Chapter 5The Organization of Congress

Congressional Membership

• More power than any other branch• Bicameral – two houses; House and Senate• Terms begin on January 3rd of odd-numbered years and

last for 2 years; each session is one year.• 20th Amendment moved the date to January from March

eliminating the 4-month dead period.

House of Representatives

• 435 members, seats must be apportioned on the basis of population, each state receiving at least one.

• 25 years old and a citizen for at least 7 years, and legal residents of the state they represent.

• Elected for 2-year terms in November of even-numbered years, but many are re-elected many times.

• The Census every 10 years determines how many representatives each state receives.

Redistricting Cases

• Baker v. Carr – federal courts could decide cases involving state district lines

• Reynolds v. Sims – held that the 14th Amendment required both houses seats be apportioned based on population.

• Wesberry v. Sanders – “one person, one vote”• Gerrymandering – political parties draw district’s

boundaries to gain an advantage in elections – irregular shapes

Membership of the Senate

• 2 Senators from each state• At least 30 years old, citizens for 9 years and legal

residents of their states• At-large seats – statewide• 6-year term, one-third run for re-election every 2 years• Houses set their own salaries; 27th Amendment prohibits

members from giving themselves a pay raise.

Characteristics

• Most are lawyers• White, middle-aged, usually over 50• Slowly becoming more diverse• 90% of incumbents are re-elected

House of Representatives

• Each house decides the rules and procedures for how things are done

• Main task is to make laws• Rules are printed in each house every two years; House

focuses on moving legislation quickly• Committees do most of the work; more important in the House

because of its size.• Representatives pay attention to a few small issues that are

important to their constituents• Party affiliation is very important• Majority party selects leaders of the House, controls flow of

legislation and appoints committee chairs• Who is in control of the House today?

House leadership

• Leaders:• Organizing and unifying party members• Scheduling the work of the House• Making certain that lawmakers are present for key floor

votes• Distributing and collecting information• Keeping the House in touch with the president• Influencing lawmakers to support the policies of their

political party

Speaker of the House

• Presiding officer of the House chosen by caucus – closed meeting of the majority party at the start of each session

• Has a lot of power; appoints committee members, schedules bills for action

• Follows the Vice President in presidential succession• Assisted on the floor by whips – watching how majority

party members will vote• Minority also selects leaders and whips but have no

power over scheduling

House work

• Most work is done Tuesday through Thursday• Laws start as bills; must pass both houses of Congress

pass it and the President signs it for it to become a law.• Bills that pass through committee are placed on a

calendar for consideration• Rules Committee helps to direct the flow of major

legislation; settles disputes among committees• Votes takes place only when a quorum is present –

minimum number of people required for action.

The Senate

• Senators know and discuss many subjects and topics, not just what is important to their constituents.

• Informal atmosphere allows senators to have freedom to express their opinions (unlimited debate)

• Vice President presides over the Senate but can only vote in the event of a tie• Can not debate and but does have a personal influence• President Pro Tempore fills in when VP is fulfilling executive

duties (chosen by majority party)• Political Parties may not have as much influence over senators.• Floor Leaders for both parties make sure that their bills are

moving through Congress.

The Senate

• Bills are introduced more informally and without the need for formal committees

• Unlimited debate could kill a bill (filibuster)• Filibuster can be stopped by 3/5 vote for a cloture – each

senator can only speak for one hour on a bill• Not used much today

Congressional Committees

• Purpose – help ease the workload, dividing the work into smaller groups• Committees chose which bills will be recognized• Help the public learn about key problems facing the nation

Kinds of Committees

• Standing committees – committees that have always been a part of the House and Senate• Controlled by the majority party

• Subcommittees – specializes in a small piece of the Standing Committee

• Select Committees – study one specific issue – matters of public concern, overlooked problems, problems of interest groups

• Joint Committees – made up of members of both Houses• Conference Committees – set up when several versions

of the bill exist, works to resolve differences

Committee members

• Assignment to a committee helps strengthen a Congressman’s career

• Membership can mean the ability to influence national policy making

• Assigned by their own political party• Seniority system does exist in Congress – the member of

the majority party of the committee with the longest service is usually chosen chair

Staff and Support Agencies

• Personal Staff• Committee Staff• Administrative Assistants• Legislative Assistants• Caseworkers • Library of Congress• CBO• GAO• GPO