2. Congress convenes
(begins a new term)
every 2 years on
January 3 of every
odd-numbered year.
113th Congress
– 2013 until 2015
Page  2

3. Because all 435
members are up for
reelection every 2 years
the House technically
has no sworn
members, rules or
organization until its
opening day ceremonies
are held.
Page  3

4. Oath of office is taken and the non-members
positions are elected.
 Who elects these officers?
– The Majority Party
What about the rules of the House?
– Have been developing for 200 years – readopted
with little or no change
Page  4

5. House of
Representatives
Chaplain Clerk Sergeant
at Arms
Page  5

6. Finally the members of the 19 permanent
committees of the House are appointed
by a floor vote, and with that the House is
organized.
Page  6

7. The Senate is a continuous
body that has been organized
without interruption since 1789.
How does this make the Senate
different from the House?
– Senate does not face large
organizational problems at
the beginning of a term.
Page  7

8.  After Congress is organized,
within a few weeks the
President delivers the annual
State of the Union message to a
joint session of Congress.
 The President will lay out the
broad shape of the policies that
his administration will follow
and he may recommend
specific legislation.
Page  8

9. What is the general
purpose of this
message?
– President reports on
the state of the
nation as he sees it
in both foreign and
domestic affairs.
Page  9

10.  Speaker of the House
– By far the more
important and powerful
leadership position
within the halls of
Congress
– Elected presiding officer
and leader of majority
party.
Page  10

11. Who is Speaker today?
– John Boehner (R) Ohio
The Speaker follows
the Vice President in
the line of succession
to the presidency.
Page  11

12. Nearly all of the Speaker‟s
powers revolve around two
duties:
To Preside: No To Keep Order: refer
member speak until bills to committees;
he/she is recognized interprets and applies
by the Speaker rules
Page  12

13. The Constitution
assigns the office to
the Vice President of
the United States.
Cannot take the floor
to speak or debate;
may vote ONLY in
case of tie.
Page  13

14. What is the president pro tempore?
– Acts as presiding officer.
– Usually longest serving member of majority party
Page  14

15. Congress is a
political body and
reflecting this
political complexion,
both houses are
organized along
party lines.
Page  15

16. The closed meeting of
the members of each
party in each house.
What does the caucus
deal with?
– Matters of party
organization (party
leaders and committee
membership)
Page  16

17. Next to the Speaker, the
majority and minority floor
leaders in the House and
Senate are the most
important officers in
Congress.
Page  17

18. What do the Floor Leaders actually do?
– They try to carry out the decisions of their party
caucuses.
– Also, steer floor action to benefit their party
– KEY FOCUS: legislative strategies
Page  18

19. The (2) floor leaders in
each house are
assisted by whips.
They serve as a
liaison between the
party leadership and
the rank-and-file
members.
Page  19

20. The bulk of the work of Congress is really done in
committee – thus committee chairmen (members
who head standing committees) hold strategic
posts.
Why are the committee chairmen important?
1. DECIDE - When committee meets
2. Which bills they will take up
3. When public hearing are held and what witnesses
are called
Page  20

21. This is an unwritten custom, which provides
that the most important posts will be held by
those party members with the longest records
of service in Congress.
Where is this applied most strictly?
– Choice of committee chairmen
Page  21

22. Seniority rule ignores ability
and discourages younger
members.
May come from a “safe
district” – why is this a
problem?
– Out of touch with current
public opinion because no
fear of losing office.
Page  22

23. Defenders of the rule argues
that it ensures that a powerful
and experienced member will
head each committee.
What was the major change
that the Republicans forged in
1995?
– No GOP chair could serve for
more than 6 years.
Page  23

25. Permanent committees are
set up in both houses where
bills are sent to be
considered.
Committee Assignments
– House members are
normally assigned to 1 or
2; Senators to 3 or 4.
Page  25

26. How are these committees
so vital to the lawmaking
process?
1. This is where a bill is
discussed and reviewed
thoroughly.
2. Both houses usually follow
the recommendations the
committee makes.
Page  26

27. The members of each standing committee are
formally elected by a floor vote at the beginning of
each term in Congress.
Which party holds a majority of the seats in a
standing committee?
– The majority party in that house.
Page  27

