Chapter 13
Part Two
The Congress and Its Work
Instructor: Kevin Sexton
Course: U.S. Political Systems
Southeast Missouri State University
Daily Operations of Congress
Article I of the Constitution
Deals in general with the Legislative Branch. While it
is the longest of the Articles in the Constitution, it does
not give specifics on how Congress will operate.
Rules by which Congress operates
Have been written by each chamber of Congress.
Each chamber has a rules committee, and that body
makes the rules by which each chamber operates.
i.e. The Filibuster is not a Constitutional rule. The members of the Senate
voted to have it and can vote to end it.
How Congress is Organized
The two factors that affect the organization
and operation of Congress the most, are
not Constitutionally-based.
 Political Parties
 Committees
Leadership Organization
of Congress
Two types of leadership in Congress:
Constitutional:
Those positions that are mandated by or listed in the
Constitution.
 Speaker of the House of Representative
 President of the Senate (V.P. of the United States)
 President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Political
These positions are selected by, and based on party
affiliation.
 Majority and Minority Leaders
 Whips
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Constitution says the member of the House of Reps will
elect a Speaker that will act as the leader of the House of
Reps.
This makes the Speaker the Constitutional Leader of the
House of Reps.
BUT
The party in the House of Representatives with the most
members, will have their member always win. (SPEAKER HAS
ALWAYS COME FROM THE MAJORITY PARTY.)
THIS GIVES THAT MAJORITY PARTY A GREAT
DEAL OF POWER IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES!
President of the Senate
Vice President of the United States is the
President of the Senate.
 Only votes in the case of a tie.
 Does not preside over the Senate on a regular basis.
Usually on there during “Official Functions”
 State of the Union Speech
 Swearing in of Members of the Senate
 President Pro Tempore serves as presiding officer of
the Senate most of the time. No real power or authority
in this position, most honorific (usually Senior member
of the majority party)
Party Leadership
Majority Leaders:
 2nd in command in the House of Reps.
 Conduct day to day operations of the “floor” in the House. Does the
political negotiating on behalf of the Speaker (it would be
inappropriate for it to appear that the Speaker was being outwardly
partisan)
 Leader in the Senate.
 Conduct day to day operations of the “floor” in the Senate.
Minority Leaders:
Does the same things as the MAJORITY LEADERS.
But, they do it for the party that is not in control of the
chamber.
Party Leadership
Whips:
 Each party has one in each chamber.
 They act as the communication link between the party leadership
and the party membership in each chamber.

Used to be used much more as a coercive person
or “arm twister.”
The complexity of the Congress has led this
position to become an office. Each party
has a Office of the Whip with up to 25
members.
Party Caucus & Conferences
Members in each chamber take part in their party’s
caucus (Democrats) or party conference
(Republicans).
These groups:
Elect Party Leaders
Ratify Committee Leaders
Debate and Formulate Party Positions on Issues.
Other Influential Groups In
Congress
Members of Congress sometimes cross
party lines to create groups known as caucuses.
These caucuses are formed by members to
pursue common interests.
examples
 Coastal Caucus
 Rural Caucus
 Child Care Caucus
There are over 100 caucuses on Capitol Hill.
Major Operational Differences
Between the House and the Senate
The major differences between the two
chambers is due PRIMARILY to the sizes of the
two chambers.
Major Differences:
o Senate has unlimited debate.
o Debate in the Senate is (usually) controlled by a
UNANIMOUS-CONSENT Agreement.
Filibuster
Tactic used in the Senate to prevent
the consideration of a Bill.
 Talking indefinitely
 Making dilatory motions or amendments.
Preventing or ending a FILIBUSTER:
 Agree before hand that they will not be used, as part of
an unanimous-consent agreement.
 CLOTURE
2/3rds or 60 Senators must vote to end it.
(BOTH OF THESE PROCESSES
ALLOW A MINORITY
TO CONTROL ACTIONS OF THE
SENATE)
Committees in Congress
The vast amount of work in Congress is
completed at the Committee and Sub-Committee
level.
