• 
  1994

28
The Electoral Connection

• Usually nonfactors
• Foreign Policy Economy coattails
• Can be factors occasionally (2006?)

29
Resolutions

• Simple- passed by only one house, effects it
  only, not signed by Pres., not a law
• Concurrent- effects both houses, not a law
• Joint- essentially a law, passed by both houses,
  signed by the President, most used to propose
  Constitutional amendments (not signed by Pres.)

30
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Public Bills- pertains
• to public affairs
• Generally
• Private Bills-
• pertains to a
• particular
• individual,
• now very rare

31
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Bill is introduced by a member in House
• Hello, Bill!

32
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Bill sent to the Rules Committee, to determine
  which committee is to work on it (or it can be
  pigeonholed)
• 
  bill dies

33
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Sent to the Committee, assigned to a subcommittee
  (stuck-discharge petition)
• Subcommittee holds hearings, performs studies,
  and makes revisions (mark-up)

34
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Subcommittee reports it back to full committee
• Committee can either
• amend it and approve it
• 
  pigeonhole it,
• kill it

35
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Back to the Rules Committee
• Sets guidelines on
• length of debate
• amendments, yes or no
• puts on the calendar

36
Voting Procedures

• House of Representatives
• 1) voice vote- shout yea or nay
• 2) division vote- stand and are counted
• (voice/division-names not recorded)
• 3) teller vote- pass two tellers- yea and nay
• 4) roll call vote- electronic now
• Senate
• Use roll call vote- not electronic

37
How a Bill Becomes A Law!

• Full House Debate or Comm. Of the Whole
• YES on to the Senate
• NO bummer!

38
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Bill introduced to the Senate by a member
• Assigned to appropriate committee by Senate
  leadership (no Rules Committee in the Senate)

39
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Subcommittee hearings, mark-ups, etc.
• Report to the full committee

40
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Committee can kill it or pass it
• Sends it to the Senate leadership to be put on
  the calendar

41
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Full Senate debate, filibusters, amendments,
  final vote
• If yes conference committee
• If no big bummer!

42
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Conference Committee
• made up of both House and Senate members
• works out differences in the two bills
• Sent back to original
• body for final vote
• No debate or
• amendments

43
How A Bill Becomes a Law!

• Sent to President
• If signed
• ITS A LAW!
• If Vetoed
• 2/3 vote to
  override

44
Influences on Legislation

• The President Courts Events
• the media
• Interest Groups

45
Influences on Legislation

• Party
  Constituents
• Mean People AP
  Government classes
• (not really)