1. Congress
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
SENATE

2. Why Bicameral?
Historical---we stole the idea from British Parliament (House of Commons, House of Lords)
Practical---compromise between big states (Virginia) & small states (NJ)
Theoretical---each will check each other’s power “checks and balances”

3. The National Legislature
Congress’s job is to make laws.
The Constitution states that Congress must be bicameral.
The House of Representatives and Senate make up the Congress.
The House of Representatives members are determined by population.
The Senate has two members from each state.

4. House of Representatives
Congress
Senate
Upper House
House of Representatives
Lower House
President of
VP of USA
President Pro Tempore
Senior Ranking Member
Of the Majority Party
435 Representatives
(+6 nonvoting delegates)
Elected by Population
Serves for 2 years
House Minority Leader
Speaker of House
Majority Leader
100 Senators
2 from each State
Serves for 6 Years

5. Major Differences Between the
Houses of Congress
The House
The Senate
100 members serving rotating six-year terms
Equal number of members per state
Committee consideration easily bypassed
Rules Committee weak; few limits on debate or amendments
Unlimited debate unless shortened by unanimous consent or by invoking cloture
Non-germane amendments may be introduced (riders).
Confirm nominations, ratify treaties, impeachment trials
435 members serving two-year terms
Based on population
Speaker refers bills to committee
Committees almost always consider legislation first
Rules Committee powerful; controls time of debate, admissibility of amendments
Debate usually limited to one hour
Non-germane amendments may not be introduced from floor
Revenue bills, impeachment

7. Qualifications to Become a Member of Congress
H of R
Senate
Age:
At least 25
At least 30
Citizenship:
At least 7 years
At least 9 years
Residency:
Must live in the state they are elected from

8. TYPES OF LEGISLATION
Bills: draft of a law presented to H or S by a member.
Resolutions: formal declaration of opinion.
Riders: Attachment to bill, usually controversial and not directly related to the bill and it wouldn’t pass on its own as a bill.
Earmarks: provision to a bill including local spending items.

9. THE BILL TO LAW PROCESS (Simplified)
1. Bill introduced in H/S
2. Sent to committee
3. Voted on by H or S
4. Sent to Conference with other chamber
5. Sent to President
6. Signed or Vetoed (if vetoed, override possible with 2/3s vote)

10. Leadership in the House of Representatives
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
Selected by the majority party
Job: Presiding Officer of the House
Power: Decides which committee a bill goes to.
John Boehner
R – Ohio

11. Leadership of house
Majority Leaders (House and Senate): Spokesmen for dominant party
Senate- Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

12. Leadership of House
Minority Leaders (House and Senate): Spokesmen for opposition party
Senate- Harry Reid (D-NV) House- Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
               

13. Leadership of Senate
Vice President of US: President of Senate: breaks ties
President pro tempore of Senate: Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Whips: vote counters in House, assist party leaders

14. Leadership in the United States Senate
Majority Leader Leads the Democratic party Job: Guides legislation
Minority Leader Leads the Republican party Job: Leads Opposition
Mitch McConnell
R - Kentucky
Harry Reid
D - Nevada

15. Other House & Senate Positions
Clerk of House does administrative duties.
Parliamentarian keeps rule on debate.
Chaplain prays before debate.
Sergeant at Arms keep order.
Official Reporters writes every single word in meeting.
Post Master sees that everything is distributed.

16. House & Senate Committees
Committee posts are delegated by the Speaker and based on seniority – Way and Means Committee – Paul Ryan (8 presidents, 21 Speakers)/ Armed Services Committee
Powerful politicians are hard to remove
The Senate has 21 permanent Committees (Judiciary, Armed Services)
The House has 21 permanent Committees (Ways and Means, Appropriations)
There are 4 Joint Committees
Standing Committees are formed by an official and have power. They meet on a regular basis
Select (Special) Committees are formed to investigate an issue and expires on completion
Joint Committees include members from both chambers

17. Congressional Rules and Benefits

18. Congressional Expectations
Loyalty to chamber
Civility
Seniority – the most senior members get more choice of assignments
Specialization - become an expert in area
Reciprocity (aka logrolling)-support for each others bill.
Members often curry favor by contributing to other campaigns

