Government Chapter Five Unit 2: The Legislative Branch

Chapter 5: The Organization of Congress 5.1 Congressional Membership 5.2 House of Representatives 5.3 The Senate 5.4 Committees and Agencies

5.1 Congressional Membership Sessions House of Representatives Representation Redistricting Gerrymandering Senate Characteristics

Sessions Each term of Congress has two sessions. Each session lasts one year. When Congress is not in session, the President may call a special session.

House of Representatives The House has 435 members. A representative must be ◦ at least 25 years old, ◦ an American citizen for at least seven years ◦ and a legal resident of the state he or she represents. Representatives serve two-year terms.

Extra-Credit Question Who represents Evergreen in the U.S. House of Representatives? Write your answer down. Turn it in on your way INTO class tomorrow. Do not share your research with others.

House of Representatives Every two years all 435 members are up for election. The House also has four other members who can introduce legislation but cannot vote. They are from D.C., Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.

Representation The Census Bureau takes a census every ten years. The number of representatives from a state depends on its population. Congress passed the Reapportionment Act of 1929 which limited the number of representatives to 435 members. Each census determines how the seats in Congress will be distributed among the states.

Redistricting After the census, each state legislature draws new districts. The number of districts represent the new number of representatives. Each representative serves in the district that he or she lives. The power of redistricting is sometimes abused through unequal districts and gerrymandering.

Gerrymandering Gerrymandering is the process of redrawing district boundaries to gain an advantage in elections for the controlling political party. Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry approved a redistricting plan that gave the Democratic- republicans an advantage over the Federalists.

Gerrymandering One of the districts was shaped like a salamander. Gilbert Stuart drew a head, wings, and claws for a political cartoon. The papers called it a “Gerrymander” after Elbridge Gerry instead of a salamander.

Gerrymandering The two methods of gerrymandering are packing and cracking. ◦ Packing places as many of the opposing party’s voters in one district. ◦ This makes it safe for the majority party in the other districts. ◦ Cracking divides the opposing party’s voters among many districts to weaken them. ◦ The Supreme Court has ruled that gerrymandering is unconstitutional.

Senate Senators must be ◦ at least 30 years old, ◦ citizens for at least nine years, ◦ and legal residents of the state he or she represents. Senators serve 6-year terms. Only 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection at a time.

Senate Senators enjoy many benefits including ◦ stationary, ◦ free postage for official business, ◦ a medical clinic, ◦ a gym, ◦ allowances for business expenses, ◦ tax deductions, ◦ and a retirement plan.

Senate Senators cannot be arrested any crimes except “treason, felony, and breach of peace” when Congress is in session.

Characteristics Nearly half of the members of Congress are lawyers. Most are white men over 50 years old.

Characteristics Incumbents usually have the advantage over challengers. ◦ Fundraisers are easier for incumbents. ◦ Gerrymandering still gives some incumbents advantages. ◦ Incumbents have name recognition. ◦ Incumbents use their position to establish experience. ◦ The majority of voters believe their incumbent represents their views best.

Characteristics Television and the internet have changed how politicians campaign (ex: You tube).

Extra-Credit Answer Who represents Evergreen in the U.S. House of Representatives? Representative Martha Roby

5.2 The House of Representatives Committees Speaker of the House Majority Leader Whips Minority leadership Bills in the House The House Rules Committee John Boehner

Committees Each representative serves on various committees. Most work in congress happens in committees. Committees determine whether or not bills should be voted on. They can also amend the bills before the House votes on them. The chairpersons of the committees are members of the majority party. House Ways and Means Committee

Speaker of the House The Speaker is the presiding officer and the most powerful person in the House. The majority party picks the Speaker of the House through a caucus. The Speaker schedules which bills will be debated and voted on. John Boehner

Majority Leader The majority leader is the Speaker’s top assistant. He or she is elected by the majority party. The majority leader serves the majority party. Eric Cantor

Whips The majority and deputy whips assist the majority leader. They help persuade representatives to support legislation that their party proposes. Kevin McCarthy

Minority leadership The minority party also elects a minority leader. The minority leader is also assisted by whips from his or her own political party. Minority leadership serve similar functions and the majority leadership. It does not have scheduling powers like the majority party. Nancy Pelosi

Bills in the House Representatives put bills into the hopper. The Speaker sends them to the right committees. Approved bills are put on the proper calendar for debate.

The House Rules Committee This committee is one of the most powerful ones in the House. It receives all bills approved by the other committees in the House. It determines if and when bills will be voted on by the full House. It settles disputes between other committees.

The House Rules Committee A regular session requires a quorum of 218 members. The House may sit as a Committee of the Whole. ◦ Only 100 members are needed for a quorum. ◦ It speeds the process for debating and amending a bill for important matters.

Discussion Question: Why is so much of the work of Congress done in committees? Committees divide up the tasks and make them more manageable.

5.3 Senate The Basics Senate Leadership Bills Filibuster

The Basics The Senate is smaller and more informal than the House. The Vice President is the president of the Senate. ◦ The VP can only vote if there is a tie. ◦ The VP has much less power in the Senate than the Speaker does in the House. ◦ The president pro tempore (president pro tem) presides over the Senate in the absence of the VP. ◦ Pro tem means “for the time being.” ◦ The president pro tem is selected by the Senate.

Senate Leadership The Senate majority leader guides bills through the Senate. The Senate minority leader develops criticism for majority party bills. Majority and minority whips pressure party members how to vote. Harry Reid

Bills Senate leadership sends bills to committees. Approved bills are placed on the Calendar of General Orders. Treaties and nominations are put on the Executive Calendar. The majority party controls the flow of legislation.

Filibuster To filibuster is means to stall the legislative procedure to prevent a vote. Other senators can stop a filibuster only through a 3/5 vote for cloture. Strom Thurmond during filibuster

Discussion question: Why does the committee system have a less important role in the Senate than in the House of Representatives? More discussion takes place on the floor of the Senate because there are fewer senators.

5.4 Committees and Agencies* Purposes of Committees Kinds of Committees Committee Members Support Agencies *5.4 and 5.5 combined from textbook

Purposes of Committees Committees divide up work and makes it more manageable. They allow members to specialize on key issues. They select the most important bills for the whole Congress to consider. They hold public hearings to inform the public on key issues.

Kinds of Committees Standing committees deal with issues that continue from one Congress to the next. ◦ The majority party in each house controls the standing committees. ◦ It also assigns committee membership to its advantage. ◦ Subcommittees handle special subcategories of standing committees. ◦ Subcommittees continue from one Congress to the next. Select committees address temporary issues for the House or Senate. ◦ They usually last for one term. ◦ They research issues and report their findings.

Kinds of Committees Joint committees are made up of Representatives and Senators. ◦ They act as study groups. ◦ They may be permanent or temporary. Conference committees are temporary committees that resolve differences in House and Senate versions of the same bill so each house can accept or reject the same bill.

Committee Members Members on the more powerful committees have more influence. The Seniority system usually guides the election of the chairpersons.

Support Agencies The Library of Congress provides information requested by Congress. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) coordinates budget related tasks for Congress. The General Accounting Office is the watchdog over the congressional spending.

Support Agencies The Government Printing Office prints the Congressional Record and the Statistical Abstract of the United States. ◦ It does the printing for the entire federal government. ◦ The Congressional Record provides a complete account of congressional speeches and testimony.

Test Tomorrow!