Chapter 6 Congress

How Congress is Organized Section 1

Terms of Congress Each term of Congress starts on January 3rd of odd numbered years, (unless a different day is appointed) and lasts two years.

Terms of Congress First Congress met in 1789. 110th Congress met in 2007. Sessions carried out in two regular time periods, one session for each year. The session lasts from January thru November or December.

Terms of Congress Special sessions may be called by the President in times of crisis. Joint sessions may transpire on some occasions such as the State of the Union address by the President.

Congressional Leaders Democratic and Republican Leaders. The Party with more than half the members is the majority party. The Party with less than half the members is the minority party.

Congressional Leaders New leaders are chosen at the beginning of each new term of Congress.

Floor Leaders Party Whips Floor Leaders make sure that the laws Congress pass are in the best interest of their own political party. Each house of Congress has two floor leaders, a Democrat and a Republican, called the majority leader and minority leader.

Floor Leaders Party Whips The Party Whip assists each floor leader. His or Her job is to keep track of how party members vote and to persuade all members of his or her party to vote together on issues.

A Bicameral Legislature The Great Compromise established a Bicameral (two house) legislature which is called: Congress

Congress House of Representatives Senate Lower House (435) State Populations Senate Upper House (100) Equality (2 each from 50 states)

House of Representatives 435 Total members from the 50 United States. Lower House of Congress. Numbers based on each states population which is re-adjusted every ten years with the census.

House of Representatives Requirements to be a member of the HOR. 25 Years of Age A U.S. citizen for at least 7 years. Live in the state they represent.

House of Representatives Each state guaranteed at least one member in the HOR. Each state is divided into one or more congressional districts. Representative elected from each district.

House of Representatives Representatives serve two year terms. No limit to the number of terms. Framers designed House so that representatives would be closer to the people than members of the Senate.

House of Representatives All money bills start in the HOR. Two-Step Process: Authorization Bills: Projects to decide how much money must be spent. Appropriation Bills: Money provided for the projects.

Speaker of the House The leader in the HOR is the Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the HOR and a member of the majority party.

Speaker of the House Experienced member. In charge of floor debates. SOH also influences most other House business.

The Senate 100 Total members based on equality . Two each from the 50 United States. Upper House of Congress. Each senator represents his or her entire state, no districts.

The Senate Requirements to be a member of the Senate. 30 years of age. A U.S. citizen for at least 9 years. Live in the state they represent.

The Senate Senators serve six year terms. There is no limit on the number of terms. 1/3 must run every 2 years, thus two-thirds of the Senate consist of experienced members at all times.

The Senate All money bills start in the HOR. The Senate must approve all money bills. The Senate approves most presidential appointees and treaties with other countries.

The Senate The President of the Senate is the Vice President. The VP does not take part in any of the legislative process. The vice president only votes if there is a tie in the Senate.

The Senate The President Pro Tempore is the one in charge and who handles the day-to-day leadership of the Senate. The position goes to the senior member of the majority party.

Committees: Little Legislatures Each house of Congress considers thousands of bills, or proposed laws, in the course of a session. To handle so many bills each house has developed a system of committees.

Committees: Little Legislatures Every new bill goes to committee. Committee decides whether the full House or Senate should vote on the bill.

Types of Committees 1) Standing Committee 2) Select Committee 3) Joint Committee

Types of Committees Standing Committee is a permanent committee that specializes in a particular topic. The House has 19 and the Senate 16 standing committees to deal with agriculture, commerce, and veterans’ affairs.

Types of Committees Standing Committees are divided into Subcommittees, which are smaller groups that handle specialized problems. Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs have subcommittees.

Types of Committees Select Committees are temporary committees formed to deal with issues that need special attention. They meet for a few months or perhaps a few years, until the task is complete.

Types of Committees Joint Committees include members of both houses and also meet for limited periods of time to consider specific issues. A special types of joint committee is called a conference committee, which helps the House and Senate agree on the details of a proposed law.

Committee Assignments Committee assignments are usually assigned by Party leaders according to seniority system. Most desirable assignments are given to those who have served in Congress the longest.