WHY?
Committees allow for:
Sharing of the Work Load
&
Specialization
Types of Committees
Standing Committee
Permanent committees, designed to deal with issues
that continue from one Congressional Session to the
next.
Select Committee
Temporary committee created to deal with a specific
issue, it goes away when the issue has been addressed.
Conference Committee
A committee created to work out the differences
between House and Senate versions of the same bill.
Disbanded after the bill has been dealt with.
Importance of Committee Assignments
to Members of Congress
Members of Congress want (or need) to be on a
committee that deals with an issue relevant to their
CONSTITUIENTS.
After all, what good would it do the 8th Congressional
District if JoAnn Emerson was on the Marine Fisheries
Committee? How many ocean species do we have in the
8th Congressional District.?
She wants to be on a committee that effects her
district, like the Agriculture Committee or like her current
assignment to the Appropriations Committee.
WHO MAKES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS?
AND WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT. THE NEXT
SLIDE WILL ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
Committee Assignments
in Congress
Political Parties have a great deal of power in the
process of what gets done in Congress. But, they still
have a difficult time controlling the individual actions or
their members. After all, it is the voters that elect the
individual members of Congress. If members do what
the party wants all the time and never what their
CONSTITUIENTS want, they will never be re-elected.
In order to have some real control over it’s
members, a party needs to have a tool to effect how a
member can or does represent his/her constituents in
Congress.
THAT TOOL IS COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS.
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Party Leaders in Congress make the
committee assignments. This gives them
some level of control over their members.
i.e. – a member that never does as his party asks, will probably
get a committee assignment that will not allow him/her to do much
for his/her district.
(go back to the example I gave about JoAnn Emerson)
Structure of Committees
Representation on all committees is equal to party
representation in the chamber.
i.e. – If 65% Republican of the Senate is made up of
Republicans and 35% Democrat, then all the committees
and subcommittees in the Senate will be made up of
65% Republicans and 35% Democrats.
Committee and Subcommittee Chairs will be from
the majority party.
Chairs are usually the senior member of the
majority party (not a guarantee anymore).
Strom Thurmund
The Primary Job of Congress:
MAKING LAWS
The following slide has a diagram showing the basic
process that a piece of legislation goes thru on it’s way
to becoming a law.
Keep in mind that:
 A bill must be introduced into and pass through each
chamber in the exact same format before going to the
president for action.
 A bill must make it through the complete process within
one Congressional Session or it must start at the
beginning of the process before being reconsidered.
 Anyone can suggest a bill, but only a member of
Congress can introduce a bill for consideration.
When the President Gets an
Enrolled Bill
ENROLLED BILL
Once a bill has passed out of BOTH chambers and been sent to the
president.
When the president receives an enrolled bill he can take one of the
following actions.
– Sign the bill and the bill becomes a law.
– Veto the bill.
– Not sign the bill and the bill dies. (with less than 10 days left in session of Congress)
– Not sign the bill and the bill becomes a law.
(with more than 10 days left in session of Congress)
$$ Appropriations Process $$
The process of assigning money to carry out
actions Congress has authorized as part of a
law.
This process produces spending bills, and
parallels the law making process. Spending bills
must also pass both chambers of Congress in
the exact same format.
Conference Committees are also used to reconcile
these spending bills.
Your Member of Congress
When Americans are asked how they feel Congress
is operating the response is usually that they think
Congress is made up of individuals that cannot be
trusted and are barley competent.
WHY then do we keep re-electing members of
Congress time after time.
Because people believe that Congress is made up of a
bunch of incompetent, unethical people. But, MY
member of Congress is doing a good job for me.
What is wasteful spending in another state or district, is
needed funding in my state or district.
Trustee or Delegate?
How should your member of Congress represent
you in Washington?
TRUSTEE
members of Congress are elected to use their own
judgment in how they vote and act on the behalf of those
who elected him/her.
DELEGATE
members of Congress are elected to very closely
follow the wishes of those who elected him/her when
they vote or act as your representative.