Congress:The People

1
CongressThe Peoples Branch
2
Reapportionment

• Apportionment is decided every ten years by the
  census.
• Congress is in charge of reallocation.

3
(No Transcript)
4
Redistricting

• Redrawing of congressional and other legislative
  district lines following the census,
  accommodating population shifts and keeping
  districts as equal as possible in population.

5
Texas Redistricting
6
Redistricting

• Follows the census.
• Final approval governors, redistricting
  commissions.

7
Gerrymandering

• Single party controlling both the legislative and
  executive branches of state governments. Extreme
  cases known as the above.
• Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusettes.

8
(No Transcript)
9
Rules

• Districts must be equal in population (one man
  one vote)
• Must be contiguous.
• Cannot be based on race.

10
Baker v. Carr (1962)
14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause one
man, one vote ordered state legislative
districts to be as near equal as possible in
population reapportionment example of Warren
Courts judicial activism
11
Built on Baker case Required virtually every
state legislature to be reapportioned shifted
power from rural to urban areas
12
Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)

• Ordered House of Representative legislative
  districts to be as near in population as
  possible extended Baker v. Carr (1962) to the
  national government

13
Reno v. Shaw (1993)

• No racial gerrymandering race cannot be the sole
  or predominant factor in redrawing legislative
  boundaries majority-minority districts.

14
House v. Senate

• House

• Senate

Two year term 435 members Elected in
districts Fewer personal staff Tighter rules Tax
bills start here Rules committee sets Terms of
debate No fillibuster
Six year term 100 members Elected by
states Looser rules More personal staff Foreign
treaties must Be ratified here Whole senate sets
rules fillibusters
15
Speaker

• Presiding officer in the House
• Second in line of the presidency (after the vice
  president)
• Nothing laid out in Constitution, appoints
  members to committees.

16
Newt Gingrich

• Established authority
• Reorganized committees
• Resigned due to lack of ethics in use of
  tax-exempt funds.

17
Bye Bye Nancy Pelosi
18
Majority Leader

• Helps plan party strategy, confers with other
  party leaders, and trieds to keep memers of the
  party in line.
• Assists the speaker
• Used to be almost exclusively picked on
  Seniority.

19
Currently Eric Cantor
20
Minority Leader

• Usually steps into the speakership when his or
  her party gains the majority.
• Spokesperson of minority party.

21
WasJohn Boehner, now speaker
22
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
23
Whip

• Party leader who is the helper b/w the
  leadership and the rank-and-file in the
  legislatiure.
• Whipper-in hunter who keeps the hounds bunched
  in a pack during a fox hunt

24
Current Whips House

• Democrat Steny Hoyer

• Republican Kevin McCarthy

25
Current Whips Senate

• Richard Durbin Majoirty Whip

• Jon Kyl Minority Whip

26
President Pro Tempore

• Take the place of the Vice President
• Elected by the majority

27
Joe Biden, Patrick Leahy
28
Filibuster

• Practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses
  to relinquish the floor and thereby delays the
  proceedings and prevents a vote on the
  controversial issue.

29
Cloture

• How you end a fillibuster. 16 Senators sign
  petition asking for cloture. 60/100 Senate vote
  for cloture.

30
Strom Thurmond

• Known for his long speeches. Once over 24 hours
  18 minutes, trying to curtail the Civil Rights
  Act of 1957 allowing voting rights to minorities.
  
• Included the Bill of Rights, Declaration of
  Independence, Washingtons Farewell Address and
  seveal phone books.

31
Thurmond
32
Dixiecrats Thurmond v. 1948 Civil Rights Speech

• Hubert Humphrey

33
Power to confirm

• Check on executive power
• Relevant Committee advises Judiciary over
  Supreme Court Justices
• Usually gives president benefit of doubt on
  executive appointees

34
Committees

• Standing committees, just that.
• Select special Come together to address
  temporary priorities
• Joint committees have members of both houses

35
Authorizing committees

• Pass the laws that tell the government what to
  do.
• Senate education and labor committees
  responsible for setting the rules governing Pell
  Grants

36
Appropriations Committee

• How much money government can spend.
• Sub committees underneath these for each subject
  area.

37
Revenue and Budget Com.

• Deal with raising and spending the money and set
  broad targets that shape the federal budget.
• House of Ways and Means raises and authorizes
  spending. Only committee that can originate tax
  and revenue legislation, also responsible for
  making decision on SS and medicare.

38
Seniority Rule

• Member of the majority party that has been in
  committee the longest becomes chair upon the
  retirement of another.

39
Investigation and Oversight

• Conducts investigation to see if legislation is
  needed.
• Oversightquestions executive officials to see
  whether their agencies are complying with the
  wishes of the Congress and conducting programs
  efficiently.

40
Im Just a Bill

• House introduces a bill by dropping it in a
  mahogeny box called a hopper.
• Senate introduces by presenting it to their
  colleagues in a floor speech.
• H.R. (House of Representatives)

41
Bill on its way

• Subcommittees look at bill, edits and send to
  Committee.
• Committee considers bill, if it is approved (in
  some form) sent to full House or Senate.

42
House Rules Com and on..

• Rules Committee issues a rule to govern debate on
  the floor and sends it to the rull house.
• Full House debates the bill and may amend. Sends
  to Senate if passed.

43
Senate

• Subcommittee-unanimous consent sends bill to full
  Senate
• Full Senate debates and may amend.

44
House v Senate

• Differences are heard in the CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

45
ON TO THE PRESIDENT

• If bill is approved, sent to President for
  signature of authorization.
• President can veto
• Congress can override by two third majority vote
  in both House and Senate

46
Mark-up

• What committees or subcommittees do before they
  pass the bill on. Change wording, amend.

47
Discharge petition

• Force bill out of committee to be heard by full
  House.
• Campaign Finance 2002
• Not used often, Senate does not use at all.

48
Questions?

• What is stated in Article I Section 3 of the
  Constitution?
• How was this changed by the Seventeenth
  Amendment?

49
Pork Barrel Politics
50
Pork Barrel

• A term referring to appropriation of government
  spending for localized projects secured solely or
  primarily to bring money to a representatives
  districts.

51
Earmarks
52
Earmarks Definition

• Provision that directs approved funds to be spent
  on specific projects.