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The Evolution of Congress The intent of the Framers: To oppose the concentration of power in a single institution To balance large and small states Bicameralism They expected Congress to be the dominant institution

Organization of the House Historically, power struggles have occurred between members and leadership 1994 brought changes: Committee chairs hold positions for only 6 years

Organization of the House Reduced the number of committees and subcommittees The Speaker dominated the selection of committee chairs The Speaker set the agenda (Contract with America) and sustained high Republican discipline in 1995

Evolution of the Senate The Senate escaped many of the tensions encountered by the House The major struggle in the Senate was about how its members should be chosen; 17th amendment (1913) The filibuster is another major issue: restricted by Rule 22 (1917), which allows a vote of cloture

Who is in Congress? The House has become less male and less white Membership in Congress became a career Incumbents still have a great electoral advantage But in 1994, voters opposed incumbents due to budget deficits, various policies, legislative-executive bickering, and scandal

Table 13.1: Blacks, Hispanics, and Women in Congress, 1971-2002

The Incumbency Advantage Media coverage is higher for incumbents Incumbents have greater name recognition due to franking, travel to the district, news coverage Members secure policies and programs for voters

Figure 13.2: Percentage of Incumbents Reelected to Congress Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics , 1999-2000 (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2000), table 1-18; 2004 updated by Marc Siegal.

Member Behavior Representational view : members vote to please their constituents, in order to secure re-election Organizational view : where constituency interests are not vitally at stake, members primarily respond to cues from colleagues Attitudinal view : the member’s ideology determines her/his vote

Party Structure in the Senate President pro tempore presides; this is the member with most seniority in majority party (a largely honorific office) Leaders are the majority leader and the minority leader, elected by their respective party members

Party Structure in the Senate Party whips: keep leaders informed, round up votes, count noses Each party has a policy committee: schedules Senate business, prioritizes bills Committee assignments are handled by a group of Senators, each for their own party

Party Structure in the House Speaker of the House is leader of majority party and presides over House Majority leader and minority leader: leaders on the floor Party whips keep leaders informed and round up votes Committee assignments and legislative schedule are set by each party

Congressional Caucuses Caucus : an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest Intra-party caucuses : members share a similar ideology Personal interest caucuses : members share an interest in an issue Constituency caucuses : established to represent groups, regions or both

Committees Committees are the most important organizational feature of Congress Consider bills or legislative proposals Maintain oversight of executive agencies Conduct investigations

Types of Committees Standing committees : basically permanent bodies with specified legislative responsibilities Select committees : groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration

Types of Committees Joint committees : those on which both representatives and senators serve Conference committee : a joint committee appointed to resolve differences in Senate and House versions of the same piece of legislation before final passage

Committee Practices The number of committees has varied; significant cuts in number of House committees in 1995, and in the number of House and Senate subcommittees Majority party has majority of seats on the committees and names the chair

Congressional Staff Constituency service is a major task of members’ staff Legislative functions of staff include devising proposals, negotiating agreements, organizing hearings, and meeting with lobbyists and administrators Members’ staff consider themselves advocates of their employers

Figure 13.4: The Growth in Staffs of Members and Committees in Congress, 1930-2000

How a Bill Becomes a Law Bill must be introduced by a member of Congress Bill is referred to a committee for consideration by either Speaker or presiding officer of the Senate Revenue bills must originate in the House Most bills die in committee

How a Bill Becomes a Law After hearings and mark-up sessions, the committee reports a bill out to the House or Senate Bill must be placed on a calendar to come for a vote before either house House Rules Committee sets the rules for consideration

How a Bill Becomes a Law Bills are debated on the floor of the House or Senate If there are major differences in the bill as passed by the House and Senate, a conference committee is appointed The bill goes to the president

How a Bill Becomes Law The president may sign it If the president vetoes it, it returns to house of origin Both houses must support the bill, with a two-thirds vote, in order to override the president’s veto

Post 9-11 Congress 9-11 Commission recommended Congress make fundamental changes in how it oversees agencies involved in intelligence-gathering and counter-terrorism Congress passed some of those proposals after some opposition in both parties

ap gov chap 13

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