the congress. bicameralism: the two chambers reflect the social biases of the founders (great...

The The CongressCongress

Bicameralism: the two chambers reflect the social biases of the founders (Great Compromise).

House of Representatives – population (represents interests of large states)

Senate – 2 per state (represents interests of small states)

Representatives + Senators=electoral votes

The Nature of Congress

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Parliament v. CongressCandidates selected by partyVoters choose between

national parties, not between multiple candidates

Members of Parliament select prime minister and other leaders

Party members vote together on most issues

Renomination depends on remaining loyal to party

Principal work is debate over national issues

Candidates run in a primary election, with little party control over nomination

Vote is for candidate/not party

do not choose executive/president

principal work is representation and action

Great deal of power, high pay, and significant staff resources (perks and privileges)

3

Perks and PrivilegesPermanent professional staffs

Average Senate office employs around 30 people. Total number of all congressional staffers has grown dramatically since 1960.

Franking privilegesUse of signature instead of a postage stamp to allow

for free mailingsCosts taxpayers up to $10-$15 million per year

Privileges and immunities under the lawSpecial constitutional protection from the “speech or

debate” clause under Article 1, Section 6Cannot be sued for libel or slander based on

statements made during official duties4

So… how much do Congressmen make? Take a guess!!!!Pay as of 2009… (and other privileges)

27th amendmentNo law, varying the compensation for the services

of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened. (No law that would pay representative more or less in salary or other income will be allowed to take effect until after there has been another election)

Pay keeps increasing due to COST-OF-LIVING increases…

The Nature and Functions of Congress

The lawmaking functionMakes binding rules (laws) for all Americans

Sets broad national policies by compromise and logrolling/ reciprocity (agreeing in advance to support one another's bills)Divided government: when different political parties control

different chambers. Earmarks (pork): provide federal funding to companies,

projects, groups and organizations often in specific congressional districts

Representation Function – represent constituents’ views but also should represent views of whole society

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Olympia Snow and Susan Collins (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Continued…

Continued…Service to constituents

Casework – assisting private citizens in dealing with their individual problems and questions regarding government actions

Ombudsman – investigating and resolving the complaints of constituents against noncompliant officials, programs, etc.

9Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning

Continued…The oversight function

the follow up on laws it has enacted to make sure that they are being enforced and administered in the way Congress intended.

Has become increasingly partisan Hearings and investigations – inquiries often eased up if

president from own party and cracks down when president is from different party

Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning 10

Continued…The public-education function

Congress presents a wide range of views when it holds public hearings, exercises oversight, and engages in debate.

Agenda setting – deciding what issues will come up for debate and consideration

The conflict-resolution functionCongress tries to resolve differences among competing

points of view by passing laws to accommodate many interested parties.


Getting Elected to CongressMembers of Congress are directly elected by registered

voters.Do not receive government funds for campaigns (only

President)Incumbents – those in office now…the most important

variable in determining the outcome of an election for a member of the HouseName recognitionCredit claiming: service to constituents through:

Casework – specifically helping constituents get what they think they have a right to

Pork Barrel spending

PACs give most of their money to incumbents12

House and Senate Differences Size and Rules

of the House25 years old435 members (plus delegates

from D.C. and U.S. territories) Apportionment – later PowerPoint

slides

2 year terms (all up for reelection every 2 years)

Many more formal rules govern activities in the House

Rules Committee (rules of floor debate, stricter time limits so pass bills more quickly)

Each state has at least 1 representative

Size and Rules of the Senate

30 years old100 membersMore prestige 6 year terms staggered (1/3rd

of Senate is up for reelection every 2 years)

The Senate is less crowded, so procedures are more informal

Filibuster – unlimited discussion and delay to block bills (dating back to 1790)..next slide

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Rules Committee (House)controls what bills go to the House Floor and the

terms of debatemakeup of the Rules Committee has traditionally

been weighted in favor of the majority party, and has been in its current configuration of 9 majority and 4 minority members since the late 1970s.Open rules permit the offering of any amendment that

otherwise complies with House rules, and allows debate under the 5-minute rule.

Closed rules effectively eliminate the opportunity to consider amendments, other than those reported by the committee reporting the bill.

Return to slide…Copyright 2012 Cengage Learning 15

The Filibuster (Senate only)Can be stopped through cloture (Senate Rule 22)

http://www.senate.gov/CRSReports/crs-publish.cfm?pid=%26%2A2%3C4QLS%3E%0A (what is cloture)

Cloture is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to set an end to a debate without also rejecting the bill, amendment, conference report, motion, or other matter it has been debating.

vote by 3/5s of Senators (60) after two days of filibustering then debate is limited to a maximum of one hour per senator

Increased used of the filibuster

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remember….based on population so you have to decide how many seat allocated to each state


Reapportionment – allocation of seats in the House to each state after each 10 year census (MS lost one House seat in 2000… MS presently has 4 representatives)Important to states because it determines how many

House seats states getsMore representatives – more influence

Redistricting – redrawing congressional district boundaries within each state

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How boundary lines are drawn can affect electionsMalapportionment – results from having districts of

unequal sizeIf one district is twice the size of the other, twice as

many cotes are needed to elect a representative. Thus, a citizen’s vote in the small district is worth twice as much as a vote in the larger district

Gerrymandering – drawing district lines in favor of one party over another


Supreme Court casesLook up the following cases and answer the

following questions:Summary of case (why did it reach Supreme Court)Question in the caseOutcome of the case (the ruling)

Supreme Court Cases

Baker v. Carr

Wesberry v. SandersCopyright 2012 Cengage Learning 21

4 Problems to solve in deciding who gets represented in the House

Establish total size in House In 1911, Congress decided the House was large enough and fixed its

size to 435 members.

