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Organization of the U.S. Congress. Organization of Congress. Party Organization of the Senate President of the Senate VP of the United States President Pro Tempore Has most seniority in majority party Serves as presiding officer when VP not there Majority Leader and Minority Leader - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Organization of the U.S. Congress
Organization of Congress Party Organization of the Senate
President of the Senate VP of the United States
President Pro Tempore Has most seniority in majority party Serves as presiding officer when VP not there
Majority Leader and Minority Leader Elected by respective party members Majority Leader schedules Senate business (usually in
consultation with Minority leader) Party Whips
Keep leaders informed Round up votes, make sure party members are voting
“correctly” Counts noses (see how many votes there are)
Organization of Congress Party Organization of the Senate (cont.)
Committees Each party has a policy committee to schedule
Senate business and prioritize bills Committee assignments handled by a group of
Senators, each for their own party Democratic Steering Committee Republican Committee on Committees
Assignments are especially important for freshmen Assignments emphasize ideological and regional
balance Other factors: popularity, effectiveness on TV,
favors owed
Senate Leadership
Minority LeaderMitch
McConnell (R-Kentucky) Minority Whip
Jon Kyl(R-Arizona)
Majority WhipRichard
Durbin(D-Illinois)
Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-Nevada)
President of the Senate
Joseph Biden
President Pro Tempore
Daniel Inouye(D- Hawaii)
Organization of Congress Party Structure in the House
Speaker of the House: leader of majority party, presides over House Recognizes people to speak on the floor Rules on relevance of motions Assigns bills to committees (subject to some rules) Influences which bills are brought to a vote Appoints members to special and select committees Has some informal powers
Majority Leader and Minority Leader Leaders on the Floor
Party Whips
Organization of Congress Committees
Assignments and legislative schedule set by each party
Democrats have the Steering and Policy Committee,
Republicans divide the task: the Committee on Committees (assignments) and the Policy Committee (schedule legislation)
Democratic and Republican congressional campaign committees
House Leadership
Speaker of the House
John Boehner(R-Nevada)
Minority WhipSteny Hoyer
(D- Maryland)
Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi
(D- California)
Majority WhipKevin McCarthy(R- California)
Majority LeaderEric Cantor(R-Virginia)
Strength of Party Structures Loose measure is the ability of leaders to
get members to vote together to determine party rules and organization
Tested in 104th Congress- Gingrich with party support for reforms and controversial committee assignments
Senate contrasts the House Senate has changed norms rather than rules Senate now less party-oriented; more hospitable
to freshmen, more heavily staffed, more subcommittee oriented
Party Unity Measure party polarization in voting by
votes in which a majority of Dems and Republicans oppose one another
Party voting and cohesion more evident in 1990’s than in 1960’s-80’s
Today splits often reflect deep ideological difference between parties or party leaders In the past, splits were result of party discipline Focus was on winning elections, dispensing
patronage, keeping power
Party Unity Why is there party voting given party
has little electoral influence? Ideological orientation is important to
members (increasingly so to voters as well)
Cues given by and taken from fellow party members
Rewards from party leaders go to those who follow the party line
Organization of Congress Caucuses
Association of members created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interest
Republicans passed legislation making caucus operations more difficult in 1995
Types of Caucuses Intra-party caucus- members share similar
ideology Personal interest caucus- members share an
interest in an issue Constituency caucus – established to represent
groups, regions, or both
Organization of Congress Committees:
Legislative committees the most important organizational feature of Congress, and where all of the real work is done Consider bills and legislative proposals Maintain oversight of executive agenda Conduct investigations
Types of Committees Standing committees- permanent, with specific legislative
responsibilities Select committees- appointed for limited purpose and
duration Joint committees- both reps and senators serve on
committee Conference committees – joint committee appointed to
resolve differences in Senate and House versions of the same legislation before final passage
Organization of Congress: Committees Committee Practices: number of committees has varied
Cuts in 1995 Majority party has majority of seats on committees
and names chair Assignments
House members usually serve on two standing committees or one exclusive committee
Senators usually serve on two “major” committees and one “minor” committee
Chairs are elected Usually the most senior member of the committee Seniority has been under attack by both parties in
recent decades
Organization of Congress Subcommittee Bill of Rights of 1970’s
changed several traditions House committee chairs are elected by secret
ballot in party caucuses No one may chair more than one committee All House committees with more than 20
members are to have at least 4 subcommittees House and Senate committees gained larger
staffs All meetings open to the public unless
members voted to close them
Organization of Congress: Subcommittees
Decentralized reforms made House more inefficient and chairs utilized controversial practices to gain control
House Republican rule changes of 1995 therefore modified Subcommittee Bill of Rights (similar changes made in Senate)
Certain committees tend to attract particular types of legislators Policy-oriented = finance or foreign policy Constituency-oriented = small business or
veterans’ affairs
Organization of Congress: Staffs Tasks of staff members
Constituency service- 1/3 of staff works in the district Legislative functions- devising proposals, negotiating
agreements, organizing hearings, meeting with lobbyists and administrators
Advocates for employers- entrepreneurial function
Members of Congress can no longer keep up with increased legislative work and must rely on staff
Larger staff means: More legislative work done in the chamber More individualistic Congress – less collegial, less
deliberative b/c members interact through staff who become their negotiators
Organization of Congress Staff Agencies
Work for Congress as a whole; provide specialized knowledge (equivalent to what Pres has)
Major agenciesCongressional Research Service (CRS)General Accounting Office (GAO)Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)
abolished in 1995Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
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