Overview
• Structure
• Organization
• Functions
– Legislative Process
– Representation
• Reapportionment and Redistricting
• Gerrymandering
• Elections/Demographics/Democracy
Structure
Congress
House of Representatives
Senate
Structure
Congress
House of Representatives
435 members
2 year term
local districts
Senate
100 members
6 year term
state
Structure
Congress
House of Representatives
Must be 25 years old
US citizen for 7 years
Resident of state
Senate
Must be 30 years old
US citizen for 9 years
Resident of state
Demographics
Congress
House of Representatives
(435)
Senate
(100)
257 Democratic
178 Republican
56 Democratic
41 Republicans
2 Independents
1 race undecided yet
Demographics
Congress
House of Representatives
(435)
Senate
(100)
360 Men
75 Women
83 Men
17 Women*
*Highest total ever
Demographics
Congress
House of Representatives
(435)
Senate
(100)
364 White
42 Black
25 Hispanic
4 Asian
94 White
1 Black
3 Hispanic
2 Asian
Demographics
Congress
House of Representatives
(435)
Senate
(100)
Average age: 57
Average Age: 62
Powers
Congress
House of Representatives
Impeach federal officals
Originates all revenue raising bills
Senate
Convict federal officals for
impeachable offenses
Advise and Consent role on
presidential powers
Procedures
Congress
House of Representatives
More formal rules
More partisan
Senate
Fewer rules and restrictions
More individualistic
Prestige
Congress
House of Representatives
More local/regional power base
More local media exposure
Senate
Greater national leadership
More national media exposure
Organization
• Both chambers rely on two overlapping
organizational features to get work
done:
– The Party System
– The Committee System
Organization
• Parties determine
leadership in both
chambers
• Leadership
determines
committee structure
and assignments
Party System in House
• Majority Elects
– Speaker
– Leader
– Whips
• Minority Elects
– Leader
– Whips
Nancy Pelosi
(D, CA)
John Boehner
(R, OH)
Official House Leadership Webpages:
http://www.house.gov/house/orgs_pub_hse_ldr_www.shtml
Campaign Finance of Leadership
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/index.asp
Party System in Senate
President of the Senate
(Vice President)
• Majority elects:
– President Pro
Tempore
– Leader
– Whips
Harry Reid
(D, NV)
• Minority Elects
Robert Byrd (D,
VA)
– Leader
– Whips
Mitch McConnell (R, KY)
Official Senate Leadership Webpages:
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm
Campaign Finance of Leadership
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/index.asp
Party in Congress
• Over the past 20 years we have seen a
marked increase in partisan divide in
Congress
• Party unity scores (the number of times that
members of party vote with other members of
the party) have increased dramatically
• Bipartisan agreements are more difficult to
obtain (e.g., stimulus package vote)
Committee System
• Three (3) types of committees
– Standing
– Select
– Joint
Committee System
• Three (3) types of committees
– Standing
• Semi-Permanent (they can be changed, but
rarely are) committees in House and Senate
devoted to relatively narrow area of public
policy
links: http://www.house.gov/house/CommitteeWWW.shtml
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_t
easers/committees_home.htm
Committee System
• Three (3) types of committees
– Select
• Temporary committee established for a limited
time period and for a specific purpose
– House select committees
http://www.house.gov/house/CommitteeWWW.shtml
– Senate select committees
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_
with_teasers/committees_home.htm
Committee System
• Three (3) types of committees
– Joint
• Legislative committee composed of members
of both chambers of Congress
• Most common is the “Conference Committee”
which reconciles competing House and Senate
versions of a bill
Functions of Congress
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lawmaking
Representation
Constituent Service
Oversight
Public Education
Conflict Resolution
Functions of Congress
• Lawmaking
– Enumerated Powers
(most are in Article I,
section 8)
– Implied powers of
“necessary and
proper” clause
Legislative Process
• Click here for a quick video description
of the legislative process
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dVo3nbLYC0
Representation
• Basic Theories of
Representation
– Delegate:
Elected official
attempts to
determine as best as
possible the views of
the electorate and
vote accordingly
Representation
– Trustee: Elected official attempts to
determine what is in the best interest of the
electorate and vote accordingly
Representation
• Politico: Combination of the preceding
two
Representation
• Representation in the House requires
states to divide themselves into
legislative districts, based on a number
determined by the state’s population
– Each state required (Art. I, clause 3) to
have at least one (1) representative
Reapportionment
• Up through 1910
census, size of the
House membership
expanded as the
population expanded
• 1911 Congress capped
the membership at 435,
so since 1920 census
Congress must
reapportion seats
among the states to
reflect shifts in
population growth rates
Redistricting
• Redrawing legislative districts within states to
reflect population shifts and reapportionment
results
• Occurs every 10 years, after the decennial
census
• Next census is 2010
• Districts are drawn according to state
government plans (some states use the
legislature, some use special “commissions”
Gerrymander
• Drawing
congressional
districts for partisan
advantage
Gerrymander
3
1
4
2
Packing
Gerrymander
4
1
3
2
Cracking
Redistricting
• Since the 1960s though, districts are
required to contain roughly the same
number of people
– Baker v. Carr (1964)
– Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
– Drawing gerrymandered districts is more
difficult now than it was, but it can still be
done
Elections
• Impact of districting:
– fewer “competitive” seats
• 2008 New Jersey data
http://www.opensecrets.org/states/election.a
sp?State=NJ&year=2006
– higher re-election rates
for incumbents
• see chart in text for data
from 1946 through the
2004 election
• 2008 results: 95.3% of
incumbents reelected
Elections
• Other factors contributing to incumbent
advantage:
– Fundraising
• Check the Center for Responsive Politics
website for the spending differentials among
challengers and incumbents
http://www.opensecrets.org/races/index.asp
Elections
• Other factors contributing to incumbent
advantage
– Name recognition among electorate
– Easier access to media
– Easier access to electorate
• “franking” privilege
Useful Links
• Overview of the Legislative Process:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html
• Rules of the 110th Congress (House)
http://www.rules.house.gov/ruleprec/house_rules.htm
• Process in the Senate Legislative
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/enactment/enactlawtoc.html