Unit 8
Chapter 5, Sections 4-5
Congressional Committees, Staff, and Support Agencies
Mr. Young
Essential Question
What is the
purpose and
why does
Congress need
Congressional
Committees
and Support
Staff?
I CAN:
1. Explain the major purposes of
Congressional Committees
2. Define the 4 kinds of Congressional
Committees
3. Evaluate how Committee Members
are chosen
Life-Skill Application
Don’t be afraid to
ask for help in life if
you do not
understand what
you are doing or
just do not have the
time to do it.
Quote by Woodrow Wilson
“Congress in
session is Congress
on public
exhibition, whilst
Congress in its
committee-rooms is
Congress at work.”
(1885)
Purposes of Committees
Effectively
consider
thousands of bills
Help to ease
workload and key
power centers in
Congress
4 Purposes of Committees
① Divide work among
smaller groups
② Committees select
few bills that receive
further
considerations
• Listen to supporters
and oppenents of
bills
4 Purposes Cont.
By holding public
hearings and
investigations, have
made the public learn
about key problems
facing nation
④ Provide legislative
oversight- investigate
executive agencies to
make sure they are
carrying out bills as
Congress intended
③
4 Types of Committees
1. Standing Committees
2. Select Committees
3. Joint Committees
4. Conference Committees
Standing Committees
Permanent committees
which oversee bills
dealing with specific
issues that carry over to
the next Congress
Controlled by majority
party in each house and
has majority of members
Majority party also selects
chairperson for each
standing committee
20 committees in House
16 committees in Senate
Choosing of Standard
Committee Members
1)
2)
3)
4)
Usually chosen
based on these
criteria:
Seniority
Geographical
Distribution
Preference
Expertise
Subcommittees
A group within the
1.
standing committee that 2.
specializes in a particular 3.
4.
subcategory
Usually continues from
each Congress to the next
Each standing committee 5.
has around 5
subcommittees
6.
Members of each party on a
committee decides who will 7.
serve in subcommittee
Subcommittees
Subcommittee on African Affairs
Subcommittee on East Asian and
Pacific Affairs
Subcommittee on European Affairs
Subcommittee on International
Development and Foreign Assistance,
Economic Affairs and International
Environmental Protection
Subcommittee on International
Operations and Organizations,
Human Rights, Democracy and
Global Women's Issues
Subcommittee on Near Eastern and
South and Central Asian Affairs
Subcommittee on Western
Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Global
Narcotics Affairs
Select Committees
A temporary committee
formed to study one
specific issue and report
its findings to the Senate
or the House
Usually cannot report
bills to parent chambers
Issues can contain:
1. Matters of public concern
2. Overlooked problems
3. Problems of interest
groups
Examples include:
Senate Select
Committee on
Ethics
House Committee
on Standards of
Official Conduct
(House Ethics
Committee)
Joint Committees
A committee made up of both
members of the House and
Senate that act as a study group
with the responsibility for
reporting findings back to both
Houses.
In theory, joint comittees
coordinate the work of the two
houses
In practice, lawmakers usually
limit joint committees to
handling routine matters
Do not have authority to deal
directly with bills or propose
legislation
Examples Include:
• Joint Committee on
Printing
• Joint Committee on
Library of Congress
Conference Committees
A temporary committee set up
when the House and Senate
have passed different versions
of the same bill
Job is to resolve differences
between the two versions
Both house must pass
identical same bill before it is
sent to the President
Once the final compromise
bill (or conference report) has
reached the floors, it must be
considered as a whole without
amendments
Choosing Committee Members
Extremely important
because:
1. Increase your chances of
being reelected
2. Influence national policy
making
3. Exert influence over
other lawmakers because
they deal with matters
important to all of
Congress
Important House
Committees:
 Rules, Ways and Means,
and Appropriations
Committee
 Important Senate
Committees:
 Foreign Relations,
Finance, and
Appropriations
Role of Committee Chairperson
Along with party leaders,
chairperson of standing
committees are most powerful
members of Congress
Make key decisions about
work of committees
When hearings will be held
and witnesses will be called
upon
Hire staff and control budget
Manage floor debates on bills
that come from their
committee
Seniority System
Unwritten rule in
selecting chairperson
gave the member of the
majority party with the
longest uninterrupted
service on a particular
committee the leadership
of that committee
Reformed in the 1970’s
and weakened the power
of the committee chairs
Chapter 5, Section 5
Staff and Support Agencies
Essential Question
Has the demand on
Congressmen and
the rapid growth of
government caused
Congressional staff
members to become
to powerful?
I CAN:
1. Explain the importance of
Congressional Staff Roles and how it
has expanded over the years.
2. Analyze the two different types of
Congressional Staffs.
3. Evaluate how Congress has created
Support Agencies to help it keep
some power over the Executive
branch.
Life-Skill Application
Even if you stayed
at a Holiday Inn
Express last night,
you still need help
from experts in
fields you are not
familiar with.
Congressional Staff Roles
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Do much of the important
work on legislation such
as:
Handle the growing
workload of Congress
Communicate with voters
Help run committee
hearings and floor sessions
Draft new bills
Write committee reports
Attend committee
meetings
Help them get reelected
Internet and Congressional Staff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0gZnnI68cA
Congressional Staff Growth
Two major reasons for
growth:
1. Became a great way to
get expert help in areas
that they were not very
informed in
2. Constituents demands
have increased over the
years
Lawmaker’s explanation
“More than half my total staff time
is devoted to resolving individual
difficulties that have developed
between citizens and their
government.”
Two types of Congressional Staff
Personal Staff
Work directly for individual senators
and representatives
1. Administrative Assistant (AA)- runs
the lawmaker’s office, supervises the
lawmaker’s schedule, and gives advice
on political matters
2. Legislative Assistant (LA)- helps
lawmaker become well informed
1.
about the many bills; assists in
2.
committee meetings and attends
when lawmakers are not present
3.
3. Caseworker- handle the many
4.
requests for help from people in the 5.
lawmaker’s state or congressional
6.
districit
Committee Staff
Work for the many House and
Senate committees
Chairperson and senior
minority party member are in
charge
Some are very experienced and
experts in their field.
Draft bills
Study issues
Collect information
Plan committee hearings
Write memos
Prepare committee reports
Printing Office Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuW6QbXtaI&feature=relmfu
Brief History (3 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aarQl3xAysw&feat
ure=relmfu
Extensive History (7 min)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkYVRVmbIAk&f
eature=related
Another History
Support Agencies
•
•
1) Library of Congress
Established in 1800
Congressional Research
Services (CRS)- Along with
LOC, helps lawmakers with
research on bills
3) General Accounting Office
•GAO established in 1921
•Nation’s watchdog over the
spending of funds Congress
appropriates
•Headed by comptroller general
appointed to 15 year term
2) Congressional Budget Office
• CBO established in 1974
• Coordinate the budget-making
process of Congress
• Cost projections of proposed
new programs
• Counterbalances OMB
4) Government Printing Office
•GPO is the largest multi-purpose
printing plant in the world
•Prints for entire federal gov’t
•Prints Congressional Record, all bills
introduced and speeches and
testimonies, daily.
Library of Congress Video
http://www.loc.gov/more/mtal.html
More than a Library video