Congress Constitutional responsibilities To provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States Lay and collect Taxes Borrow Money Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations and among the several States and with the Indian Tribes ID: 236522
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Slide1
Organization of CongressSlide2
Congress’ Constitutional responsibilities
To provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States
…
…Lay and collect Taxes…
…Borrow Money;
…Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
…Coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures
…Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, …
…To constitute Tribunals (Courts)…
…Declare War etc..Slide3
The “Elastic” Clause
…To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.Slide4
House special powers
Originate all tax bills
Impeach (charge) presidents and judgesSlide5
Senate special powers
Try impeachments
Confirm ambassadors, public ministers, judges
Ratify treaties (2/3 vote)Slide6
Why might it be hard for 435 Representatives and 100 Senators to write all of the laws that “provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare?”Slide7
How does Congress cope with those problems?
How does it fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities?Slide8
Institutions to overcome obstacles
Committee System
Party organization
Floor Procedure
StaffSlide9
Committee SystemSlide10
What do committees do?
They write, revise, and approve the bills that become laws. Slide11
Who sits on committees and how do they get there?
Members of Congress sit on committees.
They sit on committees that deal with policy that especially concerns their constituents
They ask for those assignments
Party leaders grant them
Committees composed of members of each party in proportion to the party’s share of seats in the House.Slide12
House committees
Agriculture
Appropriations
Armed Services
Budget
Education and the Workforce
Energy and Commerce
Ethics
Financial Services
Foreign Affairs
Homeland Security
House Administration
Judiciary
Natural Resources
Oversight and Government Reform
Rules
Science, Space, and Technology
Small Business
Transportation and Infrastructure
Veterans’ Affairs
Ways and Means
IntelligenceSlide13
Senate committees
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Appropriations
Armed Services
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Budget
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Energy and Natural Resources
Environment and Public Works
Finance
Foreign Relations
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Judiciary
Rules and Administration
Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Veterans' Affairs Slide14
Subcommittees:
House Agriculture Committee
Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural Development and Research
Jurisdiction
: Soil, water, and resource conservation; small watershed program; agricultural credit; rural development; rural electrification; farm security and family farming matters; agricultural research, education and extension services; plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests; biotechnology.
Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
Jurisdiction
: Program and markets related to cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans, oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils; Commodity Credit Corporation; crop insurance; commodity exchanges.
Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture Programs
Jurisdiction
: Peanuts; sugar; tobacco; honey and bees; marketing orders relating to such commodities; foreign agricultural assistance and trade promotion programs, generally.
Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Dairy, Nutrition and Forestry
Jurisdiction
: Agency oversight; review and analysis; special investigations; dairy; food stamps, nutrition and consumer programs; forestry in general, forest reserves other than those created from the public domain; energy and
biobased
energy production; dairy.
Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture
Jurisdiction
: Livestock; poultry; meat; seafood and seafood products; inspection, marketing, and promotion of such commodities; aquaculture; animal welfare; grazing; fruits and vegetables; marketing and promotion ordersSlide15
How a bill becomes a law
Introduced
by a member in either chamber
House.gov
Referral
to the
committee
(s) with jurisdiction
Committee assignments and makeup
Committee (and subcommittee) chairs
After
referral to subcommittee
Into the Garbage can
Hearings
Markup
Vote
Same process at full committee level
Before it goes to the floor:
Rules committeeSlide16
How a bill becomes a law
Same process in the other chamber
Senate.gov
Referral to
the committee(s
) with jurisdiction
Committee (and subcommittee) assignment
Committee (and subcommittee) chair
After referral to subcommittee
Into the Garbage can, hearings, Markup, Vote
Same process at full committee level
Floor procedure
Unlimited debate, filibuster,
cloture
Powers of the Majority leaderSlide17
Floor procedureSlide18
An analogy
How is a carpool different than a bus line?Slide19
House floor procedure
Limited debate
The Rules Committee
Open and closed rules
The “bus line
”
Note:
conditional party government: when a party is more unified, it will have more rigid, centralized rulesSlide20
Senate floor procedure
No rules committee
Unlimited debate
Filibuster
Cloture Rule
Complex Unanimous Consent Agreements
“The car pool”Slide21
PartiesSlide22
What do parties do?
Elect organizational leadership that…
Hands out committee assignments
Hands out committee chairmanships
Controls Rules Committee (Speaker)
Influences distribution of pork
Can help with campaignsSlide23
Other institutions
Staff
(provides information)
Decorum
(regulates conflict)
Seniority system
(reduces incentive to free ride)Slide24
Differences between the
House vs. Senate
Prominence of constituents and reelection
Degree of Specialization
Hierarchy
Protection of
partisan
minoritiesSlide25
How a bill becomes a law
Bill that passes both houses goes to Conference Committee
Re-passage of identical bill in both houses
President’s Desk for veto or signature
2/3 vote in both houses to override