THE US CONGRESS
Chapters 10 & 12
10.1 - Congress



Bicameral – two houses or parts
House of Representatives & the Senate
Reasons why…
 Historical:
British Parliament
 Practical: settled by the Great Compromise
 Gave
equal voice AND population reflection
 Theoretical:
or situation
check on the system – “diffuse” the power
Terms vs. Sessions

Term – lasts two years & numbered consecutively
since 1st Congress of 1789-1791
March 4th – 20th Amendment  Jan 3rd
 Today = 113th Congress
 Originally

Session – time when they assemble & conduct
business = one per year of the term
 Convenes
– when they begin work in a session
 Adjourns – suspends work during a session
 Recess – short breaks during a session

Special Session – called by President – emergency
 27
in history – Truman’s in 1948 last one
10.2 - House of Representatives

Qualifications: at least 25 years old, live in the state,
citizen at least 7 years
 Usually
also live in district representing & know the issues
there

House controls its own rules on elections, qualifications
& expulsions
 has
not challenged any member-elect since Powell v.
McCormack, 1969
 Only expelled 5 members; “reprimanded” others

Informal qualifications sometimes factor in
H of R - Terms

All 435 members serve two year terms
 Short
terms designed to make them more accountable
to “we the people” at home


Elections are in even numbered years
# of seats is based on apportionment
 Districts
are to be roughly same size in population
 Today almost 700,000 people per district

No term limits
Reapportionment




US Census every 10 years since 1790
Population shifts result in reapportionment of seats
Grew fairly consistently from 65 in 1789 to 435
after 1910 census
Reapportionment Act of 1929 – set 435 as
permanent number of Reps
 Census
Bureau determines # of Reps per state
Congressional Elections


First Tues after the 1st Mon in Nov of even # years
Must use a voting machine or ballot
 Off-year
elections – the years w/out Presidential
election
 Note:
party of the President usually loses seats
 Not in 2002 after 9/11

435 Congressional Districts in US
 Single-member
 Some
 States
districts
states had tried at-large elections – didn’t work (1842)
establish a district’s boundaries, but must be
contiguous territory, equal #s, & compact in size
Gerrymandering

Named for Mass Gov. Elbridge Gerry in 1812
 Drew

district boundary lines to favor his party
Gerrymandering – drawn to the advantage of the
political party that controls the state legislature
 Widespread
today, even to local elections
 2 purposes – 1 – concentrate the opposition in as few
districts as possible – “packing”
2
– spread the opposition as thinly as possible – “cracking”
 Sometimes “kidnapping” – redraw lines to move an
incumbent into a district less likely to be reelected
 Result
today: most districts are considered “safe”
Court cases have impacted…

Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964
 “one
person, one vote” principle, caused dramatic shift
away from rural overrepresentation

Gomillion v. Lightfoot, 1960
 Gerrymandering
based solely on race violates 15th
Amendment

Davis v. Bandemer, 2003
 Reinforced
that state may redraw boundaries when
party in control wants to seize an advantage
10.3 - Senate


Qualifications: at least 30 years old, live in state, 9
years a citizen
Senate also controls its own rules on elections,
qualification, expulsions, etc.
 But

to expel a member needs 2/3s vote – total 15
Similar informal qualifications considered
 Especially
political experience as Senate is viewed as
the “upper House” of Congress

Two Senators per state
Senate Term & Election

6 year term, 1/3 up for election every other year
 Continuous
body as all of its seats are never up for
election at the same time
 length is to give them time to study the law & be less
pressured by special interests or passions in the moment


Originally Senators chosen by state legislatures
17th Amendment, 1913 – direct elections
 These
are at-large elections
10.4 - Personal & Political Background

Most are white men in their 50s
 Growing






#s of women, minorities
Most are married with kids and have a religious
affiliation
Most are lawyers &/or have advanced degrees
Most are born in the states they represent
Most have political experience
Most are upper-middle class
**is NOT an accurate cross section of American
society
Representatives of the People

Lawmakers can represent the people as they vote…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Delegates – discover “what the folks back home” think
about an issue & vote that way – can counter own
opinion
Trustees – call issues as they see it using their own
conscience & judgment – can ignore constituents
Partisans – owe allegiance to their political party –
considered the leading factor in influencing voting
Politicos – try to combine all three and balance
conflicting roles
Committee Members


