American Systems: Congress
Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)
"One person, one vote"
Legislative assistant roles
-"LA" -makes sure that the lawmaker is informed about many bills -does the research on bills and studies them -drafts bills -writes speeches and articles about the lawmaker -helps and attends committee meetings -keeps track of action on the floor and committees
House rules committee
-"traffic officer" -directs the flow of legislation -one of the oldest committees -one of the most powerful committees -may move bill quickly / hold them / stop them -settles disputes among House committees
How many bills are introduced each term? How many go to the full House for a vote?
-10,000 -10%
Qualifications for the House
-25 years old -citizen for at least 7 years -legal resident of the state -traditionally lives in the district elected from
Qualifications for Senate
-30 years old -citizen for 9 years -legal resident of the state -"at-large" elections (state-wide elections)
Members of congress
-535 voting members -District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands = 1 delegate -Puerto Rico = resident commissioner -nearly 1/2 are lawyers -large number of business and banking -high educational degrees -white -middle-aged -high incumbency rate
Terms of office for Senate
-6 years -1/3 up for re-election every two years -gov. makes replacement if there is a vacant seat
Private bill vs. public bill
-Affects a special person or organization -affects the general public
Majority whip
-Assist floor leaders -Make sure party members are present to vote -Influence votes
Majority leader
-Help plan party's legislative program -Steer important bills -Supervise committee chairs -Floor leader
What does the work week look like for House?
-Monday is routine work -Friday many return to districts -most work Tuesday - Thursday
Speaker of the House
-Presiding officer of the Floor and Majority party -Controls discussion on the Floor -Appoints committee membership -Schedules bills for action -Refers bills to committee -follows vice-president to succession to the presidency
Minority leader and minority whip
-Same duties as majority leader and whip -BUT for the minority party
Calendars of Senate:
-The Calendars of General Orders -The Executive Calendar
What is each term divided into?
-Two sessions (or meetings) -congress remains in session until voted to end
House calendars:
-Union calendar -house calendar -consent calendar -private calendar -discharge calendar
Leaders of the Senate:
-V.P. -President Pro Tempore -Majority and Minority leaders -whips
Who can come up with a bill? Who can introduce it?
-anyone -congressman
4 types of legislation:
-bills -joint resolutions -concurrent resolutions -simple resolutions
Administrative assistant roles
-called an "AA" -runes the lawmaker's office -supervises lawmaker's schedule -political advisor -deals with political influential people -helps with elections
Assignments to committees
-committee membership assignments established by each party -subject to approval by the entire floor -may request placement on a committee or transfer -seniority system -majority party has majority vote on every committee
Elections and start of term for the House:
-elections = November of even years -term begins on January 3rd of odd years -all representatives (435) elected at one time -reorganizes every two years
Committee staff roles
-every committee and subcommittee has a staff who work specifically for that committee -the larger and more important the committee the more workers -Committee Chair and Minority leader of committee is responsible for the staff
Caseworkers roles
-handle the many requests for help from the constituents -have many offices throughout the district
Purpose of committees
-help ease the workload -divides the work into smaller groups -allows for specialization -help select what should move onto the floor -allows for years to inform the committee and the American people
Congressional staff roles:
-help handle the workload -communicate with voters -help run committee hearings and floor sessions -draft new bills -write committee reports -attend committee meetings -"expert help" -deal with constituent demands -help with re-elections -keep in touch with district and Washington concerns
Filibuster
-keep talking until the bill is abandoned or Cloture -must talk about the bill on hand for at least 3 hours. After that - you can talk about whatever you wish
What is the importance of party affiliation?
