1. Do Now:
Grab today’s Agenda (7:2) and take out your Pocket Constitutions.
Look in Article I Sections 2 and 3.
What officers does the Constitution mandate the House and the Senate to have? What is their job?

2. Leadership
House Leadership
Senate Leadership
Member Characteristics

3. House Leadership Speaker of the House
The presiding officer of the House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House.
The Speaker is elected at the opening of each Congress (January every 2 years) by a vote of all the members. In reality, the majority party selects the Speaker on a straight party-line vote.
What does the Speaker do?
He/She presides over the House when in session and sets the agenda.
Makes committee assignments and assigns bills to committees.
Because of political parties, the Speaker also speaks for the majority party in Congress. (He is not alone.)
Additional perk to being Speaker of the House: Next in line of secession after the Vice President!

4. House Leadership Speaker of the House (continued) Notable Speakers:
Current – John Boehner (R-OH)

5. House Leadership Speaker of the House (continued) Notable Speakers:
Current – John Boehner (R-OH)
First Woman – Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

6. House Leadership Leaders and Whips
While not in the Constitution, each party (both majority and minority) chooses a leader to represent their party in the House.
The House leaders are responsible for rounding up votes, keeping count of the potential votes, and makes sure their members “toe the party line.”

7. House Leadership Leaders and Whips (continued) Current Leaders:
Majority Leader (Republican) – Kevin McCarthy (CA)
Minority Leader (Democrat) – Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

8. House Leadership Leaders and Whips
While not in the Constitution, each party (both majority and minority) chooses a leader to represent their party in the House.
The House leaders are responsible for rounding up votes, keeping count of the potential votes, and makes sure their members “toe the party line.”
The leaders have an assistant called a Whip.
Whips help their leader round up votes, lean on waverers, and reports views and complaints of the party back to the leadership.

9. House Leadership Leaders and Whips (continued) Current Whips:
Majority Whip (Republican) – Steve Scalise (LA)

10. House Leadership Leaders and Whips (continued) Current Whips:
Majority Whip (Republican) – Steve Scalise (LA)
Minority Whip (Democrat) – Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

11. Senate Leadership Vice President
The Vice President presides over the Senate.
However, he/she has no power, unless there is a tie. The Vice President gets to vote if there is a tie in the Senate.
In our history, there have been 244 tie-breaking votes made by 35 different Vice Presidents.
John Adams, the first President of the Senate (because he was Washington’s Vice President), cast 29 tie-breaking votes – a record.
The last vice president to serve as tie breaker was Dick Cheney (President George W. Bush). He broke a Senate tie 8 times.
Current President of the Senate – Joe Biden

12. Senate Leadership President Pro Tempore
Since the Vice President’s only real role in the Senate is to be the tie breaker, and ties in a Senate vote are not that common, there is no reason for the Vice President to be there.
Presiding over the Senate in his place is the President Pro Tempore.
Only other position (besides Speaker of the House) mandated by the Constitution.
Usually given to the most senior senator of the majority party.
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is the current President Pro Tempore.

13. Senate Leadership Leaders and Whips
Leaders and Whips in the Senate are chosen in the same way they are chosen in the House.
Leaders and Whips in the Senate have the same responsibilities as the leaders and whips in the House.
Current Leaders:

14. Senate Leadership Leaders and Whips
Leaders and Whips in the Senate are chosen in the same way they are chosen in the House.
Leaders and Whips in the Senate have the same responsibilities as the leaders and whips in the House.
Current Leaders:
Majority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

15. Senate Leadership Leaders and Whips
Leaders and Whips in the Senate are chosen in the same way they are chosen in the House.
Leaders and Whips in the Senate have the same responsibilities as the leaders and whips in the House.
Current Leaders:
Majority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Minority Leader – Harry Reid (D-NV)

16. Senate Leadership Leaders and Whips
Leaders and Whips in the Senate are chosen in the same way they are chosen in the House.
Leaders and Whips in the Senate have the same responsibilities as the leaders and whips in the House.
Current Leaders:
Majority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Minority Leader – Harry Reid (D-NV)
Current Whips:
Majority Whip – John Cornyn (R-TX)

17. Senate Leadership Leaders and Whips
Leaders and Whips in the Senate are chosen in the same way they are chosen in the House.
Leaders and Whips in the Senate have the same responsibilities as the leaders and whips in the House.
Current Leaders:
Majority Leader – Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Minority Leader – Harry Reid (D-NV)
Current Whips:
Majority Whip – John Cornyn (R-TX)
Dick Durbin – (D-IL)

18. Member Characteristics

19. Member Characteristic
Average Age What affect do you think the age of each house has on how they represent the people?
House of Representatives
Senate
Oldest Member
John Conyer (D-MI)
1929 (85)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
1933 (81)
Youngest Member
Eise Stefanik (R-NY)
1984 (30)
Tom Cotton (R-AR)
1977 (37)

20. Member Characteristics
Primary Occupation

21. Member Characteristics
What conclusion can you come to regarding education and Congress?

22. Member Characteristics

23. Member Characteristics

24. Member Characteristics

25. Member Characteristics

26. Conclusion
The Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tempore, and the President of the Senate are the only constitutionally mandated offices in Congress.
The leaders and whips in each house of Congress are chosen along party lines. Each serves as a leader in their house as well as a leader in their party.
The 114th Congress is more diverse than Congress ever was before. Still room for improvement!