1. The Organization of Congress
Chapter 5
The Organization of Congress

2. Congressional Membership
The founders did not intend to make Congress a privileged group, but they did intend that the legislative branch have more power than any other branch.
The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature; it is made up of two houses.
Congressional Membership

3. Congressional Sessions
Each term of congress lasts for 2 yrs beginning on January 3rd.
Each term divided into two sessions, or meetings.
A session lasts one year
If congress is adjourned, president may call special session.
Congressional Sessions

4. Membership of the House
435 members; larger body on congress
House seats must be apportioned, or divided, among the states on the basis of population.
Reps must be 25 yrs old, US citizen for 7 yrs, legal resident of state who elects them.
Two year terms
November elections
Membership of the House

5. Representation & Reapportionment
Census bureau takes census, or population count every ten years.
The population of each state determines the new number or reps to which each state is entitled; apportionment.

7. Congressional Redistricting
After the states find out their reapportioned representation for the next 10-year period each state sets up congressional districts
One rep for each district
The process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment has been completed; redistricting.
Historically state legislatures have abused their powers to divide the states into congressional districts by gerrymandering; political party controlling the state govt draws a district’s boundaries to gain advantage in elections (packing & Cracking).

8. Members of the Senate Equal representation– 2 members per state
Must be 30 yrs old; citizen of US for 9 yrs; legal residents of state they represent
All voters of each state elect senators at-large; or statewide.
November elections
6 year terms
Members of the Senate

9. Salary and Benefits Senate and House set their own salaries
27th amendment; congressional salary increase will take effect after an intervening election.
Stationery, postage, a medical clinic, and gym
Large allowances to pay for staff and assistants, trips home, telephones, and newsletters.
Income tax deductions
150,000 pension plans
Salary and Benefits

10. Free from arrests except treason, felony, and breach of peace while attending congress or on their way to and from congress.
May not be sued for anything said on senate or house floor.
Members guilty of lesser offenses may be censured; a vote for formal disapproval of a member’s actions.(ex. Accepting a bribe)
Privileges of Members

11. 4 delegates– D.C., Guam, American Samoa, Virgin Islands
1 resident commissioner– Puerto Rico
Nearly half are lawyers
Business, banking, and education backgrounds
Incumbents; those members already in office are more successful during elections.
Members of Congress

12. Chapter 5 Section 1 Review
In a graphic organizer like the one below, compare the qualifications for representatives and senators.
How does congress reapportion house seats among the states every ten years?
Identify– Elbridge Gerry, Twenty-seventh amendment
Members of congress spend part of their time working for reelections. Which house has a greater percentage of its time remaining for legislative work? Why?
House
Senate

13. Section 2: The House of Representatives
Political division and debate is unavoidable in a democratic government.
Rules are necessary to help ensure fairness, to enable the legislature to conduct business and to protect the minority.
Section 2: The House of Representatives

14. The main task of each house of Congress is the same– to make laws.
The house and senate each print their rules every two years.
The complex rules in the house are geared towards moving legislation quickly once it reaches the floor.
Rules for Lawmaking

15. Committee Work Committees do most of the work in Congress.
In committees representatives have more influence, and they have time to study and shape bills.
Representatives then do specialize in a few issues that are important to their constituents—the people in the districts they represent.
Committee Work

16. AL District Reps. Joe Bonner (1) Martha Roby (2) Mike Rogers (3)
Robert Aderholt (4)
Mo Brooks (5)
Spencer Bachus (6)
Terri Sewell (7)

18. The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House and is the most powerful leader.
A caucus; or closed meeting, of the majority party chooses the House speaker at the start of each session of Congress.
Follows the vice president in line of succession to the presidency.
House Leadership

19. The speaker’s top assistant is the majority leader.
The majority leader has help from the majority whip and deputy whips.
Whips; serves as assistant floor leaders in the House.
House Floor Leaders

20. All laws start as bills; a proposed law, until both houses of Congress pass it and the president signs it.
Representatives introduce bills.
Speaker of the House sends it to the appropriate committee for study/discussion and review.
Bills that survive the committee process are put on the House calendar; list of bills that are up for consideration.
Lawmaking in the House

