Congress

 

Objectives:

1)      Explain how Congress works

2)      Describe the powers of Congress

3)      Examine the work of those who work for Congress

4)      Describe how a bill becomes a law

 

Congress – the name given to our bicameral (2 house) legislature

·        Article 1 of the Constitution

 

House of Representatives (lower house)

·        Commonly referred to as the “House”

·        435 members today (total number is now set by law)

·        Represents different districts from each state

·        Representation is based on the population of a state

·        The number of representatives for each state is adjusted as a result of each 10 year census. As states gain or lose population, they also gain or lose representatives.

·        Each state must have at least 1 representative to the House

·        Qualifications: 25 years old and a resident of the district

·        Term: 2 years (can be elected an unlimited amount of times)

·        Every two years, the entire house is up for reelection

·        Representatives usually focus on those issues of most concern to their individual districts, so they have much more contact with the people

·        Originally, only members of this house were elected by the people directly

·        Political Party with the most members gets the right to name the leader of the house, called the Speaker of the House

·        Political Party in charge controls all committees (there are more Republicans today on a committee than there are Democrats on that committee

 

Senate (upper house)

·        100 members today

·        Represents not different districts, but rather the whole state

·        Representation is equal, with 2 per state (remember the NJ Plan)

·        Qualifications: 30 years old and a resident of the state

·        Term: 6 years (can be elected an unlimited amount of times)

·        With six year terms, senators have much less contact with the people. The people have a short memory, so senators can often vote the way they want on issues without worrying about being reelected

·        Originally, members of this house were not elected by the people directly, but were instead appointed by the individual state legislatures. This was changed with the 17^th amendment (1913)

·        Vice President is technically the leader of the Senate. He only votes in the case of a tie (it’s his only official duty)

·        Political Party with the most members gets the right to name the leader of the house, called the President Pro Tempore. Unlike the Speaker in the House, the President Pro Tempore is mostly ceremonial in nature

·        Political Party in charge controls all committees (there are more Republicans today on a committee than there are Democrats on that committee

 

How does Congress Work?

• Committees – little pieces of Congress in each house that take up the individual bills of legislation. Each committee specializes in one facet of life or government
• Standing Committees – permanent committees in each house

• House Standing Committees

·        Agriculture

·        Appropriation

·        Armed Services

·        Budget

·        Education and the Workforce

·        Energy and Commerce

·        Financial Services

·        Government Reform

·        House Administration

·        International Relations

·        Judiciary

·        Resources

·        Rules

·        Science

·        Small Business

·        Standards of Official Conduct

·        Transportation and Infrastructure

·        Veterans Affairs

·        Ways and Means

• Senate Standing Committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
• Budget
• Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Energy and Natural Resources
• Environment and Public Works
• Finance
• Foreign Relations
• Governmental Affairs
• Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
• Indian Affairs
• Judiciary
• Rules and Administration
• Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Veterans Affairs

• Select Committees (created to do a specific job)

• Intelligence (contains both House and Senate members)

• Joint Committees (contain members of both the House and Senate)

• Economic
• Printing
• Taxation
• Library

·        Each committee has a number of subcommittees. For example, the Senate Armed Services Committee has subcommittees in Airland, Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Personnel, Readiness and Management Support, Seapower, and Strategic Forces

·        Committee appointments are mostly based on seniority, where the senators or representatives serving the longest often get the best appointments with the most power

 

 

Powers given to Congress

• Expressed Powers – powers directly GIVEN to Congress in the Constitution – 17 specific powers such as the power to declare war or raise an army
• Implied powers – powers TAKEN by Congress, using the elastic clause (necessary and proper clause) as justification. A great example of this would be the creation of the US Air Force in 1947, something never imagined in 1787
• Major Powers of Congress

• Taxing and Spending – all revenue bills must originate in the House
• Regulating Commerce – trade between states and/or foreign countries
• Foreign Relations and Treaties – signed by the President and approved by the Senate. This is also the power by which Congress declares war.
• Approval and Removal – Senate approves all Presidential appointments. House impeaches (like a Grand Jury) and the Senate convicts (like a trial)
• Oversight and Investigation – review of the way the executive branch enforces the laws that Congress passes. For example, the House Committee on Agriculture might oversee the federal programs designed to help farmers. Committees are sometimes called on to investigate specific problems and to suggest solutions, such as the Senate Intelligence Committee that investigated the events of September 11^th, and the federal government’s response.

·        Amendment 10 limits the power of Congress by reserving certain powers to the states, as long as those state laws are subject to Article 4 of the Constitution (the Full Faith and Credit Clause)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does a Bill Become a Law?

 

·       An idea is developed and written into a bill, then it is presented to a congressional committee. Bills can originate in either chamber, with the exception being revenue bills, which MUST originate in the House

·       The bill is debated in committee

·       If it passes the committee stage, then the bill is sent to the floor of the chamber for debate

·       If the chamber votes to approve the bill, it’s sent to the other chamber, where it goes into committee and is debated, then sent to the floor

·       If both chambers vote to approve the bill, it is sent to the President.

·       If the President signs the bill, it becomes a law

·       If the President refuses to sign the bill, but does not veto it, it is called a “pocket veto.” After 10 days, if Congress is in session, the bill becomes a law without his signature. If Congress is out of session, the bill dies after 10 days.

·       Presidents can either totally approve or totally reject the bill. Some governors can issue a “line item veto,” allowing the governor to veto a portion of a bill. The President does not have this power. If the President vetoes a bill, it goes back to Congress for revision.

·       Congress can override a presidential veto by a 2/3 vote of both chambers, something that is difficult