28. Sometimes called the
“traffic cop” in the Lower
House.
Why is this committee
necessary?
– So many bills are
introduced in the House,
that some screening is
necessary.
Page  28

29. Normally, a bill gets to the
floor only if it has been
granted a rule (scheduled
for floor consideration) by
the Rules committee.
How does this make the
Rules Committee important?
– They can speed up, delay or
even kill a bill in the House.
Page  29

30. These groups are
sometimes called special
committees; they are set up
of some specific purpose
and for a limited time.
Why are these committees
usually formed?
– To investigate an
important, current matter.
Page  30

31. Senate‟s Select Committee
on Presidential Campaign
Activities – (Watergate
Scandal)
Senate‟s Select Committee
on Secret Military
Assistance to the Iran and
the Nicaraguan Opposition
– (Iran-Contra Affair)
Page  31

32. What is a joint committee?
– One composed of members of both houses
Some joint committees are investigative in nature
and issue periodic reports to the House and
Senate
Page  32

33. What is a conference
committee?
– A temporary joint
committee.
Why is it created?
– To iron out the differences
in a bill and produce a
compromise that both
houses will accept.
Page  33

35. Page  35

36. As many as 10,000
measures are
introduced in the House
and Senate during a
term in Congress
Fewer than 10% ever
become law.
Page  36

37. What is a bill?
– Proposed law presented to the House or
Senate for consideration.
Page  37

38. Most bills do not originate with members of
Congress – they are usually born somewhere
in the executive branch.
Only members can introduce a bill in the
House: how do they do this?
– Drop them into a “hopper” = a box hanging on
the edge of the clerk‟s desk.
Page  38

39. A special box on the
side of the clerk‟s
desk.
Representatives can
only introduce bills
in the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Page  39

40. Public/Private Bills
• Public = apply to the nation as a whole
• Private = apply to certain persons or places
Joint Resolutions
- A proposal for some action that has the force of law
Concurrent Resolutions
• Deal with matters in which the House and Senate must act jointly
• Do not have force of law, or require president signature
Resolutions
• A measure dealing with some measure in house and does not
have force of law – does NOT require president‟s signature
Page  40

41. A rider is a provision not
likely to pass on its own
merit and thus is
attached to an important
measure certain to pass.
The sponsor hopes it will
“ride” through the
legislative process.
Page  41

42. Why are some bills
called “Christmas
trees”?
– So many riders are
“hanging” on the bill
like ornaments on a
tree.
Page  42

43. Bills are numbered according to where and
when they are introduced: HR 13 or S. 8
The clerk then gives the bill a short title and
then the bill is entered into the House Journal
and in the Congressional Record.
Where does the bill go after the first reading?
– The appropriate standing committee.
Page  43

44. Most of the of bills
introduced in each
session of Congress are
pigeonholed: that is they
DIE in committee.
How can a bill be blasted
out of committee?
– A discharge petition
Page  44

45. Bills that are considered
in the committee are
discussed at times
chosen by the chairmen.
This takes place in the
subcommittees.
Page  45

46. Why will a public hearing be
held?
– The bill is important or
controversial (or both!)
Occasionally, a
subcommittee will make a
junket (trip) to locations
affected by a measure –
these can be controversial.
Page  46

47. Report the bill favorably with a “do pass”
recommendation
Refuse to report the bill (pigeonhole it)
Report the bill in amended form – make changes or
combine with similar bills
Report the bill with an unfavorable
recommendation (rarely happens)
Report a committee bill – an entirely new bill that
the committee has drawn up
Page  47

48. Before it goes to the floor
for consideration, a bill
must be placed on one of
several calendars.
 DEFINE: schedule of the
order in which bills will
be taken up on the floor.
There are (5)….
Page  48

49. Under the rules of the House, bills are taken from
each of these calendars on a regular basis.
Union: bills dealing with
revenues, House: Private:
appropriations, or for all other public bills for all private bills
government property
Corrections: Discharge:
minor bills with no for petitions to discharge
opposition bills from committee
Page  49

50. Rules committee must grant a rule before
most bills can in fact reach the floor.
What happens if a rule is not granted?
– The bill DIES.
Page  50

