CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
Standing Committee: a permanent committee in Congress that
oversees bills that deal with certain kinds of issues
o Controlled by majority party
Subcommittees: a group within a standing committee that
specializes in a subcategory of its standing committee’s
responsibility
o Usually no more than 5 per standing committee
o Appropriations has 13!!
Select Committee: a temporary committee formed to study one
specific issue and report its findings to the Senate or the House
o Major issues = public concern (organized crime),
overlooked problems (hunger) or problems of interest
groups (small business owners)
o Usually last no more than 2 years
Joint Committee: a committee of the House AND the Senate that
usually acts as a study group and reports its findings back to the
House AND Senate
o Do not deal with bills or propose legislation
Conference Committee: a temporary joint committee set up
when the House and the Senate have passed different versions
of the same bill
o Resolve differences between the two bills
Big and Important
1. Rules Committee – when and which bills will be
considered
2. Ways and Means – tax laws, bills on Social Security and
Medicare
3. Appropriations – writing spending bills