1. Congressional Leadership and Committees AP GOPO

2. Role of Congress Member Examples Lawmaking  Initiating Bills  Serving on Committees  Participating in Congressional Votes Representative of District or State  Trustee or Delegate  Casework  Pork Barrel Spending Oversight  Serving on Hearing committees  Making sure laws are being correctly instituted

3. Congressional Leadership What is job of each of these leaders? Pg. 367-369 Senate Vice President (President of Senate) President Pro Tem Senate Majority Leader Senate Majority Whips Senate Minority Leader Senate Minority Whips House of Representative Speaker of the House Senate Majority Leader Senate Majority Whips Senate Minority Leader Senate Minority Whips

4. Current Leadership for the 113 th Senate 114 th Leaders from Minority Party Harry ReidRichard Durbin 114 th Leaders from Majority Party Orrin HatchMitch McConnellJohn Cornyn

5. How has this changed? Leadership for the 113 th HOR

6. What are the advantages of having the majority leadership positions in Congress? 1.You preside over the house and get to decide what is discussed. 2. Assign bills to committees. 3. Appoint legislative leaders. 4. Committee assignments.

7. Congressional Committees Standing Committees –permanent committees of Congress. (Examples are Armed Services, Budget, Education and the Workforce, and Energy and Commerce) http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/TTD- 113.pdf http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/TTD- 113.pdf Select Committees – created to perform a specific task (Example is Select Committee on the Events Surrounding 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi)

8. Congressional Committees Continued Joint Committees – advisory committees made up of members from both houses of Congress (Examples are Economic, Library, Taxation, and Printing) Conference Committees – joint committee formed temporarily to work out difference between HOR and Senate versions of a bill.

9. How Committees are Organized Senate 113 th Congress there are 17 standing committees which has 17 to 20 members. Senators serve on 4 committees and 2 prominent committees HOR 113 th Congress there are 20 standing committees which has 35 to 40members. Reps serve on 2 major committees

10. How to get on a Committee? Vacancies become available after elections or retirement Ratio of majority and minority members in a committee mirrors the composition of the house itself (Senate decides ratio differently) New members of Congress request to be on a committee that can serve constituency or prominent committee Factors of membership are also work habits, party loyalty, length of congressional service.