Congressional Webquest



Congressional Webquest

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Review the information contained in this webquest packet. Complete the tasks using the websites: and . There are also opinion questions to answer. We will discuss your findings in class.

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All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Constitution, Article I, section 1.

|QUICK CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW OF CONGRESS |

|- Basis of constitutional authority is found in Article I |

|- A House member must be at least 25 years old, an American citizen for seven years, and an inhabitant of the state he/she represents. Representatives serve |

|two-year terms. |

|- A senator must be 30 years old, an American citizen for nine years, and a resident of the state the senator represents. Senators serve six-year terms. |

|- Common powers delegated to Congress, listed in Article I Section 8 include the power to tax, coin money, declare war, and regulate foreign and interstate |

|commerce. (These are express, enumerated or formal powers.) |

|- Implied congressional power comes from the “necessary and proper” clause, which is also known as the elastic clause. |

|- House of Representatives has the power to begin all revenue bills, to select president if there is no electoral college majority, and to initiate impeachment |

|proceedings. |

|- Senate has the power to approve presidential appointments and treaties and to try impeachment proceedings. |

|- Congress may overrule a presidential veto by a 2/3 vote of each house. |

I. American Bicameralism: legislature divided into two houses

The bicameral structure of Congress made it a necessity to develop an organization that would result in the ability of both houses to conduct their own business, yet be able to accomplish the main function—the passage of legislation.

Responsibilities of Congress

- Legislative (making laws)

- Nonlegislative

- congressional oversight (aka legislative oversight): the power used by Congress to review the operation and budgets of the executive branch. Congress monitors the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, mainly through hearings. People can be called to testify before the relevant committee. Very important!

- election of president and vice president if no electoral college majority

- impeachment

- approval of executive appointments

- constitutional amendments

|The House |

|435 members, 2 year terms of office |

|Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget |

|House Rules Committee (very powerful) |

|Limited debates |

| |

|The Senate |

|100 members, 6 year terms of office |

|Gives “advice & consent,” more influential on foreign affairs |

|Unlimited debates (filibuster) |

II. Congressional Leadership

Each house has a presiding officer.

The influence of the Speaker of the House cannot be underestimated. The speaker is selected by the majority party. Even though a House Majority Leader is also part of the unofficial structure of the House, it is the speaker who is really the leader of the majority.

The speaker presides over House meetings and is expected to be impartial in the way meetings are run, even though he or she is a member of the majority party. However, in the power to preside and keep order, the speaker wields a great deal of power: recognizing speakers, referring bills to committees, answering procedural questions, and declaring the outcome of votes. The speaker also names members to all select (special) committees and conference committees (a committee that meets with the Senate to resolve differences in legislation). The speaker usually votes only to break a tie and has the power to appoint temporary speakers, called speakers pro tempore, to run meetings. The speaker is also third in line after the vice president to succeed the president.

The presiding officer of the Senate, the president of the Senate, is the vice president of the United States. It is a symbolic office, and more often than not the Senate chooses a temporary presiding officer (the president pro tempore) to run the meetings. The only specific power of the vice president in the capacity of Senate presiding officer is to break ties. The president pro tempore does not have the same power or influence as the Speaker of the House. Unlike the House, the real power in the Senate lies with the Senate Majority Leader.

|The House |

|Led by Speaker of the House—elected by House members |

|Presides over House |

|Major role in committee assignments and legislation (appoints members of Rules Committee) |

|Assisted by majority leader and whips (officials who enforce party loyalty) |

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|The Senate |

|Formally lead by Vice President |

|Really lead by Majority Leader—chosen by party members |

|Assisted by whips |

|Must work with Minority leader |

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Go to to identify the following:

Speaker of the House ______________________

Majority leader ___________________________

Minority leader ___________________________

Go to to identify the following:

Majority leader ___________________________

Minority leader ___________________________

III. The Committees and Subcommittees

The organization of Congress relies on a seniority and party system and the use of a committee system, which facilitates day-to-day operations.

Committee chairs, members who chair the standing committees of the House and Senate, wield great deal of power. Most of the work is done through the committee system. Committee chairs are selected as a result of the seniority system, an unwritten custom that established the election of committee chairs as a result of length of service and of which party holds the majority in each house.

Along with the committee system, each house has a party system that organizes and influences the members of Congress regarding policymaking decisions. The majority and minority leaders of both houses organize their members by using whips, or assistant floor leaders, whose job it is to check with party members and inform the leader of their policy views (and to keep discipline).

|Four types of committees in both houses: |

|1. Standing committees: subject matter committees that handle bills in different policy areas |

|2. Joint committees: a few subject-matter areas—membership drawn from House and Senate |

|3. Conference committees: resolve differences in House and Senate bills |

|4. Select committees: created for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation |

Getting Ahead on the Committee: Chairs and the Seniority System

Committee chair: the most important influencer of congressional agenda

- Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house

- Most chairs selected according to seniority system: members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled Congress become chair.

