A QUICK OVERVIEW

CONGRESS: NATIONAL LEGISLATURE

• Bicameralism--made up of two houses
• Congress made up of the House of Representatives & Senate
• Historically from the British Parliament (House of Commons, House of Lords)

BICAMERAL�WHY 2 HOUSES?

• Practical — Compromise due to the conflict between the Virginia And N.J. plans
• Theoretical — 2 houses to “check” each other

COMPARING THE �HOUSES OF CONGRESS

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

• 435 members for 435 Districts
• Speaker of the House – chosen by majority party as leader of the House – controls the flow of bills & votes in the House.
• Apportioned by population (distributed)
• State guaranteed at least one
• Single Member Districts – each district elects it’s own rep.
• Michigan has 15
• Gerrymandering--drawn to the benefit of the Political Party

SENATE

• 100 Members (2 from each state)
• President of the Senate = Vice President. Casts deciding vote if there is a tie.
• President Pro Tempore of Senate – highest ranking senator of majority party presides over Senate when Vice-President not there.
• Filibuster – Unlimited debate (talk a bill to death). Requires 60 votes to stop a Filibuster.
• Usually done by minority party to obstruct a bill or Presidential nominee that would otherwise have enough votes from passing.

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REAPPORTIONMENT ACT OF 1929

• Sets House of Reps size to 435 members
• Census bureau decides # of seats each state has based on population (done every 10 years)
• President sends plan from Census to Congress
• 60 days after receiving it…it is made effective if neither House rejects it

GERRYMANDERING

• District lines drawn to the political advantage of the party that controls the State Legislature
• Concentrates certain groups of society that will be an advantage to a political party
• Spreads thinly the population of the opposing party voters so they lose their voting power

GERRYMANDERING

Gerrymandering

GERRYMANDERING LEADS TO AN ELECTORAL ADVANTAGE FOR ONE PARTY

MAKEUP OF CONGRESS

DUTIES OF A CONGRESSPERSON

• Legislators - law makers
• Committee members - serve on more than one
• Representatives to their constituents - voting
• Servants to their constituents - extras (speaking engagements)
• Politicians – Campaigning to win elections
• Oversight function--check the executive branch using investigatory powers

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4 OPTIONS WHILE VOTING

• Delegates – Vote the way the “folks back home” would want
• Trustees – Decide each issue on what one personally thinks would be best
• Partisans – Vote according party
• Politicos – Balance between all three

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4 C’s to voting

• Constituents/Delegates -- “How would my constituents want me to vote?”
• Conscience/Trustee—their personal belief
• Caucus/Partisans -- vote based on party platform
• Common Good – What is best for overall country

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POLITICAL PARTIES IN CONGRESS

• Bonding Agent – Choose good candidates that are qualified & works to make sure candidate is successful in governing.
• Watchdog – Parties watch over each other. Party of out of power (who does not have Presidency) scrutinizes and criticizes party in power to make sure they are responsive to people’s needs. Parties try to keep each other honest to people.
• Seniority – Most of the prime committee spots and chairmanships go to the member of the majority party that has served the longest.
• Party Caucus – a closed meeting of party members where they vote on leadership positions and take stances on particular bills.

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COMMITTEES IN CONGRESS�(PROVIDE INFORMATION, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS & AMENDMENTS ON BILLS, PROVIDE OVERSIGHT)

• Standing Committee – (most important) Permanent committee that handles different policy areas & shape legislation/laws. Often broken up into smaller subcommittees to do specific work.
• Rules Committee – Controls the flow of bills to the floor and sets rules for debate and voting on bills.
• Select Committee – Formed for a specific purpose (usually temporary). Example: Investigations to Oversee governmental organizations or the President.
• Joint Committee – Similar to Select Committee but consists of members of both houses of Congress. (Example: Committee on Ethics or Intelligence or National Security)
• Conference Committee – Composed of members of both houses to hammer out differences between a House and Senate version of a similar bill to create a final version to be voted on again by both houses of Congress.

Majority Party gets Majority of Seats on Committee

Senior Member of Majority Party is usually Committee Chairperson

PRESIDENT’S ROLE�IN LAW MAKING

• Many major bills are proposed by the President and his/her cabinet and entered into Congress by a Representative & Senator

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• 4 Options for President when a bill passes Congress:
1. Sign the Bill into Law
2. Veto a Bill (Congress can Override a Veto with a 2/3 vote in both houses)
3. Allow the Bill to become Law Without Signing It after 10 days
4. Pocket Veto – Don’t sign bill and if Congress adjourns its session within 10 days of submitting the bill to the President, the bill dies.

BECOMING A LAW IS HARD!

Usually coming from Executive Branch

WHAT CAN CONGRESS MAKE LAWS ON?

OTHER CONGRESSIONAL POWERS

POWER TO INVESTIGATE

• Investigatory Powers – Implied Power that allows Congress to gather information on any matter that falls within an area they make laws on.
• Gather Information
• Oversee the Operation of Agencies in the Executive Branch
• Focus Public Attention on an particular matter
• Expose Questionable Activities of public officials or private persons or groups or businesses
• Promote a Particular Interest of members of Congress

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