-majority party controls leadership/committees/vote/etc. -helps inform reps. how the party feels on a voting issue -acts as a reference source -money
Quorum
-minimum number of members who must be present to permit legislative action to take place -regular session = 218 -if legislation sent by the Rules Committee as a Committee of the Whole = 100
Differences between House and Senate
-more important in the House because of numbers -house members tend to specialize on issues important to their district (constituents) -senators debate more on the floor - less emphasis on committees
3 choices the president has when given a bill:
-no action (if the Congress is in session the bill automatically becomes a law after 10 days; if Congress is adjourned - "pocket veto" -veto the bill -sign and pass the bill
Benefits + privileges of Congress
-office space, stationary, postage -free from arrest (except treason, felony, and breach of peace), cannot be sued for actions as congressman
Six purposes of congressional leadership:
-organize and unify party members -scheduling the work of Congress -making sure certain lawmakers are present for key votes -distributing and collecting information -keeping Congress in touch with the president -influencing lawmakers to support the policies of their political parties
The number of House seats is apportioned on the basis of... each state is guaranteed how many representatives?
-population -1
"Table" and "Clean Bill"
-put aside (not good) -make changes so it has a better chance of passing
Rules for House and Senate
-rules printed every two years - house =65 pages / senate = 90 pages - house define action of Congress / Senate (more flexible because of equal time for expression) -more formal in house -leaders in the house are very powerful
Veto
-the bill will be returned to the house of origin -report with president's objections attached -objectives read in the house -debate -override (2/3 vote in both houses)
Personal staff roles
-work directly for individual Senators or Congressmen -money to support Senate staffs is on the basis of the state's populations -house of reps get 22 staff members $up to individual legislator to hire or fire
Steps to make a law:
1. Member of Congress must sponsor bill and introduce the bill to Congress 2. Bill placed in the "hopper" and read by the Speaker (of the House) or announce it on Senate floor 3. Bill sent to appropriate committee and placed on calendar 4. Bill is reported then placed on House calendars 5. Sent to house floor for consideration 6. House debate the bill and have multiple hearings 7. House vote on the bill 8. Bill sent to Senate and changes are made 9. Senate vote on the bill 10. Bill is sent to president for decision
How many senators for each state?
2
How long is the House term?
2 years
Cloture
3/5 vote to stop filibuster
Subcommittees
6 to 8 for each standing committee (specialization)
Bills
A proposed law until both houses pass it and it is signed by the President
What tells the House to meet on a floor/committee/vote/etc. ?
A system of bells
Censure
A vote of formal disapproval of member's action (2/3 vote)
Union calendar
Bills dealing with money issues
Discharge calendar
Bills that the house, by majority, petition forces out of committee that is blocking its progress
Joint committees
Coordinate the work between the House and the Senate
State legislatures are responsible after each census to establish...
District lines (redistricting)
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Federal courts can decide lines
Joint resolutions
Have the power of law (times of emergencies)
Private calendar
Individual or small group legislation
When does each term start?
January 3rd of odd numbered years
House calendar
Non-money issues
The number of house seats is...
Not fixed
Concurrent resolutions
Oversees the functions of both houses
Standing committees
Permanent committees that oversee bills that deal with certain issues
Census
Population count beginning of each decade
Apportionment
Population of each state determines the number of representatives
Vice-President
Presides over the Senate / votes if there is a tie
President Pro Tempore
Presides over the Senate if the V.P. is unavailable
Who replaces in the House if someone dies or resigns?
Replaced by state governor and a special election
Leadership pay for both Senate and House
Senate Leadership Majority Party Leader - $193,400 Minority Party Leader - $193,400 House Leadership Speaker of the House - $223,500 Majority Leader - $193,400 Minority Leader - $193,400
Why is the senate not as powerful as the house?
Since the senate rules allow equal floor access
Select committees
Temporary committee to deal with a specific topic
Conference committees
Temporary committees that meet when a different version of the same bill takes place (Compromise)
Incumbency rate
The chance/likelihood of being re-elected
Gerrymandering
The political party that has the majority in the state legislature draws district lines to gain an advantage in election
What is a special session?
The president may call back Congress at any time
Most common House calendars:
Union calendar + House calendar
Simple resolutions
Within each house, particular procedures
Constituent
a person whom a member of Congress has been elected to represent
Consent calendar
noncontroversial bills