Allocating seats in the House among the statesCongress reapportioned every 10 years.A complex formula was developed in 1929 that makes it automatic…

states gain/lose based on changes in population

Determining size of congressional districts within statesIn 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that districts be drawn

according to the “one person-one vote” principle (Wesberry v. Sanders)

Determining the shape of those districtsCopyright 2012 Cengage Learning 22

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Head person in House…voted in by majority party (major role in committee assignments)

The Vice President is head person in Senate – only votes in case of tie

Majority and Minority positions based on which political party has the most (or least) in a specific political party

This person heads Senate when Vice President is absent.

Real leader in Senate

Committees:where all the work occurs (next slide)

The Committee StructureMost of the work of Congress takes

place in committees and subcommittees.

Power of committeesThe committees have the final say on most

bills.


4 Types of Congressional CommitteesStanding committee

It is permanent and given a specific area of subject matter.

Develops expertise in subject matter

Select committeeIt is created for a limited time and for a specific

legislative purpose.Example: Watergate investigation


Types of Congressional CommitteesJoint committee

Formed by concurrent action of both houses and consists of members of each chamber.

Conference committeeFormed to resolve differences in House and

Senate bill; must write a bill in identical form

House rules committee (already discussed)


Committees at Work: Legislation and OversightLegislation:

Committees work on about 11,000 bills every sessionLegislative Oversight:

Monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy through committee hearings

Oversight usually takes place after a catastrophe


Getting on a CommitteeUsually, ratio of Dems and Reps on committees

roughly corresponds to ratio in House and SenateMembers want committee assignments that will

help them get reelected New members express their committee preferences

to party leaders


Remember….Committees are the real place where work in

congress is done!!!!


How Congress is Organized to Make Policy

Caucus: formed by Members to provide a forum for issues or legislative agendas (hundreds exist)There are a series of caucuses in Congress based on race, region,

ideology, and economics.Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearing and for

votes on bills

Congressional StaffCommunication between congressional representatives and

constituents occurs mainly through the personal staffs of representatives

Lobbyists and Interest GroupsThere are 35,000 registered lobbyists trying to influence CongressTries to influence legislator’s votes

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Now that we studied the basic characteristics of Congress AND we understand how many House

representatives each state receives, let us look at the POWERS OF CONGRESS…. (already studied in

Federalism unit)


The Powers of CongressEnumerated/Expressed Powers (Article

1 Section 8)Important powers are collecting taxes, spending

money, regulating commerce, coin money, declare war, create federal courts…

Powers of the House (only House) Initiate revenue bills Choose President if tie in Electoral College

Powers of the Senate (only Senate) Ratification of treaties Confirmation of ambassadors, Supreme Court justices,

and other federal judges33

The Powers of CongressThe Necessary and Proper Clause

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18Congress has the right under this clause to make all

laws which are necessary and proper to carry out powers in Article One and all other powers vested in the Constitution.

Also called the Elastic ClauseExpands the power of the national government


Constitutional Amendments provide additional powers to Congress 12th amendment: certifying presidential election

(electoral process)16th amendment: levying an income tax20th amendment: presidential/congressional terms

(inauguration, term session, etc.)25th amendment: succession of president/vice

president in case of death or incapacitation (surgery, etc.)


HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

See handout…


Bills introduced

Passed one chamber

Passed both chamber

Public Law

10,238

667667

590590

Reported by committee

How a Bill Becomes a LawKey things to remember…

A bill is a proposed law.Anyone can draft a bill but only members of

Congress can introduce them.More rules in House than in the Senate.Party leaders play a vital role in steering bills

through both houses, but less in the SenateCommittee Phase:

Most bills die in committeeAll revenue bills begin in House; Senate may add/amend

but only if House originated them 39

The House of RepresentativesDebate of a bill in the House under a “closed rule”

means that amendments to the bill may not be offered.

The House Rules Committee reviews all bills and adopts a rule that governs the procedures under which they will be considered by the House.

The Committee of the Whole is made up of whoever happens to be on the floor at the time of debate.A quorum is the minimum number of members who

must be available for business to be conducted


The SenateThere is no rule limiting debate and members may

speak for as long as they stay on their feet.There is no Committee of the Whole, amendments need

not be germane (connected) to the purpose of the bill, and, thus, the Senate often attaches RIDERS to the bills. Rider - an “add-on” to a bill already under the

consideration of the Congress, having little connection with the subject matter of the bill.

A filibuster is difficult to break (already discussed).16 senators have to sign a petition to move cloture and

then 3/5s (or 60) Senators must vote for it. If it passes, Senator is limited to one hour.

41

How Much Will the Government Spend?• Budget and Control Impoundment Act of

1974• President must spend the money Congress

appropriates.• Congress examines the tax and spend

process at least twice in each budget cycle.


Preparing the BudgetThe federal government operates on a

fiscal year cycle.Runs Oct 1st to Sept. 30thProcess starts 18 months ahead of fiscal yearOffice of Management and Budget outlines the budget

and sends it to various departments and agencies.Each agency submits a formal request to the OMB.


The Budget Cycle


Figure 9-4

the congress. bicameralism: the two chambers reflect the social biases of the founders (great...

Documents

cengage learning slide

living increases slide

high pay

election of representatives

party principal work

candidatenot party

privileges great deal

party voters