Facts of Congress pt 2

Its a Bicameral Legislature

2. Wesberry v Saunders 1964 Court case in Georgia which said each state must draw its US Congressional districts so that they are approximately equal in population this meant rural districts lost representation 1. Baker v Carr 1962 One man one vote One man’s vote equals another all these cases dramatically changed the make- up of Congress 3. Reynolds v Sims 1964 Bicameral state legislatures had to also fairly represent real population

WHY IS THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THE LOWER HOUSE AND WHY IS THE SENATE THE UPPER HOUSE? The Senate has stricter qualifications than the HoR, more prestige, a longer term of office, and a stepping- stone to higher political office

Know the expressed and inherent powers of Congress you can click here for a list of enumerated powers -

Know the difference in Congressmen’s roles Trustees Politicos Partisans Trustee- An official who is expected to vote independently based on his or her judgment of the circumstances; one interpretation of the role of the legislator. The trustee voted yes because he thought it was the best for the people

Know the power positions Speaker of the House: The presiding officer in the House of Representatives, formally elected by the House but actually selected by the majority party The Speaker of the House is the selected by the majority party and the current Speaker is The Honorable John Boehner, a Republican.

Know the power positions Majority Leader: The legislative leader in the Senate, that is selected by the majority party who helps plan party strategy, confers with other party leaders, and tries to keep members of the party in line; current majority leader of the Senate is Democratic Senator Harry Reid The Majority Leader is also called the Majority floor leader because they manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate.

Know the power positions Party Caucus: A meeting of the members of a party in a legislative chamber to select party leaders and to develop party policy; called a conference by the Republicans The party caucus elects party officers and have say in other important issues dealing with the party.

Know the power positions Minority Leader: The legislative leader selected by the minority party as spokesperson for the opposition; current minority leader of the Senate is Republican Senator Mitch McConnell The Minority Leader is also called the Minority floor leader because they manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate.

Know the power positions Majority/Minority Whip: The whip assist the floor leaders. They serves as liaisons between the leadership and the rank-and-file in the legislature. The current Senate Majority and Minority Whips are Sen. Richard Durbin and Sen. Jon Kyl respectably. The name whip came from the term whipper-in, the huntsman who keeps the hounds bunched in a pack during a foxhunt, which is what the major i ty and minority whips do.

Know the power positions Majority/Minority Whip in the House of Representatives:

And those committees % of all a Congressperson’s work is done in committee - they are rarely on the “floor.” Legislative Oversight - The continuing review of how effectively the executive branch carries out the laws Congress passes. The legislative oversight is important in seeing how effective it is being carried out.

Why are party politics so important in the organization of Congressional business? The majority party always hold the chairmanship and a majority of the seats on each committee

Who is the president of the Senate? The President pro tempore or the Vice President of the US? Vice President is the official president of the Senate but the pro tempore is the one who sees to the day to day functions of the Senate Biden Inouye

What is the difference between a joint committee and a conference committee? Joint Committees are set up to expedite business between the houses and to help focus public attention on major matters, such as the economy, taxation, or scandals. They include members from both houses of Congress who conduct investigations or special studies. An example of a joint committee is the Joint Committee on the Library or the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War.

What is the difference between a joint committee and a conference committee? Conference committees are special joint committees that reconcile differences in bills passed by the House and Senate. A conference committee is made up of those members from the House and Senate that originally considered the bill.

What is a special committee? Special committees- A congressional committee created for a specific purpose, sometimes to conduct an investigation. A current special or select committee is the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warning; it is a special committee because it is advisory in nature and not permanent.

What? There are more committees? Lots more....but we will deal with that later