Chapter10

American Government and Politics Today : 

American Government and Politics Today Chapter 10 The Congress

Why Was Congress Created?: 

Why Was Congress Created? The founders feared that power in the hands of a single individual would be abused and the people would suffer Therefore, they gave national legislative power to a group Congress was set up as a bicameral institution, with the two houses intended to serve different constituencies The House was to be elected by the people, therefore representing the views of the public The Senate was to be selected by state legislatures, therefore at least one step removed from the public

The Functions of the Congress: 

The Functions of the Congress Lawmaking Representation The trustee view The instructed-delegate view “Politico” style Service to constituents Oversight Public education Conflict resolution

The Powers of Congress: 

The Powers of Congress Enumerated powers include: Taxing, spending, borrowing, and coining Regulation of foreign trade and trade among states Regulation of the military (state militias, an army and navy, and authority to declare war) Powers of the Senate Constitutional Amendments The Necessary and Proper Clause: allows Congress to make laws that are deemed to be necessary to carry out the expressed powers

Slide5: 

House-Senate Differences

House-Senate Differences (continued): 

House-Senate Differences (continued) Size and Rules Because the House is so large, it operates under stricter rules for debate The Rules Committee provides regulations under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered in the House

House-Senate Differences (continued): 

House-Senate Differences (continued) Debate and filibustering Senators can delay bills through unlimited debate Cloture can be invoked to end debate Prestige Because of the smaller size of the Senate, a term served within that body is more likely to garner individual attention

Congresspersons and the Citizenry: A Comparison: 

Congresspersons and the Citizenry: A Comparison The makeup of Congress differs significantly from that of the general population, both demographically and economically Its members are older, wealthier, and better educated There are relatively fewer women and minorities There is a disproportionate number of lawyers The average yearly salary in 2006 was $165,200

Congressional Elections: 

Congressional Elections Candidates for Congressional elections Self-selected or recruited by their political party May resemble the voters of their district (ethnicity, religion, etc.) May have prior political success or future aspirations Congressional campaigns and elections Campaign contributions are regulated Presidential effect - does the coattail effect always materialize? The power of incumbency

Congressional Apportionment: 

Congressional Apportionment Reapportionment: the allocation of seats in the House to each state after each census Redistricting: the redrawing of district boundaries within each state Gerrymandering: the deliberate change of boundaries to influence elections

Congressional Apportionment (continued) : 

Redistricting after the 2000 Census Packing and cracking Minority-majority districts and constitutional challenges to racial redistricting Changing directions in the early 2000s Congressional Apportionment (continued)

The Original Gerrymander: 

The Original Gerrymander

The Fourth Congressional District of Illinois: 

The Fourth Congressional District of Illinois

Perks and Privileges: 

Perks and Privileges Franking allows Congresspersons to correspond copiously with constituents Permanent professional staffs Privileges and immunities under the law The “speech or debate” clause Congressional caucuses are a source of support Currently more than 200 caucuses exist

The Committee Structure: 

The Committee Structure The power of committees—”little legislatures” Types of Congressional committees Standing committees Select committees Joint committees Conference committees The House Rules Committee The selection of committee members Seniority and safe seats

Formal Leadership: 

Formal Leadership The majority party controls the legislative process, including the selection of Congressional leaders Leadership in the House The Speaker The Majority Leader The Minority Leader Whips

Formal Leadership (continued): 

Formal Leadership (continued) Leadership in the Senate The U.S. Vice President The President Pro Tempore (ceremonial) Majority Leader Minority Leader Whips

How Members of Congress Decide: 

How Members of Congress Decide Party membership is the best predictor of how members vote Party leadership looks to build cohesion Partisanship has increased in recent years But it is not the only factor at work The Conservative Coalition “Crossing over”

How a Bill Becomes Law: 

How a Bill Becomes Law For a bill to become law, it must pass through both houses of Congress All “money bills” or spending measures must originate in the House House of Representatives Introduction Committee stage Rules committee Floor action The procedure in the Senate is similar, but there are no special rules such as those set by the House Rules Committee Instead, the leadership schedules action

Slide22: 

How a Bill Becomes Law

How a Bill Becomes Law (continued): 

How a Bill Becomes Law (continued) Conference committee If there are differences between the House and the Senate versions of a bill, a conference committee is formed to write a compromise bill The House and Senate vote on the bill as reported by the conference committee Congress can also put forth a joint resolution, which differs little from a bill

How Much Will the Government Spend?: 

How Much Will the Government Spend? Preparing the budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Congress faces the budget Authorization: a formal declaration by a legislative committee that a certain amount of funding may be available to an agency Some authorizations terminate in a year Others are renewable automatically without further Congressional action

How Much Will the Government Spend (continued)?: 

How Much Will the Government Spend (continued)? Appropriation: the passage by Congress of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that actually will be allocated for an agency’s use Budget resolutions When Congress does not pass a new budget on time, agencies operate on a continuing resolution and receive the funding from the prior year’s budget

The Budget Cycle: 

The Budget Cycle

Questions for Critical Thinking: 

Questions for Critical Thinking Why did the framers of the Constitution create a bicameral legislature? Was a two-house legislature created partly because it would be more difficult to pass legislation (thus act as a check on a runaway legislature)? What impact does this have today? Is it easy for Congress to agree on legislation?

Questions for Critical Thinking: 

Questions for Critical Thinking Do different rules for each chamber, like the filibuster in the Senate, help to balance power in the two Houses? Although the problems and issues have changed since 1789, have the basic ideas of representation changed? If so, in what ways?