Congressional Committees

Committees in Congress The Senate and the House divide their work into committees. Members of Congress sit on one or more committees. Committees are where most bills start in the legislative process.

Standing Committees Standing committees are permanent panels in Congress. Bills that deal with similar material are often sent to the same standing committee.

The House Rules Committee The Rules Committee decides if the full House will consider a measure -- they set the conditions. This gives a great amount of power to the Rules committee because they can speed, delay, or even prevent House action on a measure.

Select Committees Select committees are panels established to handle a specific matter and usually exist for a limited time. Most select committees are formed to investigate a current matter. Example: House Select Committee on Benghazi was created in 2014 to investigate the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi in 2012.

Joint Committee A joint committee is one that is composed of members from both houses. Most joint committees are also standing committees (such as the Joint Committee on the Library)

Conference Committee A conference committee is created to iron out differences between bills passed by the House and the Senate. This is done to resolve any issues before the bill is sent to the President. Conference committees are temporary and joint committees.

Committee Chairmen The committee chairmen are the members who head the standing committees in each chamber of Congress. The chairman of each of these permanent committees is chosen by the members of majority party.

Seniority Rule Seniority rule is an unwritten custom that says the most important posts will be held by those party members with the longest records of service in Congress. The head of each committee is often the longest-serving member of the committee from the majority party.