See the Table 12.4 below, Standing Committees in the Senate and in the House.

Select one Committee in the Senate and one in the House. Use and to identify: (1) the chairman of the committee; (2) important issues that the committee is presently working on.

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IV. House Rules & Senate Filibuster

House Rules Committee

One institution unique to the House plays a key role in agenda setting: the House Rules Committee. This committee review most bills coming from a House committee before they go to the full House. Performing a traffic cop function, the Rules Committee gives each bill a “rule,” which schedules the bill on the calendar, allots time for debate, and sometimes specifies what kind of amendments may be offered. Today, the committee often brings controversial legislation to the floor under a closed rule that prohibits amendments and thus the opportunities for the minority to propose changes. The Rules Committee is responsive to the House leadership, because the Speaker appoints the members.

Senate filibuster

It’s one thing to introduce legislation, and it’s another to get it passed. Tactics such as the Senate filibuster, an ongoing debate that needs a vote of 60 senators to cut off debate (cloture) and allow a vote protects minority interests.

In 2013, the senate changed its filibuster rules by passing what was called “the Nuclear Option.” Instead of requiring 60 votes to approve many presidential appointments, this new rule required a simple majority to approve executive and judicial nominees (not Supreme Court). The Republican minority was against this procedural change claiming that it weakened the ability of the minority to debate the qualifications of appointees.

V. Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress

– Caucus: a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic

– About 300 caucuses

– Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearings and for votes on bills.

– Caucuses can be more effective than lobbyists

The party caucus or party conference (Republican Conference, Democratic Caucus) is a means for each party to develop a strategy or position on particular issues.

Use and to identify some of the caucuses. If you were a member of Congress, which caucuses would you like to be a member of?

VI. I’m Just a Bill (The Legislative Process)

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Go to and click on Educators & Students. Go to Legislative Process to confirm the accuracy of the information in Figure 12.2. Is there any additional information provided?

Congress can use several techniques to move legislation along. Logrolling (“I’ll vote for your legislation if you vote for mine”) coalitions, consensus building, and pork barrel deals often result in agreement to pass bills.

VII. Careerism in Congress

Review the following graph, The Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections

What does the graph indicate about incumbents in Congress?

What factors could account for this?

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VIII. Constituent Service (aka Casework)

Members of Congress must represent their districts, taking into account individual constituents, organized interests, and the district as a whole. For their individual constituents, representatives set up mobile offices and respond personally to written letters. They contact federal agencies, sponsor appointments to service academies, and provide information and service. They cut through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.

Through such public relations practices as sending out a congressional letter highlighting a reference in the Congressional Record of individuals or the achievements of people in their districts, representatives attempt to get close to the people they represent.

- Pork barrel: the list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, businesses, colleges, and institutions available in a congressional district (“pork barrel spending”).

- Franking privilege: The congressional franking privilege, which dates from 1775, allows Members of Congress to transmit mail matter under their signature without postage. Congress, through legislative branch appropriations, reimburses the U.S. Postal Service for the franked mail it handles.

For example, former Senator Thurmond of South Carolina would send a congratulatory letter to every high school senior in his state. Why?

IX. Congressional Staff

- Personal staff: They work for the member, mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too.

- Committee staff: organize hearings, research and write legislation, target of lobbyists

- Staff Agencies: GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress

Go to and click on Educators & Students. Click on Branches of Government. Under Legislative, find out what GAO and CBO stand for, and what information they provide to Congress?

X. Party, Constituency, and Ideology

Party Influence:

- Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines

Constituency versus Ideology

- Prime determinant of member’s vote on most issues is ideology

- On most issues that are not salient, legislators may ignore constituency opinion.

- But on controversial issues, members are wise to heed constituent opinion.

XI. Lobbyists and Interest Groups

There are thousands of registered lobbyists trying to influence Congress—the bigger the issue, the more lobbyists will be working on it.

- Lobbyists try to influence legislators’ votes.

- Lobbyists can be ignored, shunned and even regulated by Congress.

- Ultimately, it is a combination of lobbyists and others that influence legislators’ votes.

* In 1974, 3% of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. Today, 50% of senators and 42% of house members do.

XII. Congress and Democracy: Representation versus Effectiveness

Supporters claim that Congress:

- is a forum in which many interests compete for policy

- is decentralized, so there is no oligarchy to prevent comprehensive action

Critics argue that Congress:

- is responsive to so many interests that policy is uncoordinated, fragmented, and decentralized

- is so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems

XIII. Your members of Congress

Use only and to answer the following questions:

Who is your representative in the House?

Go to your representative’s home page to identify:

- Committees that he/she is a member of:

- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your representative’s positions on these issues:

Who are your two Senators?

Go to your senators’ home pages to identify:

- Committees that they are members of:

- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your senators’ positions on these issues:

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