Gov Ch 12
President pro tempore:
the member of the United States Senate, or of the upper house of a State's legislature, chosen to preside in the absence of the president of the senate.
President of the Senate:
the presiding officer of a senate; in Congress, the Vice President of the United States; in a State's legislature, either the lieutenant governor or a senator.
Speaker of the House:
the presiding officer of the House of Representatives, chosen by and from the majority party in the House.
Before a Bill can be sent to the President for approval it must...
Be passed by congress
Type of committee that investigated Watergate scandal?
Select Committee
Majority Leader:
the floor leader of the party that holds the majority of seats in each house of Congress.
Whip:
assistant of the floor leader in the House and Senate, responsible for monitoring and marshaling vote.
Joint/Conference Committee-
committee composed of members from both houses brought together to solve a disagreement in a bill
House Rules Committee-
controls the flow of bills to the floor and sets condition for their consideration there.
Select Committee
legislative committee created for limited time and for some specific purpose (special committee)
Public Bills-
measures applying to the nation as a whole. EX. a tax measure
Private Bills-
measures that apply to certain people or places instead of nation as a whole. EX. Congress once passed an act to give a sheep rancher $85,000 for his loses resulting in a attacks by a grizzly bear.
Titles of the Presiding Officers in the House and Senate:
o 1. The Speaker of the House o 2. The President of the Senate
Importance of Committee Chairmen in the legislative process include:
o Committee chairmen: those members who head the standing committees in each chamber. o They have a major say in such matters as which bills a committee will consider and in what order and at what length, whether public hearings are to be held, and what witnesses the committee will call.
Purpose of Conference Committee-
o If both houses do not agree on a bill they will meet in a conference committee to compromise the bill before it is sent to the president.
Majority/Minority Leader -
o Majority Leader- floor leader of the party that holds the majority seats in each house of Congress. o Minority Leader- floor leader of the party that holds the minority seats in each house of Congress. o The majority leader very largely controls the order of business on the floor in his or her chamber.
Roles of Speaker of the House include:
o Preside in a fair and judicious manner o Aid the fortunes of the majority party and its legislative goals o MAIN DUTIES: to preside and keep order.
Whips -
o The two floor leaders in each house are assisted by party whips. o The majority whip and minority whip are assistant floor leaders. o Whips serve as a liaison- a two-way link- between the party's leadership and its rank-and-file members. o The whips check with party members and tell the floor leader which members, and how many votes, can be counted on in any particular matter.
Roles of the President of the Senate include:
o To recognize members o Put questions to a vote
What allows Congress to over ride a President's veto?
o Two-thirds of each house votes for the bill again. If 2/3 of the Congress agrees that the law or rule is good enough and it satisfies most of the Congress then they can override the cancellation of the law
Floor Leaders -
o most important officers in Congress. o They do not hold official positions in either chamber. o They are picked for their posts by their party colleagues. o Legislative strategists. They try to carry out the decisions of their parties' caucuses and steer floor actions to their parties' benefits.
Standing Committee
permanent committee in legislative body, where bills of a specific subject matter are referred
Subcommittees
smaller division of committee that already exists to address specific issue
Minority Leader:
the floor leader of the Party that holds the minority of seats in each house of Congress.
