Congressional Organization to Make Policy

Congressional Leadership House Lead by the Speaker of the House (elected by House members) Presides over the House Major role in committees and assignments Assisted by House Majority Leader and Whips Senate Formally led by the Vice President Really led by the Majority Leader (chosen by party members) Assisted by whips Must work with Minority Leader

Speaker of the House Job description Presides over the House Makes committee assignments Appoints party legislative leaders Exercises substantial control over what bills get assigned to what committees Who is the current speaker of the House? John Boehner (R-OH_

Majority Leaders House Elected by the party Job = influence debate and the party; role can be maximized or minimized based on the role that the Speaker of the House takes on Current Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Majority Leaders Senate Elected by the Party Job = Influence and direct actions of the majority party in the Senate Informally holds the power of the Senate Current Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Minority Leaders House Job = Represent the party on the House floor Current Minority Leader – Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Senate Job = Represent the party on the Senate floor Current Minority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Whips Each party has a whip in the House and Senate. Job = Member of the legislative body who is charged with the responsibility of keeping his/her legislative party members disciplined and in attendance at votes Key figures for the parties Senate – Majority Whip: Richard Durbin (D-IL) – Minority Whip: John Cornyn (R-TX) House – Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy (RCA) – Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

Committees in Congress Standing committees: Permanent committee in a legislative body to which bills in a specified subject matter area are referred Joint committees: Legislative committee composed of members of both houses (usually permanent also) Conference committees: Temporary joint committee created to reconcile any differences between the two houses’ versions of a bill Select committees: Legislative committee created for a limited time and for some specific purpose; also known as a special committee

Committees Committees exist in the House and Senate Reps and Senators usually serve on two committees and four subcommittees Agenda is controlled at the committee level and subcommittee level Committee members work as “floor managers” for the bills once the bill leaves the committee Members also work in legislative oversight: The process of monitoring the bureaucracy and the administration of policies

Standing Committees in the House Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the Workforce Energy and Commerce Ethics Financial Services Foreign Affairs Homeland Security House Administration Judiciary Natural Resources Oversight and Gov’t reform Rules Science, Space and Tech. Small Business Transportation and Infrastructure Veterans’ Affairs Ways and Means Intelligence

Joint Committees Joint Economic Committee Joint Committee on the Library Joint Committee on Printing Joint Committee on Taxation

Standing Committees in the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Armed Services Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce, Science and Transportation Energy and Natural Resources Environment and Public Works Finance Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Judiciary Rules and Administration Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans’ Affairs

Special, Select and Other Committees House – No Special Committees as of now Senate – Indian Affairs – Select Committee on Ethics – Select Committee on Intelligence – Special Committee on Aging

How do you get on a committee? Newly elected legislators tell congressional leaders of their preferences Party leadership plays a major role Prior to the 1970s, committee chairs used by based on seniority in the committee; Also used to be able to vote by proxy. Seniority is still a factor in the Senate; in the House, members vote on committee chairs

Caucuses These are informal groups that meet that have shared interests. – They are members of Congress, not interest groups – Around 250 of these – Ex: Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, Women’s Caucus, Tea Party Caucus, Congressional Gaming Caucus

Additional Staffing in Congress Each Congressman has a staff of advisors, writers, assistants – Generally around people Committee staff – Organize committee work, hearings, draft reports, actually write the legislation Staff Agencies – Congressional Research Service (CRS): These are researchers with LOC who gather info – Gov. Accountability Office (GAO): oversight, determines legality issues, settles claims – Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Makes economic projections and analyzes the budget coming from the President.