the capitol building congress. the capitol building the architecture and floor plan of the capitol...
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The Capitol Building
CONGRESS
The Capitol Building
The architecture and floor plan of the Capitol building in Washington reflect the bicameral division of Congress
The Powers of Congress:Article I
Section One: bicameral legislature
Section Two: length of terms for House members and qualifications for service
Section Three: selection of Senators, length of terms
Section Four: congressional election process
Section Seven: how a bill becomes a law
Section Eight: powers of the legislative branch
Constitutional Foundations of the Modern Congress
The framers of the Constitution were ambivalent about democracy and concerned about the possibility of government tyranny.
Fear that power in the hands of a single individual would be abused and the people would suffer.
They wanted an energetic government, with the legislative branch as the center of policymaking.
Yet they also limited Congressional power
bicameralism bills of attainder ex post facto laws
habeas corpus separation of powers checks and balances
Drawing the District Lines
Apportionment Established through the Great Compromise Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned
to the states on the basis of their population after every ten-year census and on equal representation in the Senate.
Reapportionment In the 1910 census, the House limited the total number of
districts to 435, so now some states gain and some states lose each time we count.
Malapportionment Unequal numbers of people in legislative districts resulting
in inequality of voter representation.
RedistrictingWhen the census is final each state is told how many districts it now has—then state legislatures draw district lines
To accommodate population shifts and to keep districts as equal as possible
GerrymanderingWhen districts are drawn to help or hurt a political party, group or incumbent
Drawing the District Lines
Every district has roughly 650,000 people, except states like Wyoming which has only 580,000 Every state is guaranteed at least one member.
Congressional Elections
Congressional Elections Where Representatives
and Senators are Elected Predicting Congressional
Elections The 2010 Congressional
Elections The Campaigns Election Day Explaining The Results
Representation and Democracy
Styles of representationtwo principal styles of representation in
1774.Delegate theoryTrustee theory
Senators (who have longer terms of office) usually have more latitude than representatives to assume the trustee style.
The Job of the Legislator
Legislators as Representatives
Legislators as LawmakersPolicy and Philosophical ConvictionsVotersCongressional colleagues (other legislators)Congressional StaffPartyInterest GroupsThe President
Quick Assessment
List 5 influential agents on legislators that shape their lawmaking decisions.
1.
2.
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5.
Race, Gender and Occupation in Congress
Gender Race
African AmericansHispanicsOthers
Occupationdominance of law, business, and banking lack of blue-collar representation
Is it important that Congress be demographically representative of the American people?
Diversity in Congress
Reapportionment, 2010
Advantages of Incumbency
How Congress WorksCongress remains the most influential
and independent legislature among Western democratic nations.
Political Parties in CongressAt the opening of each new Congress,
parties in the two houses hold caucuses to organize their legislative business and select their leadership.
Party composition of CongressParty voting in CongressParty discipline
Political Parties in Congress
Congressional Leadership The political parties work through the
leadership structure of Congress. Leaders of the majority political party are
also the leaders of the House and Senate.
Congressional LeadershipLeading the House•Speaker of the House•Majority Leaders•Minority Leaders•Whips•House Rules Committee
• Closed• Open
Leading the Senate
•President pro tempore
•Majority leader
•Minority leader
•Whips
•Individual senators have power
• Filibuster
• Cloture
Organization of Congress
Majority LeaderMinority Leader
Steering Policy
Democratic Conference Republican Caucus
Managing Congress (continue)
Types of CommitteesChoosing Committee Members
The Role of Seniority
Investigations and OversightThe Special Role of Conference Committees
Legislative oversight of the executive branch
(Bureaucratic Oversight & Investigations)
Reviewing the performance of executive branch agencies to ensure that laws are being properly administered and that power is not being abused
Primarily managed by the committees and subcommittees
Special committees may conduct investigations or hold hearings, such as Supreme Court confirmation hearings
Hearings are an important part of the process.
Congressional Committees Most of the work of Congress takes place in its
committees and subcommittees. Why Congress has committees Types of committees
standing committees subcommittees select committees joint committees conference committees
Committee assignments Committee and subcommittee chairs
House Senate Joint Committees
Agriculture Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry EconomicsAppropriations Appropriations PrintingArmed Services Armed Services TaxationBudget Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs On the LibraryEd. and the Workforce BudgetEnergy and Commerce Commerce, Science, and TransportationFinancial Services Energy and Natural ResourcesGovernment Reform Environment and Public WorksHouse Administration FinanceInternational Relations Foreign RelationsJudiciary Governmental AffairsResources Health, Education, and PensionsRules Indian AffairsScience, Space & Tech. Judiciary
Congressional Standing and Select Committees
House Senate Joint Committees
Select Intelligence Rules and AdministrationSmall Business Select EthicsStandards of Official Conduct Select IntelligenceTransportation and Infrastructure Small BusinessVeterans’ Affairs Special AgingWays and Means Veterans’ Affairs
Congressional Standing and Select Committees
Rules and Norms
ReciprocitySenate
bills scheduled by unanimous consent
filibuster & clotureHouse
more rule-boundmore hierarchical
Until recently, many norms guided the behavior of members of Congress. Members were supposed to specialize in a small number of issues, defer to members with longer tenure in office, never criticize anyone personally, and wait their turn to speak and introduce legislation.
The Legislative Obstacle Course
Legislative Responsibilities: How a Bill Becomes a Law
It is extremely difficult to make law because it is relatively easy to block bills from becoming laws.
Only about 6 percent of all bills that are introduced are enacted into law.
Introducing a bill Committee action and review Floor action
Floor Debate and Passage Conference committee
The Importance of Compromise Presidential action
sign into lawvetopocket veto
Legislative Responsibilities: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Quick Assessment
List the different types of congressional committees1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Quick Assessment
List in chronological order how a bill becomes a law
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Conference committee Introducing bill in the
House & Senate Floor Debate and
Passage Subcommittee
hearings Executive action Committee action
Quick Assessment
List 3 similarities and 3 differences between
the House and Senate1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
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3.
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3.
Congress: An Assessment and a View on Reform
Congress as PolicymakerFrequent criticisms of CongressYet, the evidence is mixed
Other Criticisms of CongressCongress is InefficientCongress is Unrepresentative
Congress: An Assessment and
a View on ReformOther Criticisms of Congress
Congress is UnethicalCongress Lacks Collective Responsibility
A Defense of CongressAmericans tend to approve of their own
representatives and senators, but have low regard for Congress as an institution
Congressional Approval
House SenateTwo-year terms Six-year terms435 members 100 membersSmaller constituencies Larger constituenciesLess personal staff More personal staffEqual populations represented States representedLess flexible rules More flexible rulesLimited debate Extended debateMore policy specialists Policy generalistsLess media coverage More media coverageLess prestige More prestigeLess reliance on staff More reliance on staffMore powerful committee leaders More equal distribution of power
Difference Between the House of Representatives and the Senate
House Senate
Very important committees Less important committees20 major committees 20 major committeesNongermane amendments Nongermane amendments(riders) not allowed (riders) not allowedImportant Rules Committee Special treaty ratification powerSome bills permit no floor Special “advise and consent”Amendments (closed rule) confirmation power
Filibuster allowed
Difference Between the House of Representatives and the Senate
A Day in the Life of a Member