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Lesson 1- The Functions of Congress
Lesson 1 Vocabulary
A. Constituency- The population of people who live in a particular area in which a
delegate official is elected
B. Delegates- Legislators who vote based upon the ideas and beliefs of the constituents
around them
C. Trustees- Legislators who vote using their own knowledge and their own idea on
what would be best for the the general constituents
D. Agency representation- Representatives are responsible or those that they represent
and if they do not do it properly then the people have the authority to replace them
with representatives that they feel will represent them properly
E. Bicameral legislature- Two houses of a legislative body; House and the Senate
F. Money bill- A bill that is solely having to do with money such as taxation or
government spending
G. Incumbent- A representative that is currently holding a seat in office
Summary
A. Congress is the most important representative institution in the government.
B. Internal organization helps to solve collective action problems
1. Varied goals of individual legislators
C. Congress has the control of the two most important powers:
1. Power of force (control of the military)
a) Article 1- provide for the common defense and general welfare
b) Regulate interstate commerce
c) Declare war
d) Regulate foreign commerce
(1) Supreme even to the President
2. Power over money
a) Article 1- lay and collect taxes
b) Impose duties
c) Borrow and coin money
D. Congressional power can not be separated from the congressional representation
1. Without its powers little would get done
2. Without its capacity to represent such distinct forces of American Society,
they would be undermined
E. Each member is responsible for his or her district and should properly represent
their needs
F. Most legislators are a mix of people who vote according to what their people want
and voting for what they actually believe is right despite what their constituents say
G. Legislators have the responsibility of being representative of others:
1. Meaning that they must be able to represent those that are not like them or
different from themselves
a) Minority Groups
H. Agency representation holds representatives accountable for their actions and
allows constituents to hire or fire representatives
1. Relationship is similar to a lawyer and a client
I. Members of Congress are not just restrained to their specific district
1. Most want to appeal to others beyond that border
a) Race
b) Gender
c) Ethnic
J. Members of the House are elected every two years by popular vote
1. Seen as the institution closest to the people because they are elected by the
people → more responsibility
K. Money bills are required to originate from the House
L. Originally, the Senate represented the elite Americans because they were appointed
by state legislatures
1. 17th amendment provided for direct popular election of Senators
2. Now it is elected by the people like the House
M. Senators usually represent a wider range of constituents than those of the House
N. House is more centralized and organized
O. Different rules in each branch
1. House leaders get more control over the legislative process
2. Senate has little power and discourages specialization
P. Senators are less specialized than House members but that is because they address
more areas of policy so they do not focus too much on one thing
Q. Three factors that affect who gets elected by the the electoral system:
1. Who decides to run for office and who has an edge over who
2. Incumbents advantage of winning reelection
3. Drawing of the district lines
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Lesson 2- The Members of Congress
Lesson 2 Vocabulary
A. Casework- Involves direct consideration of the constituents that the members of
Congress represent. This helps to gain the support of them by showing trust and
support from the candidate’s side
B. Patronage- Appointing or hiring someone on the basis of them being loyal to
supporting you
C. Pork-barrel Legislation- Aspects that are added to bills by members of Congress
that attempt to use government funds to benefit their constituents; usually hidden
agreements in bills
D. Gerrymandering- When an individual tries to change the district lines that creates
an unfair advantage for them over their opponent; puts more votes of winners into
districts that they will win and then losers win in another district
Summary
A. Once in office most members of Congress are eager to stay
1. Almost always the deck is in the favor of the incumbent
2. Establish a reputation in which people desire
3. Get to serve on legislative committees
a) Learn more and develop expertise
b) Help constituents
c) Build a better reputation by having accomplishments to show for
B. Most efforts done to help constituents directly is usually done on their own time
1. Working with local officials
2. Introducing bills
3. Influence decision
C. Patronage is various forms of direct services that members provide for their districts
1. Pork-barrel legislation is most common
D. Earmarks
1. Adding language into bills that helps them get projects and spending
E. Franking privilege
1. Congress can send mail to their hopeful constituents to keep them informed
about one’s campaign and they can receive up to $100,000 in free mailing.
a) Helps incumbents show what they are doing and make them more
visible to voters
F. Fund-raising
1. Incumbents can raise funds throughout their term that almost always
overwhelms the amount that their challengers have
2. Donors
G. Strong challengers are often triumphant over the incumbents
1. Incumbent may be weak or vulnerable
2. Too preoccupied with other affairs
a) If they know they are going to lose they can chose to retire
voluntarily so they do not have to face defeat
H. Incumbency makes it harder for women to have a place in Congress
I. Every 10 years the congressional districts are redrawn
1. Reflect population changes
J. Redistricting can create new seats but also take seats away
K. Clustering voters with similar interests and beliefs in a single district can help give
an advantage to one party
1. Gerrymandering
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VIII.