21. The House Rules Committee
Serves as the “traffic officer” in the House.
Can move bills ahead quickly, hold them back, or stop them completely.
Sends bills to floor for debate
Set time limit for debates on bills
A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action. ( majority of house = 218)
The House Rules Committee

22. SECTION 3: The Senate The senate is a deliberative body.
Handles issues of specific interest to them.
Are expected to know something about and deal w/ many issues from national defense to social issues and farming.
SECTION 3: The Senate

23. The Senate at Work Rules are more flexible in the senate
Unlimited debate on proposed legislation
More informal atmosphere than the House
Leadership in the Senate closely parallels leadership in the house.
Vice President presides over the Senate
Party leaders in the Senate may not have as much influence over the other senators as their counterparts in the House.
The Senate at Work

24. The Constitution names the vice president as president of the Senate.
May not take part in debates
Votes in event of a tie
In the absence of the vice president , the president pro tempore ( or president pro term) presides.
Pro tempore = “for the time being”
Elected by senators
From the majority party
Patrick Leahy
The Vice President

25. Majority and Minority Floor Leaders
Most important officers in the Senate
Elected by members of their political parties
Main job of majority leader is to steer the party’s bills through the Senate
The minority leader develops criticisms of the majority party’s bills and tries to keep senators in the minority party working together.
Majority and Minority Floor Leaders

26. How Senate Bills are Scheduled.
Any member of the Senate my introduce a bill.
Senate leaders control to flow of bills to committees and to the floor for debate and vote.
The Calendar of General Orders lists all the bills the Senate will consider./ Executive calendar schedules treaties and nominations.
Brings bills to the floor by unanimous consent.
How Senate Bills are Scheduled.

27. One way for Senators to defeat a bill they propose is to filibuster against it.
Filibuster; to stall the legislative process and prevent a vote.
A filibuster can be stopped when three-fifths of the senate (60 members) votes for cloture—procedure which allows each senator to speak for only 1 hour on a bill under debate.
The Filibuster

28. Section 4: Congressional Committees
Both the House and the Senate depend upon committees to effectively consider the thousands of bills that are proposed each session.
Help to ease workload
Key power centers in congress
Section 4: Congressional Committees

29. Purposes of Committees
Allows members of congress to divide work
Select bills that are to receive further consideration
Help the public to learn about key problems and issues facing the nation.
Purposes of Committees

30. Kinds of Committees Standing committees Select committees
Controlled by majority party
Continue from one congress to the next
Subcommittee; specialize in subcategory of it’s standing committee.
Select committees
Study one specific issue
Joint committees
Study group for house an senate
Kinds of Committees

31. Choosing Committee Members
In both the House and the Senate, the political parties assign members to the standing committees
Members may request assignment to a committee.
Chair members of committees w/ party leaders among most powerful of Congress.
The seniority system gave the member of the majority party with the longest uninterrupted service on a particular committee the leadership of that committee.
Choosing Committee Members

32. Section 5: Staff and Support Agencies
The work of Congress is so massive and complicated that lawmakers need trained staff to help them do their work effectively.
In addition, a number of supporting agencies perform important functions for members.
Section 5: Staff and Support Agencies

33. Congressional Staff Role
Help with workload
Communicate with voters
Help run committee hearings and floor sessions
Draft new bills
Write committee reports
Attend committee meetings
Help lawmakers get reelected
(**Some lawmakers believe congressional
staffers have too much power.**)
Congressional Staff Role

34. Personal Staff Congress includes two types of staff
Personal staff; work directly for individual senators and representatives.
Administrative assistant (AA); runs the lawmaker’s office, supervise schedule, and gives advice.
Legislative assistant (LA); makes certain the lawmakers are well informed about the many bills he or she must deal with.
Caseworker; handle the many requests for help from constituents.
Personal Staff

35. Committee staff; work for the many house and senate committees.
Largely responsible for the work involved in making laws.
Committee Staff

36. Several agencies that are part of the legislative branch provide services that help Congress carry out its powers.
Library of Congress
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
General Accounting Office (GAO)
Government Printing Office (GPO)
Records of all congressional bills
Support Agencies