Congress Organizes
Chapter 12
Section 1
Congress Convenes
Opening Day in the House
On opening day a new term, 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.
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Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
On the first day of each new term, the
House
has a short, routine day.
has few members to swear in.
elects a Speaker to preside.
writes new rules of procedure.
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Opening Day in the Senate-As a continuous
body with only one-third new membership
each term, the Senate does not undertake
extensive organizing. Instead, newly elected
and reelected members are sworn in and
vacancies specific legislative.
The President’s State of the Union Message-In
this constitutional mandated speech, the
President reports on the state of the nation,
outlines the shape of the administration’s
policies and plans, and also may recommend
specific legislative actions.
The Presiding Officers
The Speaker of the House is the most influential
member of the House of Representatives and
has two duties: to preside over all sessions and
to keep order.
 The speaker is allowed to debate and vote on
any matter.
 If he of she chooses to vote, a Speaker pro
tempore must be appointed temporarily.
 The Speaker rarely votes except to cause or
break a tie. In case of a tie the Speaker is
required to vote.
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According to the Constitution, the
president of the Senate is the Vice
President of the United States.
The president of the Senate recognizes
members; puts question to a vote, and
so on, but may not vote except to break
a tie.
In the Vice President’s absence, a
president pro tempore, who is elected by
the Senate and is a member of the
majority party, presides.
Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
The president of the Senate
is elected by the Senate and is the leader
of its majority party.
is replaced, when absent, by the
president pro tempore.
serves in place of the Vice President of
the United States.
debates and votes on all measures in the
chamber.
Floor Leaders and 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 the party colleagues.
 The assistants of the floor leaders are called
“whips.”
 The Party Caucus-These are closed meetings of
each party in each house and deal with party
organization, selection of floor leaders, and
committee membership.
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Test Question

a.
b.
c.
d.
When the Senate’s Republican caucus
wants party members to vote for a bill,
the person that determines how many
votes can be counted on is the ?
senior senator.
policy-committee chairperson
floor leader.
whip.
Committee Chairpersons

The committee chairpersons decide when
their committees will meet, which bills
they will consider, whether they will hold
public hearings, and what witnesses to
call.
Test Question
Committee chairpersons may do all of
the following EXCEPT
a. choose all members of their committees.
b. decide whether or not to hold public
hearings.
c. manage the debate on bills approved by
their committees.
d. determine when their committee will
meet.
Seniority Rule
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By unwritten custom, most important posts are
awarded according to length of service (based
on seniority).
Criticism of the Seniority Rule-Critics of the
seniority rule maintain that the rule ignores
ability, discourages young members, and
encourages constant reelection of “stale”
members; defenders say that the rule ensures
experience in the key posts and minimizes
conflict within the party.
Committees in Congress
Chapter 12
Section 2
Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
The main reason the Congress creates
committees is to?
divide the workload.
educate new members.
introduce new bills.
create party power bases.
Standing Committees
Standing committees are permanent
groups to which all similar bills are sent.
 Today there are 20 standing committees in
the House and 17 in the Senate.
 The Speaker of the House or the president
of the Senate is responsible for assigning
bills to the appropriate standing
committees.

Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
The standing committees to which House
bills are first sent may not
refer bills to subcommittees.
amend or rewrite bills.
schedule bills for debate.
refuse to report out bills.
The House Rules Committee
This committee manages the flow of bills for
action by the full House by scheduling their
consideration.
 How and when bills reach the floor is up to this
committee.
 Because the Senate has less formal
organization, the majority floor leader controls
the appearance of bills on the floor.

Test Question
The House Rules Committee may do all
of the following EXCEPT
a. set conditions for considering a bill.
b. speed up consideration of a bill.
c. prevent consideration of a bill.
d. attach amendments to a bill.
Select Committees
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.
 Occasionally, a select committee conducts
especially important investigations, for example,
the Senate Watergate Committee of 1973.

Most select committees
 conduct investigations.
 have a specific purpose.
 try to bring public attention to
the matter.
Joint and Conference
Committees
A joint committee is one composed of members
from both houses and is organized to deal with
issues of common concern; some are
permanent, such as the Joint Committee on the
Library of Congress, others are temporary.
 Conference committees are temporary
committees, organized to resolve differences in
similar bills passed in both houses and to
produce a compromise bill acceptable to both
houses. They act as a “third house of Congress”.

Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
Conference committees act as a “third
house of Congress” when they
use investigative powers similar to those
of the House and Senate.
screen, debate, and vote on bills.
appoint presiding officers.
produce a new bill that replaces differing
House and Senate versions.
Test Question
Either house of Congress may respond
to charges of price-gouging in the cable
TV industry by using its?
a. investigative power.
b. lawmaking power.
c. judicial powers.
d. oversight power.
How a Bill becomes a Law
The House
Chapter 12 Section 3
Creating and Introducing Bills
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Most bills do not originate with members of
Congress but in the executive branch, in
special interest groups, or with private citizen.
All revenue-raising bills begin in the House; all
other bills may be introduced in either
chamber.
In the overall process of lawmaking, congress
does NOT create any bills.
Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
In the overall process of lawmaking,
congress does NOT
create any bills.
introduce many bills.
vote on tax bills.
participate in conference committees.
Types of Bills and Resolutions
Bills-These are proposed laws presented to
Congress. Public bills apply to the entire nation;
private bills pertain to certain persons or places.
 Joint Resolutions-These deal with temporary or
unusual matters, have the force of law, must be
passed by both houses, and must be signed by
the president.
 Ie. constitutional amendment pg. 335
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Test Question
To propose a constitutional amendment,
Congress uses
a. a public bill.
b. a joint resolution.
c. a concurrent resolution.
d. a resolution.
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Concurrent Resolutions-These deal with
common concerns of both houses, do
not have the force of law, and do not
require the President’s signature.
Resolutions-These deal with matters
concerning either house alone; they
usually are concerned with house rules
and do not require the President’s
signature.
The First Reading
The first reading of a bill consists of the
assignment of a house number, a short
title, and entry into the House Journal and
the Congressional Record for the day.
 The Speaker then refers the bill to the
appropriate standing committee for
consideration.
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Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
When a bill is introduced in the House, it
is FIRST
given to the Rules Committee.
read aloud in full.
given a number and a title.
debated by the full House.
The Bill in Committee
Most committee work is done by
subcommittees which investigate, debate,
and recommend the fate of particular bill.
 After subcommittees complete their work,
the measure returns to the full committee.
 Most bills in the House die in the
committee.

The full committee may report the bill
favorably to the full House.
 The full committee may refuse to report
the bill, or pigeonhole.
 The full committee may report an
amended bill.
 The full committee may report the bill
unfavorably.
 The full committee may report an entirely
new bill.

Rules and Calendars
Before reaching the floor of the House, a bill
must be placed on one several calendars, or
schedules, for deliberation.
(This only happens if reported out of a full
committee)
 In order to be debated on the floor, each bill
must receive a rule, or approval for its
appearance on the floor (unless the bill is
privileged of the rules are suspended).

Test Question
How and when the bills reach the floor of
the House is decided by the
a. Ways and Means Committee.
b. Rules Committee.
c. Appropriations Committee.
d. Judiciary Committee.
The Bill on the Floor
Most important bills are considered in the
committee of the Whole
 Debate-Strict rules limit the length of each
individual’s debate.
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Voting-A bill requires formal House vote on it
and on various amendments that might be
attached to it.
Voice votes are the most common.
A standing vote may be demanded if any
member thinks the Speaker has erred in
judging a voice vote.
One-fifth of the quorum may demand a teller
vote.
A roll-call vote may be demanded by one-fifth
of the members.
“teller” votes are not used in the Senate pg.
340
Final Steps
An approved bill is engrossed, read a third
time, voted on again, and signed by the
speaker.
 A signed bill is sent to the president.

The Bill in the Senate
Chapter 12
Section 4
Introducing the Bill in Senate
Bills are introduced by senators, given a
number and title, read twice, and referred
to committee.
 Senate proceedings are less formal than
those of the House, have only one
calendar for bills, and are called to the
floor by the majority floor leader.

The Senate’s Rules for Debate
Floor debate is almost unlimited in the
Senate. (The House has limited).
 The Filibuster-The filibuster is a tactic used
by a minority to “talk a bill to death” on
the Senate floor (prevent action on a bill).
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The Cloture Rule
This is the Senate’s check on the
filibuster and limits debate, but requires
a petition signed by at least 16 senators
and approval by at least three-fifths of
the full Senate.
Many senators hesitate to use the cloture
rule for fear that it will limit free debate
and it will undermine the effectiveness of
the filibuster technique.
Test Question
a.
b.
c.
d.
The purpose of a filibuster is to
invoke the rule of cloture.
prevent quorum calls.
speed up action on a bill.
prevent action on a bill.
Test Question
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In the Senate, a filibuster may be ended
with a vote that invokes
a. the rule of cloture.
b. the “two-speech” rule.
c. the unanimous consent rule.
d. senatorial courtesty.
The Conference Committees
If House and Senate versions of a bill
differ, a joint conference committee is
appointed to achieve a compromise bill
acceptable to both houses.
 Appointees are usually the senior, most
powerful members of each committee and
the compromise they reach are usually
acceptable to both houses.

The President Acts
A bill passed by both houses goes to the
President for his action.
 The President may sign the bill, veto it,
allow the bill to become law by not signing
it within ten days of receiving it, or pocket
veto the bill by not acting on it before
Congress adjourns.
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Test Question
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Which of the following options is NOT
available to a President who has just
received a bill passed by Congress?
a. sign the bill within 10 days
b. sign the bill after 15 days
c. veto the bill
d. use a pocket veto