The Capitol Building

CONGRESS

The Capitol Building

The architecture and floor plan of the Capitol building in Washington reflect the bicameral division of Congress

The Powers of Congress:Article I

Section One: bicameral legislature

Section Two: length of terms for House members and qualifications for service

Section Three: selection of Senators, length of terms

Section Four: congressional election process

Section Seven: how a bill becomes a law

Section Eight: powers of the legislative branch

Constitutional Foundations of the Modern Congress

The framers of the Constitution were ambivalent about democracy and concerned about the possibility of government tyranny.

Fear that power in the hands of a single individual would be abused and the people would suffer.

They wanted an energetic government, with the legislative branch as the center of policymaking.

Yet they also limited Congressional power

bicameralism bills of attainder ex post facto laws

habeas corpus separation of powers checks and balances

Drawing the District Lines

Apportionment Established through the Great Compromise Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned

to the states on the basis of their population after every ten-year census and on equal representation in the Senate.

Reapportionment In the 1910 census, the House limited the total number of

districts to 435, so now some states gain and some states lose each time we count.

Malapportionment Unequal numbers of people in legislative districts resulting

in inequality of voter representation.

RedistrictingWhen the census is final each state is told how many districts it now has—then state legislatures draw district lines

To accommodate population shifts and to keep districts as equal as possible

GerrymanderingWhen districts are drawn to help or hurt a political party, group or incumbent

Drawing the District Lines

Every district has roughly 650,000 people, except states like Wyoming which has only 580,000 Every state is guaranteed at least one member.

Congressional Elections

Congressional Elections Where Representatives

and Senators are Elected Predicting Congressional

Elections The 2010 Congressional

Elections The Campaigns Election Day Explaining The Results

Representation and Democracy

Styles of representationtwo principal styles of representation in

1774.Delegate theoryTrustee theory

Senators (who have longer terms of office) usually have more latitude than representatives to assume the trustee style.

The Job of the Legislator

Legislators as Representatives

Legislators as LawmakersPolicy and Philosophical ConvictionsVotersCongressional colleagues (other legislators)Congressional StaffPartyInterest GroupsThe President

Quick Assessment

List 5 influential agents on legislators that shape their lawmaking decisions.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Race, Gender and Occupation in Congress

Gender Race

African AmericansHispanicsOthers

Occupationdominance of law, business, and banking lack of blue-collar representation

Is it important that Congress be demographically representative of the American people?

Diversity in Congress

Reapportionment, 2010

Advantages of Incumbency

How Congress WorksCongress remains the most influential

and independent legislature among Western democratic nations.

Political Parties in CongressAt the opening of each new Congress,

parties in the two houses hold caucuses to organize their legislative business and select their leadership.

Party composition of CongressParty voting in CongressParty discipline

Political Parties in Congress

Congressional Leadership The political parties work through the

leadership structure of Congress. Leaders of the majority political party are

also the leaders of the House and Senate.

Congressional LeadershipLeading the House•Speaker of the House•Majority Leaders•Minority Leaders•Whips•House Rules Committee

• Closed• Open

Leading the Senate

•President pro tempore

•Majority leader

•Minority leader

•Whips

•Individual senators have power

• Filibuster

• Cloture

Organization of Congress

Majority LeaderMinority Leader

Steering Policy

Democratic Conference Republican Caucus

Managing Congress (continue)

Types of CommitteesChoosing Committee Members

The Role of Seniority

Investigations and OversightThe Special Role of Conference Committees

Legislative oversight of the executive branch

(Bureaucratic Oversight & Investigations)

Reviewing the performance of executive branch agencies to ensure that laws are being properly administered and that power is not being abused

Primarily managed by the committees and subcommittees

Special committees may conduct investigations or hold hearings, such as Supreme Court confirmation hearings

Hearings are an important part of the process.

Congressional Committees Most of the work of Congress takes place in its

committees and subcommittees. Why Congress has committees Types of committees

standing committees subcommittees select committees joint committees conference committees

Committee assignments Committee and subcommittee chairs

House Senate Joint Committees

Agriculture Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry EconomicsAppropriations Appropriations PrintingArmed Services Armed Services TaxationBudget Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs On the LibraryEd. and the Workforce BudgetEnergy and Commerce Commerce, Science, and TransportationFinancial Services Energy and Natural ResourcesGovernment Reform Environment and Public WorksHouse Administration FinanceInternational Relations Foreign RelationsJudiciary Governmental AffairsResources Health, Education, and PensionsRules Indian AffairsScience, Space & Tech. Judiciary

Congressional Standing and Select Committees

House Senate Joint Committees

Select Intelligence Rules and AdministrationSmall Business Select EthicsStandards of Official Conduct Select IntelligenceTransportation and Infrastructure Small BusinessVeterans’ Affairs Special AgingWays and Means Veterans’ Affairs

Congressional Standing and Select Committees

Rules and Norms

ReciprocitySenate

bills scheduled by unanimous consent

filibuster & clotureHouse

more rule-boundmore hierarchical

Until recently, many norms guided the behavior of members of Congress. Members were supposed to specialize in a small number of issues, defer to members with longer tenure in office, never criticize anyone personally, and wait their turn to speak and introduce legislation.

The Legislative Obstacle Course

Legislative Responsibilities: How a Bill Becomes a Law

It is extremely difficult to make law because it is relatively easy to block bills from becoming laws.

Only about 6 percent of all bills that are introduced are enacted into law.

Introducing a bill Committee action and review Floor action

Floor Debate and Passage Conference committee

The Importance of Compromise Presidential action

sign into lawvetopocket veto

Legislative Responsibilities: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Quick Assessment

List the different types of congressional committees1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Quick Assessment

List in chronological order how a bill becomes a law

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Conference committee Introducing bill in the

House & Senate Floor Debate and

Passage Subcommittee

hearings Executive action Committee action

Quick Assessment

List 3 similarities and 3 differences between

the House and Senate1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Congress: An Assessment and a View on Reform

Congress as PolicymakerFrequent criticisms of CongressYet, the evidence is mixed

Other Criticisms of CongressCongress is InefficientCongress is Unrepresentative

Congress: An Assessment and

a View on ReformOther Criticisms of Congress

Congress is UnethicalCongress Lacks Collective Responsibility

A Defense of CongressAmericans tend to approve of their own

representatives and senators, but have low regard for Congress as an institution

Congressional Approval

House SenateTwo-year terms Six-year terms435 members 100 membersSmaller constituencies Larger constituenciesLess personal staff More personal staffEqual populations represented States representedLess flexible rules More flexible rulesLimited debate Extended debateMore policy specialists Policy generalistsLess media coverage More media coverageLess prestige More prestigeLess reliance on staff More reliance on staffMore powerful committee leaders More equal distribution of power

Difference Between the House of Representatives and the Senate

House Senate

Very important committees Less important committees20 major committees 20 major committeesNongermane amendments Nongermane amendments(riders) not allowed (riders) not allowedImportant Rules Committee Special treaty ratification powerSome bills permit no floor Special “advise and consent”Amendments (closed rule) confirmation power

Filibuster allowed

Difference Between the House of Representatives and the Senate

A Day in the Life of a Member