2. Opening Day in The House To understand the leadership and organization of Congress

3. Opening Day in the House When the House First meets for the new term, none of the members are sworn in, there are no rules, and there is no organization The clerk of the House of the preceding term presides, and chairs the 1 st session

4. House Tour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gADaGOSYeA

5. Choosing a Speaker The majority party’s caucus has chosen the Speaker of the House before the first session begins - the election on the floor is a mere formality - Speaker of the House is both the elected presiding officer of the House, and the acknowledged leader of the majority party

6. Speaker of the House John Boehner R-OH Tan

7. Speaker’s Duties To preside and keep order Names the members of all select and conference committees Signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House

8. Speaker’s Role Can vote, only to cause or break a tie -Can debate any matter on floor, but must appoint a Speaker pro tempore

9. The Speaker Takes Charge Once sworn in, the Speaker will in turn swear the other members in The Democrats will then take their seats to the right of the center The Republicans to the left The House then adopts rules that will govern the term, and members are selected to fill the 22 permanent committees

10. Opening Day in the Senate The Senate is a Continuous Body, it has been organized since 1789 Hence, they do not have the organizational problems of the House They simply wait for the House to notify them that they are ready Once this is done, they notify the President that they are ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make

11. State of the Union

12. State of the Union Within a few weeks, the President will deliver the State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress

13. The Senate http://www.senate.gov/vtour/3high.htm Video:http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4463733http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4463733

14. The Head of the Senate The Vice-President sits as the head of the Senate He has presiding powers Can only vote to break a tie Cannot take the floor to debate

15. President Pro Tempore However, the VP is usually busy, so the Senate elects a member to serve in his absence This person is usually a leading member of the majority party (but not always) Senator Patrick Lehay D-Vermont

16. Floor Leaders The floor leaders are legislative strategists that try to carry out the decision of their party’s caucuses and steer floor actions to their party’s beliefs They are assisted by party whips that check with party members and advise them of support

17. Committee Chairmen The bulk of work is done in committee Thus, a committee chairman holds a strategic post When not meet Which bills to address Whether to hold public hearings Whether to call witnesses

18. House Committees List of House Committees

19. Senate Chain of Command List of Senate Committees

20. Seniority Rule Custom provides that the most important posts will be held by senior party members What do you think? Some say that this ignores ability, and discourages younger members…