1. Congressional Committees and Support Staff

2. What is a Committee? A group of Congressmen from either the House or the Senate who are appointed to complete a specific task. They carryout the tasks and process of legislative branch. ▫Without committees, legislation would be nearly impossible because of the size of Congress.

3. How are Committee Members Chosen? In both the House and the Senate, membership is based on party selection. ▫The majority party gets to select committee-chairs and members.  They also get to set the rules for the committee. Congressmen can also volunteer to be on committees; however, appointment is not guaranteed.

4. Purposes of Committees They allow members of congress to divide their work into groups. ▫Lawmakers can specialize on certain topics.  435 Reps. 100 Sen. The heart of legislative work is done in committees. ▫Compromises can be reached Committees can act as an investigational arm of Congress. ▫They can look into problems as they arise.  Almost like P.I.

5. Standing Committees Standing Committees are permanent (reoccurring) committees. ▫One of the most important Committee Systems These committees tend to address the issues that Congress has deemed to be the most important. HouseSenate Ways and MeansForeign Relations AppropriationsArmed Services RulesBudget Education and the Workforce Commerce, Science, and Transportation AgricultureAgriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry BudgetFinance JudiciaryRules and Administration Veterans’ Affairs TransportationEnvironment and Natural Resources

6. Select Committees Temporary Committees ▫They Act as Investigatory Committees. They study specific issues and report their findings to the House or Senate. ▫They have very little power themselves. General Issues 1.Matters of Public Concern ▫Crime 2.Overlooked Problems ▫Homelessness 3.Concerns of Interest Groups ▫Unions ▫NRA ▫Right to Life

7. Joint Committees Committees that consist of members from both the House and Senate. ▫Temporary or Permanent  Atomic Energy (Temp)  Defense (Perm)  Taxation (Perm) They act as researchers who report to Congress. ▫They do not have the authority to deal directly with bills or even propose legislation.  They only have as much power as Congress gives them.

8. Conference Committees A (“temporary”) committee composed of members from both the House and Senate to reconcile differences between bills. They act as mediators between the House and the Senate. ▫Legislation would most likely fail without them.  Highly Important

9. Congressional Staffers

10. What is the Role of Staffers? Staffers act as assistants to legislators. ▫They do they leg-work for Congress. Staffers have considerable influence over the Congressmen & Congresswomen that they work with. ▫Lowell Weicker (Connecticut) ▫Lobbyists

11. Support Agencies Congress has 4 key agencies that help both chambers carry out much needed tasks. 1.The Library of Congress 1.Research 2.Congressional Budget Office 1.Calculate & advise on the Budget 3.General Accounting Office 1.Spending Watchdog ( Oversight ) 4.Government Printing Office 1.Congressional Kinko's