Phase I: Introduction to Congress

February 13th

, 2013 (2.20.14)

Part 1: Who’s In Congress?

demographics - selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research;

commonly-used demographics include race, age, level of education, gender, religion, political

affiliation and occupation.

1) Use Student Handout 1: Demographic Profile 111th Congress.

a. Identify at least five demographical characteristics of a typical representative in the 111th Congress based on the data

above.

b. List three groups of people who might have reason to question whether or not the Congress adequately represents their

interests. c. Can a legislative body make decisions that are in the best interest of the whole if that legislative body does not

truly reflect the whole? Explain with evidence from handout 1.

Fun Facts (research on your own)

2) The House of Representatives has _____ members. There are _____ representatives from my state. I live in the

__________ district and my representative is __________?

Since Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms, one session of Congress lasts

two years. Each two-year session has a number. The current session is the ________Congress, which began

January 20____. It ends on __________?

3) Do the math, what session of Congress would have the Contract with America been signed? _____

Part 2: Differences between House and Senate.

4) Using the information from Student Handout 2 complete the Comparison Chart in Student Handout 3.

5) Read the green box on pg. 318 of your textbook and identify two other differences.

__________

__________

Part 3: Scavenger Hunt: Party Leadership (Google)

6) Every two years the Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the _____________ party.

7) Currently, the ______________ Party has the most seats in the House of Representatives.

8) Complete Student Handout 4a-b by using the website sources AND pages 297-299 in your textbook. Once this is

finished please complete Activity A individually.

Activity A: Assume your entire class are Republicans. Using your knowledge of each leadership position,

choose a member from your class who would fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the Top three leaders in the

House. Justify your choices!!!

Part 4: Congressional Committees

9) Read Student Handout 5: CRS Report for Congress AND Text book pages 304-308. Use the information to fill

out Student Handout 6

10) Based on that knowledge, match the three picture collages (A,B,C) to the three types of committees they

represent (Student Handout 7) List the reasons why the collage represents the committee.

11) "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee is Congress at work.”

- Woodrow Wilson (1885). Based on what you learned in part 4 Explain.

Part 5: Congressional Caucuses:

12) Using pages 303-304 Define Congressional Caucuses.

13) List, explain and cite examples of four types of Congressional Caucuses.

Part 6: Delegates or Trustees? Who do Members of Congress Represent?

15) Read pages 294-297. After reading, select 1 of the 2 activities to complete. Please see Student Handout 8 & 9 for

examples.

A. Draw a “Sensory Figure” that represents the different explanations of how a Congressperson might vote.

Try to use at least 4 of the 5 senses. Try to create a “6th Sense” and use it to represent an aspect of each

view

B. Create a THREE headed Mutated caricature of a Congressperson. The caricature should incorporate

symbols that reflect the dilemmas a Congressperson will face when trying to decide on how to vote on

certain issues. Tie in references from the text.

16) Why are the terms Delegates and Trustees used to represent the different responsibilities of a Congressperson?

Which is the better fit?

Part 7: Congressional Support

17) Read pages 309-310. What role do Congressional Staff members play in the following?

(a) linking Congressman to constituents,

(b) in the legislative process

(c) dealing with lobbyist,

(d) changing the structure of Congress?

18) Define both the GAO and the CBO. Which one is most essential to government? Explain

"Suppose you were an idiot ... And suppose you were a member of

Congress... But I repeat myself."

--Mark Twain

I’m so confused! If the opposite of “pro” is “con,” does that mean that the opposite of progress is Congress?

Churchill's remark that "democracy is the worst system devised by the wit of man, except for all the others," still rings true.

19. Which quote or cartoon is

the best description of Congress?

WHY

Demographic

Categories

House of

Representatives Senate

General Population

(2001 stats)

Party Association:

Democrats 256 56 48%

Republicans 178 41 26%

Independents 0 2 26%

Median Age: 57 63 36.6

Gender:

Men 82% 83% 48.6%

Women 18% (78) 17% (17) 51.4%

Education (college) 95% college educated HR & S combined 36.6%

Religion:

Protestants 59% 53% 56.1%

Catholics 28% 25% 25.9%

Jews 7% 13% 1.4%

Muslims >1% (1) 0% 0.6%

Other/None >1% 9% 16%

Ethnicity:

Whites 84% 94% 67%

Hispanics 6% (28) 3% (3) 14.8%

African Americans 10% (41) 1% (1) 13.4%

Asian Americans >1% (9) 2% (2) 4.4%

Native Americans >1% (1) 0% >1%

Military Service: 25% (96) 25% (25) 10% (approximate)

Occupation:

Lawyers 50% (215) 58% (58) 0.5%

Businesspersons 37% (162) 26% (26) 9.9%

Public Officials 20% (109 combined HR & S) NA

Educators 19% (82) 14% (14) 4.6%

Length of Service 11 yrs. (5.5 terms) 12.9 yrs. (2.2 terms) N/A

Student Handout 1

House Senate

435 members; 2 yr terms 100 members; 6 yr terms

Low turnover Moderate turnover

Speaker bill referral hard to challenge

Referral decisions easily challenged

Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party; powerful Rules Committee

Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders

Debate limited to 1 hour Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked

Members policy specialists

Members policy generalists

Emphasizes tax & revenue policy

Emphasizes foreign policy

More formal & impersonal

More informal & personal

Student Handout 2

House Senate Reason(s)

Why did the Founders create the

difference?