19. Theories on Congressional Representation
Delegate
Follows advice & instruction of constituents
Trustee
Counts on trust of constituents based on their vote of confidence
Politico
Mix of what works politically (delegate sometimes, trustee sometimes)

20. Privileges and Penalties
Congressional Immunity
Freedom of Expression in Congressional Records
Expel Members with 2/3 vote
Codes of Ethics

21. Does Congress represent the average American people?
The average member is a male in his mid-50s. Most are married and have a background in politics, law, agriculture or education
Law background- 159 Reps & 58 Senators
Education background- 82 Reps & 14 Senators
109 have served as former political aides.
Private sector background- 162 Reps & 26 Senators

22. DIVERSITY

24. DIVERSITY

25. House Demographics There are 75 women in the HOR (15%)
42 HOR members (9.5%) are African-American.
(African-Americans make up about 13% of current U.S. population.
27 HOR members (5%) are Hispanic.
(Hispanics represent about 14% of the U.S. population.

26. Compensation and Benefits
Salaries - $174,000 per year
Speaker $223, Leaders $193,400
Some outside income allowed (15% of pay)
Members are allowed to deduct, for income tax purposes, living expenses up to $3,000 per annum, while away from their congressional districts or home states.
The Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) is available to support Representatives in their official and representational duties (Franking + office expenses + personal ($994,671 per member)
The 2014 allowances ranged from $1,195,554 to $1,370,009, with an average MRA of $1,255,909

27. Compensation and Benefits
Reps have an average of 17 staffers; Sen have an average of 40
The Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) is available to assist Senators in their official and representational duties. (average is $3,235,422)
Each Senator gets $40,000 for furnishing!

28. Compensation and Benefits
Computer service
No insider trading laws
TV and radio broadcast
Travel expense ($250,000 + free flights)
Foreign Trips
Pension Plan and Retirement Income (next of kin gets one year salary)
Incumbency = helps in re-election

30. Congressional Powers

32. Terms and Sessions of Congress
Each term begins on January 3rd of odd numbered years.
On January 3rd, 2015, the 114th Congress began and will end late in the year 2015.

33. Terms and Sessions of Congress
Each term has two sessions. A session lasts one year.
Congress can adjourn when it finishes its business.
The President can call Congress into a special session to deal with an urgent matter.

34. Senate The Senate has 100 members. Each state has two senators.
17th Amendment (1913): direct election of senators
Senators serve six-year terms. 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection every two years. (33 or 34)
Considered the upper house of the legislature
54 Republicans, 46 Democrats, 2 Independent

35. Senate Demographics In the 114th Senate:
54 Republicans; 44 Democrats; 2 Independent
Men will chair 20 committees; women will chair 1 (more women but less power)
17 women
3 Hispanics
11 Jews (10 Dem, 1 Ind.
1 Asian-Americans
1 African American (9 in all of history)
Average age is 62 years
Oldest member is 81 (5 are in 80s, 18 are in 70s) the youngest is 37 (Tom Cotton AR).

36. “Millionaire’s Club” The Senate
Longer terms, less turnover, more media attention, more prestigious
Less rules, more open talk
Major committees: Judiciary, Foreign Relations, Appropriations
Senator serve on 2-3 committees
Leaders Majority and Minority
The longest senator from each state is the “senior senator”
(medium net worth of Congress is $1,000,008)

38. The Filibuster
The Filibuster: Talking until majority of Senate agrees to abandon or modify a bill.
OLD STROM: Record filibuster 24 h, 18 min
Filibusters have included corn bread recipes, phone book readings, fishing stories, etc.
Cloture: 60 senator vote to limit debate to 30 hours

39. House of Representatives
Must be 25 years of age (when seated, not when elected).
Must have been a citizen of the United States for 7 years.
Must be an inhabitant of the state from which elected. (NOTE: custom, but not the Constitution, requires that a representative live in the district that he or she represents.)
Serve a two year term.

