1. The Work of Congress

2. 11,000 Bills! During one two-year session of congress, more than 11,000 bills are presented. Would it be possible for congress to go through all of them? What would you do if you were in charge?

3. Committees Both the House and the Senate have committees Committees are members of either the House or Senate that specialize in a field. Committees Committees Committees

4. Types of Committees Standing Committees: Permanent committee that evaluates bills and either kills them or passes them along for another debate. Select Committees: A temporary committee appointed for a limited purpose Joint committee: Legislative committee made up of members of both houses of Congress Conference Committee: Temporary house-Senate committee whose goal is to find an acceptable compromise on conflicting versions of a bill.

5. Committees contd. The ratio of members of the committees mirrors that of the house of congress i.e. if the democrats have the majority in the House of Representatives, they will have the majority on all committees.

6. Privileges Make roughly $135,000 Free postal services for letters sent to their constituents (the people they serve.

7. How a Bill Becomes a Law