LEADERSHIP OF CONGRESS

HOUSE LEADERSHIP“Speaker of the House”

John Boehner Republican 8TH District

Ohio 3rd in line for

Presidency Political

Leader of House

How do you get to be Speaker?

Majority/Republican LEADERSHIP

Kevin McCarthy

Republican 22nd District

California HOUSE

MAJORITY LEADER

Assists the Speaker but is co-leader of the majority party.

How do you get to be Majority Leader?

#3 REPUBLICAN IN HOUSE

Steve Scalise 1st district of

Louisiana HOUSE

MAJORITY WHIP

What does a “whip” do?

How do you get to be the “whip?”?

DEMOCRATS ARE THE MINORITY PARTY IN HOUSE

Nancy Pelosi Democrat 8TH DISTRICT California HOUSE MINORITY

LEADER #1 Democrat in the

House Speaker of the

House 2006 – 2010. How do you get to

be Minority Leader?

#2 DEMOCRAT IN HOUSE Steny Hoyer Democrat 5TH Maryland DEMOCRATIC

MINORITY WHIP

How do you get to be the minority whip?

SENATE LEADERSHIP

SENATE LEADERSHIP IS SIMILAR TO THE HOUSE BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENCES.

SUCH AS…WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE?

WHO, AS PRESIDENT, PRESIDES OVER SESSIONS OF THE SENATE WHEN HE IS THERE?

PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Vice President Joe Biden is the President of the Senate.

He has one duty. What is it? Break a tie in the Senate.

SENATE DEMOCRATICLEADERSHIP

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE

#4 SUCCESSION TO THE PRESIDENT

Orin Hatch Republican/Utah How do you get this

job? Senior member of

majority party No power as Pro

Tem

REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN SENATE

MITCH MCCONNELL

REPUBLICAN KENTUCKY SENATE

MAJORITY LEADER

HE CONTROLS THE SENATE

How do you get this job?

REPUBLICAN IN SENATE

Jon Cornyn REPUBLICAN Texas SENATE MAJORITY WHIP How do you get to be the Senate

minority whip?

SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

HARRY REID DEMOCRAT NEVADA MINORITY

LEADER POLITICAL

LEADER OF THE SENATE

How do you get to be Majority Leader

#2 DEMOCRAT IN SENATE

RICHARD DURBIN DEMOCRAT ILLINOIS SENATE MINORITY WHIP How do you get to be the

minority whip?

ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP

FLOOR LEADERS IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE

THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS HAVE FLOOR LEADERS.

THESE RESPONSIBILITIES SHIFT CONSTANTLY, SO THERE IS NO ONE PERSON WHO CAN BE IDENTIFIED AS A FLOOR LEADER.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER…..

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE IS THE POLITICAL LEADER OF THE HOUSE.

SPEAKER IS #3 IN LINE TO BE PRESIDENT.

MAJORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE IS THE POLITICAL LEADER OF THE SENATE

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF SENATE IS #4 IN LINE TO BE PRES.

COMMITTEE SYSTEM WHEN A BILL IS INTRODUCED IN

THE HOUSE OR SENATE, THE SPEAKER OR THE MAJORITY LEADER WILL REFER IT TO A COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW, HEARINGS AND CONSIDERATION.

Every bill MUST be referred to a committee – no exceptions!

BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE HAVE SEPARATE AND JOINT COMMITTEES.

SENATE COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEES THESE ARE PERMANENT

COMMITTEES THAT ALWAYS EXIST FROM CONGRESS TO CONGRESS.

WHAT KIND OF COMMITTEES ARE THERE?

AGRICULTURE, DEFENSE, JUDICIAL + MAJORITY LEADER APPOINTS

SENATORS TO COMMITTEES.

OTHER SENATE COMMITTEES

SELECT COMMITTEES THERE ARE FOUR SELECT

COMMITTEES THESE ARE SPECIALIZED FORMS OF

COMMITTEES THAT DEAL WITH INDIAN AFFAIRS ETHICS INTELLIGENCE AGING

Select Committee’s Committee’s created for a very

specific purpose. Committee’s that only last as long as

needed. Example: 9/11 Select Committee

Committee investigated how the 9/11 attacks could take place.

After the investigation was completed. The Committee was dissolved.

HOUSE COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEES THESE ARE JUST LIKE THE

COMMITTEES IN THE SENATE AND ARE PERMANENT FROM CONGRESS TO CONGRESS.

SAME KINDS OF TITLES…DEFENSE, AGRICULTURE, JUDICIARY +

SPEAKER GETS TO ASSIGN MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEES

ADDITIONAL HOUSE COMMITTEES

SELECT COMMITTEE THERE IS ONLY ONE IN THE HOUSE

AND THAT IS THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE

House will also create “special” committees for a very specific purpose and for a short period of time, just like the Senate.

COMMON COMMITTEES TO THE HOUSE AND SENATE

JOINT COMMITTEES THESE HAVE MEMBERS APPOINTED

FROM BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND THEY MEET TOGETHER.

THERE ARE 4 “JOINT” COMMITTEES TAXATION PRINTING ECONOMIC LIBRARY

NOW YOU KNOW ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF BOTH THE

HOUSE AND SENATE.

YOU MUST KNOW THE TITLES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TITLES.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HOLD EACH POSITION….BUT, WOULDN’T THAT MAKE FOR SOME GREAT BONUS POINTS ON THE NEXT TEST???

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?

I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION. WHAT CONGRESS IS CURRENTLY

MEETING? EACH CONGRESS, SINCE THEY

STARTED HAVE CONSECUTIVE NUMBERS. So, Congress from 1789 was the 1st Congress

EACH CONGRESS IS DIVIDED INTO 2 - 1 YEAR SESSIONS.

SO WHAT CONGRESS ARE WE IN? WHAT CONGRESS? WHAT SESSION? 114th Congress, 1st Session.

Next ….

Next, we will watch a couple short video’s on the everyday life in Congress.

Then we will start Chapter 8 section 4: “How a bill becomes a law.”