Chapter 12 section 1: Congress
Organizes
Big Idea: Congress carefully
organizes itself to get its complex job
done.
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
President pro tempore
Floor leaders
Party caucuses
Whips
Committee chairmen
Seniority rule
Notes
• How does Congress convene? (House and
Senate)
• When does Congress convene?
• What are the roles of the presiding officers in
the Senate and the House?
• What are the duties of Party officers in
Congress?
• How are the Committee chairmen chosen?
Chapter 12 Section 2:
Committees in Congress
Big Idea: The Senate and House both
divide into committees to manage their
business and decide which bills will
receive attention.
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
Standing Committees
Select Committees
Joint committees
Conference committees
Notes
• How do standing committees function?
• What are the duties and responsibilities of the
House Rules Committee?
• Compare and Contrast the functions of Joint
and Conference Committees?
Chapter 12 section 3: How a Bill
Becomes a Law: The House
Big Idea: A bill must move through
reviews and committee hearings before
it reaches the House floor; if passed, it
moves to the Senate
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bill
Joint resolution
Concurrent resolution
Resolution
Rider
Discharge petition
Subcommittee
Committee of the Whole
Quorum
engrossed
notes
• What are the first steps in the introduction of a
bill to the House?
• What happens to a bill once it is referred to a
committee?
• How do House leaders schedule debate on a bill?
• List and describe the 4 methods used by the
House to take floor votes:
• What happens in the final steps once a bill has
been passed?
Chapter 12 Section 4: The Bill in
the Senate
Big Idea: Although the law-making
process in the Senate is much like that
in the House, debate in the Senate is
largely unrestricted
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
Filibuster
Cloture
Veto
Pocket veto
notes
• How is a bill introduced in the Senate?
• How are Senate’s rules for debate different
than those for the House?
• What role do conference committees play in
the lawmaking process?
• What actions can the President take after both
houses have passed a bill?