House v. Senate

Student Handout 3

Student Handout 3

House of Representatives Leadership - 113th Congress

LEADERSHIP POSITION

CURRENT LEADER

ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES

Speaker of the

House

House

Majority Leader

House

Majority Whip

House

Minority Leader

House Minority

Whip

Party Leadership

Directions – Your task is to research the major leadership positions in the House and Senate and include the following information in the table below: 1) identify the current leader, her/his party and state, 2) briefly describe the major roles and responsibilities of each position. The websites below are excellent resources:

http://www.ushistory.org/gov/6b.asp http://www.ncsl.org/programs/leaders/LRDRoles.htm#pos http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_leadershippositions.htm http://www.house.gov/leadership/ http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm

Student Handout 4a

Senate Leadership - 113th Congress

LEADERSHIP POSITION

CURRENT LEADER

ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES

President of the Senate

President Pro Tempore

Senate Majority

Leader

Senate Minority

Leader

Senate Majority

Whip

Senate Minority

Whip

Student Handout 4b

Committee Types and Roles Valerie Heitshusen

Analyst in American National Government

Government and Finance Division

Structure of the Committee System

Congress divides its legislative, oversight, and internal administrative tasks among more than 200 committees

and subcommittees. Within assigned areas, these functional subunits gather information; compare and evaluate

legislative alternatives; identify policy problems and propose solutions; select, determine, and report measures for full

chamber consideration; monitor executive branch performance (oversight); and investigate allegations of

wrongdoing. For more information on legislative process, (http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml].1)

The 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act (60 Stat. 812) sets the framework for the modern committee system.

The act organized the Senate and House committees along roughly parallel lines, but divergences have emerged over

time. Within the guidelines of chamber rules, each committee adopts its own rules addressing organizational, structural,

and procedural issues. As a consequence, there is considerable variation among panels and across chambers.

Following organizational meetings at the beginning of the 110th Congress, there were 20 standing committees in

the House with 97 subcommittees, and two select committees. The Senate has 16 standing committees with 72

subcommittees, as well as four select or special committees with no subcommittees. In addition there are four joint

committees. CRS-2

Types of Committees

There are four main types of committees: standing, select or special, joint, and conference.

Standing committees are permanent panels identified as such in chamber rules (House Rule X, Senate Rule

XXV). Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend

measures for consideration by their respective chambers. They also have oversight responsibility to monitor agencies,

programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions.

Most standing committees recommend funding levels — authorizations — for government operations and for

new and existing programs. A few have other functions. For example, the Appropriations Committees recommend

legislation to provide budget authority for federal agencies and programs. The Budget Committees establish aggregate

levels for total spending and revenue, via the annual budget resolution, that serve as guidelines for the work of the

authorizing and appropriating panels.

Select or special committees are established generally by a separate resolution of the chamber, sometimes to

conduct investigations and studies, and, on other occasions, also to consider measures. Often, select committees examine

emerging issues that do not fit clearly within existing standing committee jurisdictions, or which cut across jurisdictional

boundaries. A select committee may be permanent or temporary. Select committees may have certain restrictions on

member tenure or may include certain specified representatives (e.g., party leaders or certain standing committee chairs)

as ex officio members. Instead of select, the Senate sometimes uses the term special committee (e.g., the Special

Committee on Aging).

Student Handout 5

Joint committees are made up of Members of both the House and Senate. Today’s joint committees are

permanent panels that conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks rather than consider measures. For instance, the

Joint Committee on Printing oversees the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures

of the federal government. The chairmanship of joint committees usually alternates between the House and Senate.

A conference committee is a temporary joint committee formed to resolve differences between competing House

and Senate versions of a measure. Conference committees draft compromises between the positions of the two

chambers, which are then submitted to the full House and Senate for approval.

Committee

Type Description House Examples Senate Examples

Standing

Committee

Subcommittee

Select or

Special

Committee

Joint

Committee

Conference

Committee

Student Handout 7

Student Handout 6

Student Handout 7

Student Handout 7

Student Handout 7

Student Handout 8