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How Congress Works Part I

Who’s in Congress?

Demographic Profile of the 111 th Congress Age Groups Gender Party Ethnicity Source: http: //www. congress. org/congressorg/directory/demographics. tt

House-Senate Differences House n n 435 members; 2 yr terms Low turnover Speaker bill referral hard to challenge Scheduling/rules controlled by majority party with powerful Rules Committee (controls time of debate, amends. , etc) Senate n n 100 members; 6 yr terms Moderate turnover Referral decisions easily challenged Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders

House-Senate Differences n n House Debate limited to 1 hour Members policy specialists Emphasizes tax & revenue policy More formal & impersonal n n Senate Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked Members policy generalists Emphasizes foreign policy More informal & personal

"Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committeerooms is Congress at work. ” - Woodrow Wilson

Legislative Committees: Function and Purpose

Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose 1. Consider bills (a. k. a. “mark-up” bills) A bill with a member’s mark-up notes

Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose 2. Maintain oversight of executive agencies Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing re: the Department of Defense Budget (May, 2006)

Legislative Committees: Function & Purpose 3. Conduct investigations New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Hurricane Katrina (Feb. , 2006

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Types of Committees Ø Standing Committees - permanent panel with full legislative functions and oversight responsibilities • Subcommittees – formed to tackle very specific tasks within the jurisdiction of the full committees Ø Select or Special Committees - groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration Ø Joint Committees - includes members of both chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks Ø Conference Committee - includes members of House & Senate to work out differences between similar bills

Standing Committees

House Standing Committees Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education & Workforce Energy & Commerce Financial Services Government Reform House Admin. International Relations Judiciary Resources Rules Science Small Business Standards of Official Conduct Transportation & Infrastructure Veterans Affairs Ways & Means

Senate Standing Committees Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Appropriations Armed Services Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science, Transportation Energy & Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Governmental Affairs Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans Affairs

Subcommittee’s House • Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Commission • Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Committee • Space and Aeronautics Committee Senate • National Parks Subcommittee • Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee • Health Care Subcommittee

Special, Select Committees • House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global Warming • Senate Select Committee on Ethics • House & Senate Select Committees on Intelligence Gen. Michael Hayden is sworn in during a full committee hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee on his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Joint Committees • Joint Economic Committee • Joint Committee on Printing • Joint Committee on Taxation hearing

Conference Committee’s • Formed as needed in both House and Senate

Artist: R. J. Matson, New York Observer & Roll Call Date: 1/18/07 Source: http: //www. cagle. com

Title: Resolution Date: 12/28/06 Artist: Bob Gorrell Source: http: //www. gorrellart. com/

Party Leadership Bicameral Democratic Leadership Senate Republican Leadership 110 th Congress

HOUSE LEADERSHIP Speaker (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of the Caucus • Steering & Policy Committee • Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Speaker of the House Nancy Pelossi (D-CA) Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC)

HOUSE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Committees • National Republican Congressional Committee • Research Committee Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA)

SENATE LEADERSHIP President of the Senate (Vice President) President Pro Tempore (majority party) Democrats: • Majority Leader • Majority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Steering Committee • Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee President of the Senate Joe Biden (D-DE) Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) President Pro Tem Robert Byrd (D-WV) Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL)

SENATE LEADERSHIP Republicans: • Minority Leader • Minority Whip • Chairman of Conference • Policy Committee • Committee on Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Committees • Republican Senatorial Committee Minority Leader Mitch Mc. Connell (R-KY)

Strength of Party Structure? • Measure of party strength: 1. Ability of leaders to control party rules and organization 2. Extent to which party members vote together in the House and Senate • Senate: less party-centered and leader oriented

Party Unity • Lower today than 100 years ago, but…. . • Ideology important variable explaining party voting (members vote with their party 80% of the time) • Party polarization - vote in which majority of democrats oppose majority of republicans • Polarization trends: o 1976 HR = 36%; S = 37% o 1995 HR = 73%; S = 69% o 2000 HR = 43%; S = 49%

CAUCUSES • Groups (may be bipartisan) meeting to pursue common legislative objectives • Rivals to parties in policy formulation • Examples: Democratic Study Group, Congressional Black Caucus, Tuesday Lunch Bunch, Human Rights, Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, Out of Iraq Caucus, Rural Caucus, Travel & Tourism Caucus, House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children