Transcript American Citizenship - Ash Grove R-IV
American Citizenship
Chapter 12 Congress in Action
Section 1
Congress Organizes
• • • •
Congress Convenes
Begins a new term every two years, on January 3 of every odd-numbered years Opening Day in the House All 435 representatives-elect meet together in the House chamber Take roll then elect the speaker of the House Generally already agreed upon before the formal vote The Speaker takes the oath, then swears in the rest of the 435 members Then Democrats and Republicans go to their respective sides Finally election of clerk, sergeant at arms, chief administrative officer, and chaplain by House members And adoption of House rules for the term
Congress Convenes (Con’t)
Opening Day in the Senate • Senate is a continuous body that has been organized without interruption since 1789 • Much more organized than the House due to only a third of the members being elected or reelected into the Senate each election Same basic pattern as House, just done more quickly
Congress Convenes (Con’t)
• State of the Union Message The House will inform the Senate, once they have been organized Then both the House and Senate send a message to the President that they are ready for any message the President might have for them Within a few weeks the President delivers the “State of the Union Address” • House, Senate, Cabinet, Justices of the Supreme Court, and more assemble in the House chamber to listen to the President President reports on the state of the nation as they see it, and set down both foreign and domestic public policy goals for the year
The Presiding Officers
• • •
The Speaker of the House
Most important and powerful position within Congress Generally the leader of the majority party Expected to preside in a fair and judicious manner, while also helping their parties legislative goals Presides over every session Interpret rules and refers bills to committees puts motions to a vote decides the outcome of most votes taken in the house Follows the Vice President in the line of succession
The Presiding Officers (Con’t)
• • • The President of the Senate The Constitution puts the Vice President as the President of the Senate Has the power of a presiding officer to recognize members, put questions to a vote, etc.
However, can not take the floor to speak or debate and may vote only when there is a tie President Pro Tempore is the presiding officer who serves in the Vice President’s absence elected by the Senate and always a leading member of the majority party Follows the Speaker of the House in the line of succession
Party Officers
Congress is organized along party lines • • The Party Caucus A closed meeting of the members of each party in each house Meets before Congress convenes in January and occasionally during a session deals mostly with matters of party organization, selection of party’s floor leaders and committee membership
Party Officers (Con’t)
• The Floor Leaders In Congress, behind the speaker, the majority and minority floor leaders in the House and Senate are the most important officers not an official position in either chamber, but party positions they are legislative strategists • • Majority party leader is the more powerful position of the two The majority and minority party leaders are assisted by the party whips basically assistant floor leaders Check with party members on their votes on each bill and reports it back to the majority floor leader
Committee Chairmen
• • Bulk of Congress’ work is done through committee Committee chairmen are those member who head the standing committees in each chamber chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus
Seniority Rule
An unwritten custom that the most important posts, in both the formal and the party organization will be held by those party member with the longest records of service in Congress Used especially with committee chairmen positions
Committee Chairmen (Con’t)
Criticism of the Seniority Rule • Negatively, it ignores ability and discourages younger members • Positively, ensures that a powerful and experienced member will head each committee
Section 2
Committees in Congress
• • • •
Standing Committees
A permanent panel to which all similar bills could be sent Generally handle bills dealing with particular policy matters Committee Assignments Each House committee has from 9 to 75 members Each Senate committee has from 12 to 28 members The majority party always holds a majority of the seats on each standing committee However the other party is well represented as well Most bills receive their most thorough debate in the standing committees Generally the members of Congress follows the recommendations of the standing committees
Standing Committees (Con’t)
• • • Committee Assignments (Con’t) Prominent House standing committees are: Rules, Ways and Means Appropriations Armed Services Judiciary Prominent Senate standing committees are: Foreign Relations Appropriations Finance Judiciary Armed Services When a bill is introduced, it is sent to the appropriate standing committee The standing committee is also made up of subcommittees
Standing Committees (Con’t)
Committee Assignments (Con’t) • The House Rules Committee After a bill is pass from the standing committee, before it goes to the floor, it is sent to the Rules Committee They interpret how the bill will do with all the House members • Select Committees • Special committees, or panels, that are set up for some specific purpose for a limited time Generally formed to investigate a current matter Example: Senate Watergate Committee
Joint and Conference Committees
• Compose of members of both houses Set up to serve some temporary purpose • • Before a bill may be sent to the President, each house must pass it in identical form the two houses pass differing versions and the two houses cannot agree on changes Conference Committee is created to iron out the differences and create a compromise bill A temporary, joint body
Section 3
How a Bill Becomes a Law: The House
The First Steps
A bill is a proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration • Generally they are proposed by the executive branch • Others also born from private citizens or from standing committees
The First Steps (Con’t)
Types of Bills and Resolutions • Two different Types: •
Public Bills
Measures applying to the nation as a whole •
