How Congress Works Part I

Who’s in Congress?

Demographic Profile of the 111th Congress

Age Groups Party Gender Ethnicity

Source: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/demographics.tt

House-Senate Differences

House

    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

 100 members; 6 yr terms  Moderate turnover  Referral decisions easily challenged  Scheduling/rules agreed to by majority & minority leaders

House-Senate Differences

House

 Debate limited to 1 hour  Members policy specialists  Emphasizes tax & revenue policy  More formal & impersonal

Senate

 Unlimited debate unless cloture invoked  Members policy generalists  Emphasizes foreign policy  More informal & personal

Party Leadership

Bicameral Democratic Leadership 110th Congress Senate Republican Leadership 110th Congress

HOUSE LEADERSHIP

Speaker party) (majority

• • • • •

Democrats:

Majority Leader Majority Whip Chairman of the Caucus Steering & Policy Committee Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelossi (D-CA) 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 Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

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 Committees Republican Senatorial Committee Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Strength of Party Structure?

• • 1.

Measure of party strength: 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

"Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee rooms 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

Types of Committees



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 

Select or Special Committees

groups appointed for a limited purpose and limited duration 

Joint Committees -

includes members of both chambers to conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks 

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

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

Joint Committee on Taxation hearing

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

Artist: R.J. Matson, New

York Observer & Roll Call

Date: 1/18/07 Source:

http://www.cagle.com