THE ORGANIZATION OF CONGRESS

Congressional Committees

Purposes of Committees

O Divide the work among many small groups

O Determine which bills are considered further

O Help the public learn about important issues

Kinds of CommitteesO Standing Committees

O Deal with permanent issuesO Economy, Education, National Security

O SubcommitteesO Specialize in areas related to the Standing

CommitteeO Banking – Capital Markets, Insurance,

Monetary Policy, Oversight

Benefits of Serving on Committees

O Increase chances of re-election

O Can influence national policy making

O Can influence other members of Congress

Important CommitteesO House of Representatives

O Rules Committee – sets the rules O Ways and Means – writes taxesO Appropriations – budget, spending

O SenateO Foreign Relations – foreign policyO Finance – tax, trade, healthO Appropriations – budget, spending

Assignment to Committees

O Political parties assign members to committees

O Committee chairpersons are the most powerful members of Congress