Private Bills
Measures that apply to certain person or places rather than to the entire nation
The First Steps (Con’t)
Two different Types: (Con’t) • Resolution types: •
Joint Resolution
Similar to bills and when pass have the force of law • Generally about dealing with unusual or temporary matters •
Concurrent Resolution
Deal with matters in which the House and Senate must act jointly • Resolutions deal with matters concerning either house alone and are taken up only by that house Does not have the force of law and is not sent to the President for approval
The First Steps (Con’t)
Two different Types: (Con’t) • Generally Resolutions or Bills deal with a single subject • • Sometimes contains riders A provision not likely to pass on its own merit that is attached to an important measure certain to pass “Pork Barrel” spending on appropriations bills
The First Steps (Con’t)
The First Reading • The clerk of the House numbers each bill as it is introduced • Examples H.R. 3410 would be the 3,400th measure introduced in the House during the congressional term • S. 210 would be the 210 measure introduced in the Senate during the congressional term
The First Steps (Con’t)
The First Reading • Each Bill also gets a short title And goes into the Journal, which contains the minutes Also goes into the Congressional Record, a daily volume of events • Then Bills are read to the House Must be read three times before final vote • After the first reading, the bill is sent to the appropriate standing committee
The Bill in Committee
The Constitution does not call for standing committees, however they are vital to the ability for congress to pass and discuss public policy issues • Most Bills introduced into Congress are pigeonholed, or die in committee However there can be a discharge petition enables members to force a bill that has remained in committee 30 days onto the floor for consideration
The Bill in Committee (Con’t)
• • Gathering Information Most committees do most of their work through their several subcommittees division of existing committees formed to address specific issues Many times committees or subcommittees hold public hearings on the measures they are considering Example: Major League Baseball and Steroids • Sometimes subcommittee members take trips to the areas under consideration
The Bill in Committee (Con’t)
Committee Actions • Once subcommittee has completed it work, the bill is sent to the full standing committee • They may then do: Report the bill favorably… “Do Pass” Refuse to report the bill Report the bill in amended form Report the bill with an unfavorable recommendation • Report a committee bill Substitute with a different bill
Scheduling Floor Debate
Bills are scheduled when it will be taken to the floor • Calendars Types: Union calendars for all bills having to do with revenues, appropriations, or government property House Calendar for all other public bills The Private Calendar for all private bills Corrections Calendar Discharge Calendar • Each calendar determines when certain bills types are considered on the floor
The Bill on the Floor
• • • If a bill finally reaches the floor, it receives its second reading in the House Sometimes just the title is read Important measures are dealt with the consideration of the Committee of the
Whole
All the members of the House, however not all the rules of a normal House meeting Once the Committee of the Whole comes to an agreement, it is resolved and the House resumes it’s session where they adopt the committee’s work
The Bill on the Floor (Con’t)
Debate • Due to it’s size, the Speaker of the House has the ability to limit the length at which someone speaks on the floor
The Bill on the Floor (Con’t)
Voting • A bill may be the subject of several votes on the floor • Four different methods for taking floor votes Voice votes… “Aye” and “Noes” Standing Votes One fifth of a quorum can demand a teller vote, which is now a computerized voting machine • Least number of representatives present in order to conduct business… majority A roll-call vote
The Bill on the Floor (Con’t)
Final Steps • Once approved at the second reading, it is engrossed bill is printed in its final form • Read a third time, by title, and a final vote is taken
Section 4
The Bill in the Senate
Introducing the Bill
Much similarity between the House and the Senate, with a few critical differences Introduced by senators, titled and numbered, read twice, and referred to committee • Overall the same, but less formal There is only one calendar Bills are called to the floor by the majority floor leader whenever they want
Rules for Debate
• • • Floor debate is almost unrestrained in the Senate They may speak as along as they choose Most debates are ended by unanimous consent agreement, which brings about a vote The Filibuster A stalling tactic, a process in which a minority of senators seeks to delay or prevent Senate action on a measure Used to delay or encourage change to specific bills Used to kill over 200 bills over the years
Rules for Debate (Con’t)
The Cloture Rule • Senates real check on the filibuster is the Cloture Rule, Rule XXII, which provides for cloture limiting debate Ultimately limiting floor time spent on a measure to 30 hours
Conference Committees
• • Any bill enacted by Congress must have been passed by both houses in identical form Generally if the Senate amends the bill, then the House will consider the changes, and accept the revised bill However, if the House is unwilling to change, the measure it turned over to a conference committee seeks to iron out differences in measures Once the conference committee agree, the compromise bill is sent to both the House and Senate must pass it without changes
• • • •
The President Acts
The President has four options once Congress has presented a bill May sign the bill, and it becomes law May veto the bill Refuse to sign the bill Bill is then returned to the house in which it started, and then congress may pass the bill over the veto with a two-thirds vote of the full membership of each House The President may allow the bill to become law without signing it, by not acting on it within 10 days of receiving it If Congress adjourns its session within 10 days of submitting a bill to the President, and the President does not act, the measure dies… known as a pocket veto