40. The House of Representatives
114th Congress is 2015 to 2017
435 members – 201 Dems, 234 Reps.
The H of R apportions, or distributes, the seats among the states.
Each member is up for reelection every two years.
Leader: Speaker of House: John Boehner (R)

41. The People’s House The House
435 members, running every two years=always running
Responsible for Federal Budget
Strict rules on debate, amendments
Major committees: Appropriations, Oversight and Gov’t Reform, Budget
Lots of subcommittees which are far more open for discussion
The House has the sole authority to initiate revenue bills

42. Determining Representatives
Census Every 10 years to determine population
Reapportion – Divide seats between states (Congress does this)
Constitution – 1 rep per 30,000 citizens
1929 Reapportionment Act passed
1959 = 437 Reps (Hawaii & Alaska)
1990 – 1 rep = 576,000
2009 – 1 rep = 709,000
10,280 = members in House if original numbers used

43. Determining Representatives
Census Every 10 years to determine population
Reapportion – Divide between states (Congress)
Redistrict within the states (state legislature)
Gerrymander drawing district lines based on some characteristic other than just population (can often be declared illegal)
Bans exist on discriminatory gerrymandering
Bans on misrepresentation in district

44. Apportionment
House: 435 seats divided up based on a state’s population (~670,000 per district)
Senate: 2 Senators per state
53
Idaho 2

45. Drawing of Congressional Districts
Districts are redrawn every ten years based on the census.
Districts are drawn by the state legislatures, and approved by the federal courts.
Districts must be: contiguous, compact, and equal in number of people represented in each district.

46. Based on demographic shifts, states may gain or lose seats.
In 2010 Texas gained four seats; Florida gained two seats; Georgia gained one seat, while New York and Ohio lost two each.
There has been a movement from the cold, northern states to the warmer southern states

47. Congressional Elections
Held in November in even-numbered years.
An off-year election is the congressional election held between presidential elections. The president’s party usually loses seats.

48. 3. Powers of Congress

49. Legislative Powers (Expressed- specifically mentioned Constitution):
1.  Tax and Spend, (and Spend, and Spend)
2.  Borrow
3.  Coin Money
4.  Regulate Commerce
5.  Foreign Relations (approve treaties, declare war, etc.)
6.  Create courts, post offices, copyrights, & patents
7. Manage and rule territories

51. Strict Constructionists: Loose Constructionists:
Legislative Powers
Implied Powers- not specifically mentioned but implied (by elastic clause). Too many to name---is this ok?
Strict Constructionists:
NO!
Loose Constructionists:
YES!

52. Nonlegislative Powers
1.  Impeachment
2.  Propose Amendments
3.  Choose a President
RARE

53. Nonlegislative Powers
4.  Give Advise & Consent
5.  Investigate
6. Oversight
COMMON

54. EARMARKS
An earmark is a congressional provision that directs appropriated funds to be spent on specific projects or that directs specific exemptions from taxes or mandated fees.
AKA as pork barrel spending

55. PIG BOOK RULES
This year’s Congressional Pig Book Summary symbolize the most egregious and blatant examples of pork. 
Meet at least one of the seven criteria, but most satisfy at least two:
Requested by only one chamber of Congress
Not specifically authorized;
Not competitively awarded;
Not requested by the President;
Greatly exceeds the President’s budget request or the previous year’s funding;
Not the subject of congressional hearings; or
Serves only a local or special interest.

56. $107,000 to study the sex life of the Japanese quail.
$1.2 million to study the breeding habits of the woodchuck.
$150,000 to study the Hatfield-McCoy feud.
$84,000 to find out why people fall in love.
$1 million to study why people don't ride bikes to work.
$19 million to examine gas emissions from cow flatulence.
$144,000 to see if pigeons follow human economic laws.
Funds to study the cause of rudeness on tennis courts and examine smiling patterns in bowling alleys.
$219,000 to teach college students how to watch television.
$2 million to construct an ancient Hawaiian canoe.
$20 million for a demonstration project to build wooden bridges.
$160,000 to study if you can hex an opponent by drawing an X on his chest.
$800,000 for a restroom on Mt. McKinley.
$100,000 to study how to avoid falling spacecraft.
$16,000 to study the operation of the komungo, a Korean stringed instrument.
$1 million to preserve a sewer in Trenton, NJ, as a historic monument.
$6,000 for a document on Worcestershire sauce.
$10,000 to study the effect of naval communications on a bull's potency.
$100,000 to research soybean-based ink.
$1 million for a Seafood Consumer Center.
$57,000 spent by the Executive Branch for gold-embossed playing cards on Air Force Two.
Total: $ 45,980,000