Lesson 3- The Organization of Congress
Lesson 3 Vocabulary
A. Party caucus/Party conference- Meetings that are used to select candidates to lead
and make decisions that are regarding the legislative agenda
B. Speaker of the House- He/She is elected at the beginning of each Congress; most
important person House leader
C. Majority leader- An elected leader that represents the majority party in both the
house and the Senate
D. Minority leader- An elected leader that represents the minority group in the Senate
and the house
E. Standing committee- Permanent committee that determines legislation in a certain
subject area
F. Gatekeeping authority- Ability to decide whether or not a change in policy will be
considered
G. Proposal power- Ability to bring proposals in front of the whole Congress
H. After-the-fact-authority- The ability to follow up on the deciding of a proposal after
it has been approved by all of Congress
I. Conference committee- A committee that works on compromising a bill after the
changes from the House and Senate creates new versions
J. Oversight- An effort by the Congress to have control over actions of the committees
and the executive agencies; this is through hearings and investigations
K. Seniority- Individuals who have been serving for long periods of time get a special
priority
L. Agency loss- The difference between the agent’s actual work and the agent’s actual
performance
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M. Staff agencies- These are the agencies that are responsible for providing Congress
with oversight and expertise
N. Congressional caucus- Choosing or associating that members of Congress have that
could be based on their party or gender/race.
Summary
A. Political parties are fundamental to the creation of policy coalitions and the creation
of laws.
B. Party caucuses gather at the beginning of each Congress; every two years and choose
leaders
C. Representatives usually seek for seats on committees that can help to impact their
own specific districts
1. Serving on the right committees can give them extra influence that are more
important for their particular role
D. President Pro tempore in the Senate is mainly ceremonial; given to the person with
the most seniority, chosen by the majority party
E. Majority and minority leaders are the ones with the power
1. Control Senate calendar, agenda, and legislation
F. Leaders are chosen by their rank-and-file in their respective parties; this determines
how powerful they can permit their leaders to be
G. Members have become more skewed toward their sides.
1. Vast disagreements
2. No compromise
H. Committees serve as a system of specialists due to the fact that members have such
different interests
I. Standing committees are given a permanent status by the official rules
1. Fixed membership
2. Officers
3. Rules
4. A staff
5. Offices
6. Jurisdiction that is recognized by all other committees.
a) Defined by the subject matter of legislation
J. House rules committee
1. Decides the order in which bills come up for a vote and determines the rules
that govern the length of the debate.
K. Senate rules committee
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1. More administrative matters, managing Senate buildings, Government
printing office, the Senate library, other practices such as corrupt practices,
presidential succession, and the regulation of federal elections.
Policy jurisdictions- responsibility of the committees
Diving up institutional activities among jurisdictions has many advantages especially
allowing for participants to specialize
The monitoring of committee activities goes hand and hand with delegation of
authority and resources
Multifaceted- being spread through a bunch of different jurisdictions; does not just
fit into one
After a bill is referred to a committee, the committee may take no action, amend it,
or write its own legislation, before they decie=de to bring the bill to the floor to
vote.
1. Once it passes one chamber the other must consider it
2. If the other chamber passes a different bill and the first chamber refuses to
accept the changes then the two chambers are forced to resolve the
differences by meeting in a conference committee.
Congressional committees are very careful as they watch what legislation is
implemented and administered throughout the executive branch
1. Oversight hearings where programs and policies undergo strict scrutiny
Committees are divided further into subcommittees
1. Have all the same authorities as regular committees
In committees the large portion of leadership falls into the hands of the committee
chair
1. Determines the committee’s agenda
2. Investigatory resources
3. Subcommittee structure
4. Scheduling hearings/marking-up bills
Even though the majority party can choose whoever for the committee chair it
almost always goes to the most senior member of the committee; seniority
Any proposal made y the chair must secure support of the committee majority
If committees are unchecked they can take advantage of their power
1. Can be relieved if they are not representing the committee as they should
2. Committees are not allowed to make final decisions on policy
3. The parent body relies on the committee's concerns for it’s own reputation
4. Parent body relies on interest groups to keep agents honest
5. Party leaders monitor their control of time on the floor and monitor
committee products to make sure that they are compatible with party goals
6. Discharge petition
a) A committee can be discharged of the responsibility of a bill if they
chose not to act on it as long a majority of the chamber agrees it
should be done
W. Parent legislators use institutional arrangements to regulate and oversee the
subunits’ activities.
X. Reducing the power of the committee chairs forces a more fragmented source of
power and makes it harder to reach agreement on legislation.
Y. The strengthening of party leaders in each chambers helps to have a more
homogenization of policy and matches more of the party ideals within parties;
polarizing them
Z. Staff agencies provide resources and expertise that is independent of the executive
branch.
1. Are able to enhance Congress’ capacity to oversee administrative agencies
and evaluate the president’s proposals and programs.
AA. Caucuses are groups of members that share the same opinions or interests
1. Advance the interests of specific groups by promoting certain legislation
that is favorable to those people.