51. If a bill reaches the
floor, it receives its
second reading in
the House.
Page  51

52. Includes all members of the House – there is
no need for a quorum – majority of the full
membership of the House (218).
They sit as one large committee and the rules
are less strict in so that floor action moves at
a much faster pace.
Page  52

53. The large size of the House has forced it to
impose severe limits on floor debate. For
example:
– An 1841 rule forbids any member from holding the
floor for more than 1 hour without unanimous
consent to speak for a longer time.
– An 1880 rule allows for the Speaker to force a
member to give up the floor if what happens?
• Stray away from the subject at hand
Page  53

54. Time for debating a bill is
usually split up between
the floor leaders.
At any time a member
“may move the previous
question” - that is
demand a vote on the
issue before the House.
Page  54

55. A bill may be the
subject of several
votes on the floor; and
it is very confusing!!!
Votes on various
amendments, motions,
etc.
Page  55

56. Voice Votes
• Speaker calls for “ayes” and then “nays”
• Speaker then announces results
Standing Votes
• Also known as the „division of the house‟ –
members stand to be counted
Teller Votes
• Speaker names two tellers and members walk
between them and they count.
Roll Call Votes
• Many be demanded by 1/5 of members
present
Page  56

57.  Once a bill has been
approved at second reading,
it is engrossed – this means
the bill is printed in its final
form.
 It is then read a 3rd time, by
title, and a final vote is taken.
 Then what happens to the
bill?
– GOES TO THE SENATE !
Page  57

58. Introducing the Bill
Bills are introduced
by senators, given a
number and referred
to committee – much
like what is done in
the House.
Page  58

59. What are some differences
between the House and the
Senate?
1. Less formal, rules less
strict.
2. One calendar
3. Called to floor discussion
at discretion of the
majority floor leader.
Page  59

60. The major difference
between the House and
Senate procedures
involve debate:
– floor debate is strictly
limited in the House but
almost unrestrained in
the Senate.
Page  60

61. As a general matter,
senators may speak on
the floor as long as they
please.
What is the reason for
this unlimited speech?
– Encourages the fullest
possible discussion of
matters on the floor.
Page  61

62. An attempt to “talk a
bill to death”.
It is a stalling tactic in
which a minority of
senators seeks to
delay or prevent
Senate action on a
measure.
Page  62

63. How does it work?
– Try to monopolize time
on the Senate floor so
that the Senate drops
the bill.
– OR the proposed bill
will be changed to make
it more acceptable to
the minority.
Page  63

64. And the record is……
Senator Strom
Thurmond held the floor
for 24 hours + 18
minutes in an
unsuccessful attempt to
block a civil rights bill.
Page  64

65. The Senate‟s real
check on the filibuster
is its Cloture Rule.
What was the origin of
this rule?
– A filibuster before US
entry into WW I; 3
weeks long.
Page  65

66. Rule XXII provides for cloture (limiting
debate) and requires 60 senators or 3/5 of
the Senate to invoke cloture and then the
measure must be voted on.
However, this rule is rarely invoked: There
are two reasons why
1. Dedication to free debate in the Senate
2. Majority may want to use filibuster someday
Page  66

67. Any measure enacted by Congress must have been
passed by both houses in identical form.
When they do not agree on a measure – it is turned
over to a conference committee (a temporary joint
committee)
Page  67

68. What is the purpose of
this?
– Iron out differences and
come up with a
compromise bill.
The committee cannot
include any new material
in the compromise
version.
Page  68

69. The bill then moves
onto the President
and the Constitution
gives the President
(4) options at this
points:
Page  69

70. (1) Sign the bill and it then becomes a law
(2) The President many veto
- refuse to sign bill (veto message explains why)
- 2/3 of both houses can override
Page  70

71. (3) The President may allow the bill to become law
without signing it; by not acting on it for 10
days
(4) What is a pocket veto?
Congress adjourns its session within 10 days of
submitting bill to President – President does
nothing it dies
Page  71

72.  Congress added another
element to the veto power
with the Line Item Veto Act
of 1996
– power to reject individual
items in appropriations bills
 Ruled unconstitutional by
Supreme Court - Clinton v.
New York 1998
Page  72