CONGRESS
The who, what, & how of lawmaking
Let’s review the 3 branches
https://youtu.be/oOS7RGpvNVs
https://www.govtrack.us/static/images/capitol-diagram.jpg
Law = Act = Statute = Policy = Ordinance
Legislation: Bills or laws at any point in the process
Bills: Drafts that could become laws if approved
https://youtu.be/tyeJ55o3El0?list=PLKt00sUUapAKKZrQuxaa2oc9546RWKoOD
Session: Period of time Congress is working
Constituents: The people that an elected official serves (the voters)
Link to session & calendar page for Congress
what does Mr. Richey say:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/ILLINOIS_GOVERNOR_DAN_WALKER_GREETS_CHICAGO_CONSTITUENTS_DURING_THE_BUD_BILLIKEN_DAY_PARADE,_ONE_OF_THE_LARGEST..._-_NARA_-_556272.jpg
How are representatives assigned to states?
Census: Counting of U.S. citizens every 10 years
Reapportionment: + or - # of reps for a state based on census
Redistricting: drawing new district areas in states that are reapportioned (+ or -)
Gerrymandering: redistricting that helps one party
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_apportionment
2000 census
2010 census
Talking business:
Quorum: # of reps needed to be able to vote on a bill (>50%)
“The floor”: Official discussion going on in the House OR the official right to speak to the group
Who RUNS the HOUSE? http://www.house.gov/leadership/
In Congress, PARTY politics are always at work.
***see video linked in next slide***
Who LEADS the Senate?
The VPOTUS “presides”
President pro tempore:
The chosen leader of the Senate when the VPOTUS isn’t there
Current Senate leadership
The “big boy chair” (Mrs.D’s word)
The party influence continues...
Each party also has a CONFERENCE CHAIR who manages their party’s activity in each house. They elect their party’s leadership within their respective houses.
Terms about Senate work
Unanimous consent: All Senators agreeing to discuss a bill without following formal procedure
Cloture resolution: 60 or more Senators voting to end a filibuster
Holds: trying to keep a bill from being voted on
Filibuster: a long speech to put off voting on a bill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3fSV8Ky77c
Discipline in Congress:
A wild moment in history: The Brooks-Sumner incident https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuT3kBw17o0
Committee: a small work group in Congress
Standing committee: always exists in every session (dominated by majority party)
Subcommittee: smaller focus groups within in each standing committee
Select committee: one-term & for a specific issue (don’t make bills)
Joint committee: has both House & Senate members in it (can be temp or perm)
More committee words! Yay!
Conference committee: temporary & has both House & Senate members that try to smooth out disagreements over a bill
Rules committee: Helps SOTH keep House in order by deciding which bills will be discussed, who can talk in debate, which committee a bill belongs to, and who/when a bill can be amended with a “special rule”
Committee chair: chosen leader of a committee
Types of policy:
Revenue bills: TAXES; must start in House of Reps
Appropriations bills: Approval to SPEND $$ on a program
Authorization bills: Setting amount of $$ to SPEND on a program
Private bills: involve a specific person or place
Public bills: apply to the whole USA
Rider: “And 1” things tacked onto bills that will pass
Constitutional powers of Congress ...“the clauses”
Expressed powers: 27 “clause” Powers of Congress listed in Constitution (a.k.a. “enumerated”)
Necessary & Proper clause: a.k.a. the “Elastic Clause” = Congress is not limited to expressed powers
Implied powers: powers Congress has b/c of N&P Clause
Ex post facto clause: no punishment for “crimes” before the law was made about it
Interstate commerce [clause]: Congress regulates trade between states
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Types of Resolutions
Continuing An agreement between both houses to keep things running
Resolution when they can’t agree on a program.
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Other specifics of Congress work
Hearing: a special conference held to find out more about a topic
Veto: POTUS says NO to a bill (active)
Pocket veto: POTUS kills bill by letting session end w/o signing it (passive)
Entitlement: Program already in place that has to be funded (Social Security is one)
Welcome to the shady side...
earmark: money in a bill is set aside for a special project for someone’s district
Pork-barrel: like earmarking, but when lots of people don’t approve. :)
Logrolling: When legislators “team up” to support each other’s bills
Congress vs. POTUS
Legislative oversight- Congress checking power of Executive branch
Line-item veto- veto just part(s) of a bill (now unconstitutional)
Impoundment- President “locking up” spending on a program
Procedural details...
closed rule- no amendments allowed after a bill is on the floor
open rule- amendments can be made after bill is on the floor
Appropriation- saying that it’s “appropriate” to spend govt $$$ on something
Who INFLUENCES Congress?
Interest groups- groups who try to get laws passed to support their shared INTEREST
Lobbyist- Someone who works for an interest group
Lobbying- the work lobbyists do
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/16/politics/lobbying-donald-trump-washington-swamp-transition/