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Lesson 4- Rules of Lawmaking: How a Bill Becomes a Bill
Lesson 4 Vocabulary
A. Closed rule- House Rule that states that no amendments can be introduced for a bill
during debate
B. Open rule- House Rule that states floor debate is acceptable and adding
amendments to a bill during debate
C. Cloture- ⅗ of the Senate can set a certain time limit on a specific bill
D. Filibuster- Used to prevent action, such as voting, on a bill that a representative may
be opposed to; once they have the floor Senators can speak for an unlimited time
period. In order to end ⅗ Senate needs to vote to end it.
E. Veto- President’s rejection of a bill
F. Pocket veto- After Congress adjourns the President has 10 days to approve or veto a
bill; if he does not act in those 10 days it is automatically approved by Congress
G. Distributive tendency- The tendency that Congress has to be able to spread the
benefits of a particular policy over to many districts, not just their own
Summary
A. The Rules Committee establishes, with the Speaker of the House, determines the
rules by which the legislation will be considered by the full House.
B. Bill supporters generally prefer a closed rule
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1. Severe limits on floor debate
2. Prohibits amendments
People who oppose the bill often prefer an open rule
1. Makes it easier to make amendments to a bill
2. Damages floor debate
3. Weaken its chance of passing
In order to go to the full House for debate, it must pass committees and clear the
Rules Committee
Simple majority can override in the House but it is takes a much bigger majority in
the Senate
In the House, the bill’s sponsor and his or her leading opponent get the majority of
the time that is allotted in the debate
In the Senate the leadership has much less control over the debate; once given the
floor, a Senator can speak for however long he/she wants to (filibuster) and the only
way to end it is a ⅗ votes to end the debate (cloture).
In the Senate, members have no restrictions on proposing bills and proposing
amendments.
Senators can also place holds on bills to delay the debate
After a bill comes out of conference, the House-Senate conference report must be
approved by the floor of each chamber.
1. Voted up or down- no amendments
2. Bill’s opponent uses this as the last chance to kill the bill
Once the bill goes to the president they can veto it and reject it.
If Congress adjourns and the president does not take action then it is considered a
pocket veto
1. Automatically gets enacted
Presidential veto can be overridden by a ⅔ vote in House and the Senate
To pass a policy it is very critical to provide statutory authority to a government
agency to implement the legislation
1. Then you must be able to fund the appropriations
2. Most politicians negotiate some form of compensation to provide their
support
A bill usually becomes more attractive to representatives when it hsa provisions that
make it more inclusive
1. Distributive tendency
a) In advocating for the constituents, legislators are eager to advertise
their strengths and abilities to get things done
b) Credit claims
(1) Taking the credit for something good
c) Duck blames
(1) Bad things; blaming someone else
d) Earns trust in constituents
e) Political pork → spread around
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Lesson 5- How Members of Congress Make Decisions
Lesson 5 Vocabulary
A. Party vote- 50% of members of one party have a particular position and are opposed
by 50% of the other party
B. Roll-call votes- Voting by the Congress members in which they state yes or no
C. Whip system- A network of a party communicating in Congress. There are often
polls that help to get a general idea of the stance that the Congress takes on specific
bills
D. Logrolling- Agreements between members of Congress that state that they will
support each other’s bills by voting for them.
Summary
A. Representatives want to be elected again so they have a lot of influence on their
decisions.
1. Most constituents are kept in the dark about what their rep supports
2. Fear of scrutiny of future elections
3. Try to anticipate the constituents wants and needs
a) Can affect policy even though they are not really aware
B. Interest groups are incredibly influential on policies and Congressional proceedings
1. Connection with constituents
a) Made up of constituents
2. Contribute money
a) Influence legislative behavior
(1) Behind closed doors most of the time
3. Mobilize voters
4. Convey information
a) Informational lobbying
C. Committee proposal power enables legislators to introduce legislation that can favor
interest groups
D. Gatekeeping allows for committee members to block legislation that may harm the
interest groups
E. Committee oversight allows members to intervene in decisions that are being made
on behalf of the interest groups
F. Some resources for representatives to gain support of party members:
1. Committee assignments
a) Leaders can create debts among members by helping others get
favorable committee assignments
b) Creates a bond of obligation → no payments or favors
2. Access to the floor
a) The Senate allows for ranking comm. members to influence the time
allotted
b) In the House the Speaker has large amounts of time
c) Floor time is given to both sides
3. Whip system
a) Communications network
b) Polls are taken to get an idea of the support for specific bills and
what parties support it
c) Leaders use it to convey wishes and plans to other members
4. Logrolling
a) Need for mutual support
b) Produces alliances
c) Willingness to support a policy that one opposes in exchange for the
same support back on their own policy
5. Presidency
a) Most important influence
b) Partisans are expected to support presidents’ initiatives and vice
versa
c) Draws party lines and demonstrates party loyalty