Overview of Congress

Senate LeadershipPresident of the Senate

Vice President of the United StatesCannot take the floor to speak or debateCan only vote if there is a tie

President Pro TemporeLeading member of the majority party elected by the Senate

itselfActs as president in the Vice-President’s absence

Majority Leader and Minority LeaderElected by the party caucusTry to steer the legislative agenda in their parties favorNot an official positions, but a very important one

Majority Whip and Minority WhipAssistants to the leaders, chosen by the party caucusChecks with the party members to see how many votes can be

counted on for a particular matter

House LeadershipSpeaker of the House

Most important and influential House memberLeader of the majority party and chosen by the

House membersSpeaker’s responsibilities

No member may speak until recognized by the SpeakerThe Speaker interprets and applies all rules, refers all bills to

committees, puts questions to a vote, and decides the outcome of votes taken

The Speaker names the members of all committeesThe Speaker signs all bills passed by the HouseFollows the Vice-President in the line of succession to the

presidency

Party CaucusA closed meeting of the members of each

party in each houseMeets before every session and

occasionally during the sessionDecide party leadership, legislative agenda

and strategy

Congressional BillsGood bills do the following:

Address a problem facing the United States or a specific region

Provide practical solutions to this problem; solutions that can be implemented

They are clear and provide appropriate money, define crimes, make specific penalties and specify who is responsible for carrying out the provisions in the bill