Members serve on various committees – “experts”
on certain issues
When bills are proposed, committees screen or
preview the bills
 Decide


if the bill will go on to floor consideration
Appropriation – provide $ to enforce laws
Oversight function – committees check to make sure
the executive branch agencies are carrying out the
laws
Compensation

Salary - $174,000 year
 Speaker
- $223,500; VP – $227,300; floor leaders $193,400

“fringe benefits” – special tax deduction for 2
residences
 Travel
allowances, life & health insurances, pension plan
plus Social Security & Medicare
 Offices – given one in DC, allowance for ones at home
 Franking privilege – signature in place of stamps
 Restaurants & gym, parking in DC & at airport
Politics of Pay




Voter backlash – fear of election day fallout over
compensation or improper use of “perks”
Presidential veto of a pay raise
27th Amendment, 1992 – must have a
Congressional election before a pay raise can take
effect
Membership Privileges – protections from court for
attendance & speeches
 To
encourage vigorous debates on issues
 Does not allow for personal attacks
Ch. 11 - Expressed Powers of Congress

Create & collect taxes, coin & borrow money
 16th

Amendment, 1913 = income tax
Regulate interstate & foreign trade
 Gibbons






v. Ogden, 1824 – further defined interstate
Bankruptcy & Immigration - naturalization
Declare war
Establish courts, military
Copyrights, patents, weights & measures, post offices
Conduct process of impeachment
Senate ratifies treaties & confirms appointments
12.1 - Opening Day in the House

The Clerk of the House from preceding term presides
until a Speaker is elected
 Calls

order, does roll call
Members then pick the Speaker of the House
 Speaker




takes Oath of Office from Dean of the House
Speaker then gives Oath to rest of the House
Clerk, parliamentarian, sergeant at arms, chief
administrative officer & chaplain elected
Adopts Rules of the House
Members appointed to the 20 permanent committees
Opening Day in the Senate

There is no large organizational session
 Continuous




body
Newly elected & reelected members take the Oath of
Office
Fill vacancies in Senate leadership and on committees
When Senate is told the House is organized, they send
a message to the President – they have a quorum &
are ready to hear from him
Few weeks later – State of the Union message is given
to a joint session of Congress, in person since 1913
Presiding Officers - House

Speaker of the House
 Most
powerful in Congress, acknowledged leader of
majority party, also 3rd in line to presidency
 Primary roles – to preside & keep order




Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Leader
Minority Whip
Presiding Officers - Senate

Vice President = President of the Senate
 Named
by Constitution
 Can preside & keep order, only votes when a tie

President pro tempore
 Served
in VP’s absence, longest serving of majority party
 4th in line to presidency




Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Leader
Minority Whip
Party Officers - both

Party caucus – closed meeting of that party
 Policy
committee – executive body of each caucus
 Other caucuses deal with particular issues
 Can belong to more than one caucus

Floor Leaders – also picked by the party
 Legislative
strategists that steer floor action to benefit the
party


Committee Chairmen – head the standing committees
All impacted by seniority rule – unwritten custom
12.2 - Committees in Congress

Standing Committees – permanent
 20

in House, 16 in Senate – see charts pgs 340-341
Subcommittees – standing committees divided into
smaller groups to deal with more specific topics
 Crime
& drugs, Immigration, Consumer Rights
 Almost

70 in Senate, 99 in House
Select Committees – investigative groups that are
temporary in order to deal with special issues
 Indian
Affairs, Presidential Campaign Activities, Covert
Arms Transactions
Committees con’t…

Joint Committees – made up of members of both
House & Senate to advise Congress on a particular
area
 Most
are permanent & serve on a regular basis
 Joint

Committee on the Library
Conference Committees – also both House & Senate
members in order to work out a compromise between
House & Senate versions of a bill before it goes to
the President
 Temporary,
joint group
Committee Assignments

Choose to serve on a particular committee…
1.
2.
3.


To benefit their district or state
To influence national policy
Because of their personal interest or background
Once named to a committee, they may stay on it as
long as they wish
Eventually, members with seniority may become the
committee chair
 Committee
chairs are always from the majority party
12.3 & 4 - How a bill becomes a law



In the House – see handout
In the Senate – see other handout
Final step – to the President
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sign the bill  becomes law
Veto the bill  rejects it & returns it to the part of
Congress where it originated – usually with a veto
message
Can become a law without signing it in 10 days (not
counting Sat & Sun)
Pocket veto  if Congress adjourns during the 10
days, president can ignore it and the bill dies