WELCOME!
SENG
AP GOVERNMENT
WHAT’S THE OPPOSITE OF CONGRESS?
PROGRESS
CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW OF
CONGRESS
• Basis of Constitutional authority is
found in Article I
• Important powers: levy taxes, coin
money, declare war, regulate
commerce
• Implied powers
• Overrides vetoes w/ 2/3s majority
THE JOB…
• Hard work; rigorous schedule
• Powerful position
• Office space in Washington and at
home
• Congressional staff
• Travel allowances
• Franking
THE MEMBERS
• 535 Members
• 100 Senators
• 435 Representatives
REQUIREMENTS
House
Senate
• At least 25 years
of age
• American citizen
for seven years
• Resident of the
district from which
you are elected
• At least 30 years
of age
• American citizen
for nine years
• Resident of the
state from which
you are elected
TYPICAL PRIOR
OCCUPATIONS…
• Law
• Business
• Education
• Public service
• Agriculture
• Journalism
• Real Estate
• Medicine
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
• Held every two years in November
• Who wins? INCUMBENTS
• Incumbency advantage stronger
in the House than in the Senate
INCUMBENCY ADVANTAGES
• Name Recognition
• Credit Claiming
• Position-Taking
• Weak opponents
• Campaign spending
• Experience in running a prior,
successful campaign
OPEN SEATS
• When an incumbent decides not
to run again, the seat is open
• Greater likelihood of competition
GERRYMANDERING
• Baker v. Carr (1962)
• Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
MONEY IN CONGRESSIONAL
ELECTIONS
• Most congressional campaign
funds come from individual
contributions, but about one-third
come from PACs
• PACs usually support incumbents
HOW CONGRESS IS ORGANIZED…
• Bicameral
legislature
• A legislature divided
into two houses
Congress
Senate
House of
Representatives
KEY DIFFERENCES
HOUSE
SENATE
•2-year term
•435
•Formal
•Specialist
•Tax policy
•6-year term
•100
•Relaxed
•Generalist
•Foreign
policy
HOUSE
• House Rules Committee
• Unique to the House
• Reviews bills coming from committee
before they go to the full House
• Schedules time for debate
• POWERFUL
Remember, with 435 members, there
has to be strict control of debate
SENATE
• Filibuster – strategy unique to
Senate whereby opponents of a
piece of legislation try to talk it to
death
• Sixty members present and voting
can halt a filibuster by voting for
cloture
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
• Chosen by the majority party
• Second in line of succession for the
presidency
• Presides over the House when in session
• Recognizes members who desire the floor
• Major role in making committee
assignments
• Appoints party leadership
• Exercises control over which bills get
assigned to which committees
MAJORITY LEADER
• Responsible for
• Scheduling bills
• Influencing committee assignments
• Rounding up votes in behalf of the
party’s legislative positions
• Serving as a spokesperson for party
positions and interests
• Serving as an intermediary in both
intraparty and interparty negotiations
MINORITY LEADER
• Leader of the minority party in the
House or Senate
• Essentially does the same things
the majority leader does but only
regarding the minority party
WHIPS
• Work with the Majority or Minority
Leaders to count votes
beforehand and lean on
‘maybes’ whose votes are crucial
to a bill favored by the party
LOGROLLING
• When members of Congress
exchange support
FOUR TYPES
OF COMMITTEES
• Standing committees
• separate subject-matter committees
that handle bills in different policy
areas [in both houses]
FOUR TYPES
OF COMMITTEES
• Joint committees
• committees on a few policy areas
with membership from both houses
FOUR TYPES
OF COMMITTEES
• Conference committees
• formed when Senate and House pass
a bill in different forms
• they hammer out the differences
and report back to each house
with a compromise bill
FOUR TYPES
OF COMMITTEES
• Select committees
• appointed for a specific purpose
BILLS, OMNIBUS
LEGISLATION, RIDERS
• Bill - proposed law, drafted in
precise, legal language
• Omnibus legislation –
miscellaneous bill
• Riders – stipulations attached to a
bill, oftentimes does not relate to
the content of the bill
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
• Play a huge role in the committee
agenda
• Schedule hearings, hire staff,
appoint subcommittees, manage
bills when brought to the House
floor
• Seniority used to determine who
would chair a committee, not this
is not necessarily the case
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
A bill is drafted and
introduced in the
House of
Representatives
and the Senate
The bill is referred to
the House Committee
The bill is referred to the
Senate Committee
The bill is referred to the
House Subcommittee
The bill is referred to the
Senate Subcommittee
House Committee
Hearing
Senate Committee
Hearing
House Subcommittee/
Committee mark up
Senate Subcommittee/
Committee mark up
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
Passes House Committee
Passes Senate Committee
House Rules
Committees calendars
it for debate in the House
Calendared for
debate in the Senate
Floor debate
in the House
Floor debate
in the Senate
Full vote in the House
Full vote in the Senate
Conference committee
mark up
Second full vote
in the House
Second full vote
in the Senate
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
Bill is sent
to the President
President signs
or Vetoes
If president vetoes, 2/3
majority of both houses
overrules
LAW
WHAT DOES THIS PROCESS
MEAN FOR CONGRESS?
• Congress is slow
• Congress is negative
• It is easier to stop legislation than to
pass it
• Politicians need to be more
pragmatic than principled for
things to get done
• Have to reach a compromise for the
process to work
LEGISLATIVE
OVERSIGHT
• Process of monitoring the
bureaucracy and its
administration of policy
• Handled through hearings
CONGRESSIONAL
CAUCUS
• A group of members of Congress
sharing some interest or
characteristic