Committees

What kinds of power do committees hold?

• Committees have the power to review legislation before it ever reaches the floor of the Senate or HoR. This helps rid Congress of many unnecessary bills and makes sure bills that are very similar get combined into one.

What are two of the most important (prestigious) committees in

Congress?• The Ways and Means Committee is

important because it deals with tax policies and the distribution of money; therefore, the people who work on this committee control the funds. The Foreign Relations Committee is also very important because it gives Congress a chance to directly affect foreign policy which is usually a job of the president.

***Why have committees become the power centers in Congress?

• While in committee meetings and hearings, legislators can become very familiar with the topic their committee addresses. This allows them to be influential on any bill that relates to their committee. Since most of the research, debate, and bill creation in Congress happens during Committee meetings they have much more influence over what bills go up for a vote than Congress as a whole.

What type of committee is a standing committee?

• This committee is a permanent part of Congress and continues from one Congress to the next. Both the House and the Senate create their own.

What is the seniority system?

• In the past this has helped senior members of the majority party become chair people of a committee.

What kind of committee addresses issues that include: matters of great

public concern such as organized crime, overlooked problems, such as hunger, or

problems of interest groups such as owners of small businesses?

• A select committee deals with those kinds of issues.

What kind of committee coordinates the work of both the Senate and the House? They handle matters such as printing and

the Library of Congress?

• A joint committee deals with those kinds of issues.

Subcommittes such as Health, Human Resources, and Social Security are a part of this main

committee.

• The Ways and Means committee.

How many Standing Committees are there in the House of

Representatives?

• Nineteen.

How many Standing Committees are there in the Senate?

• Sixteen.

What are the three purposes of Congressional Committees?

• They allow members of Congress to divide their work among smaller groups. They select a few bills for further consideration. They hold public hearings and investigations, helping the public learn about key issues facing the nation.

Who assigns members to the committees?

• Each of the parties get to choose the members of the committees. The majority party tends to have more influence.

Which committees allow lawmakers to exert influence over

other lawmakers?• The House Rules Committee and the

Ways and Means Committee.

***Which committee has the job of resolving the differences between

two versions of a bill?

• A conference committee

This person makes the key decisions about what kind of work the committee will do and

what hearings will be held. They also manage the floor debates.

• Committee Chairperson: this person is in charge of the committee.