The Constitution and the Legislative Branch of Government

Name:

Political Science- Mr. Snead

Athens Academy- Spring 2006

Unit V Outline: Congress

I. The Constitution and the Legislative Branch of Government

Bicameral Legislature

Requirements for Membership

Terms Lengths for House and Senate

How Senators are elected

Article 1

17th Amendment

A. Apportionment and Redistricting

Size of House in 1790

House Membership set by statute in 1929

Apportionment

Redistricting

B. Constitutional Powers of Congress

Bill

Article I, Section 8 (Powers of Congress)

Necessary & Proper Clause

Key Differences between House and Senate

Constitutional Differences

Differences in Operation

Changes in the Institution

Impeachment Process

Role of the House

Role of the Senate

Advise and Consent Power of the Senate

Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles

II. How Congress is Organized

A new Congress is seated every ______years

Hierarchical Leadership Structure

Dueling in Congress

A. The House of Representatives

the first Congress in 1798

Speaker of the House

Majority Party

Dennis Hastert

Minority Party

The first power House speaker

Institutional and personal power reached its height and weight with what speaker?

Newt Gingrich

Significance of 105th Congress

Party caucus or conference

Majority leader

Minority leader

Nancy Pelosi

Republican and Democratic Whips-

Tom Delay

B. The Senate

Presiding officer of the senate and duties

Dick Cheney

President pro tempore

Majority leader of the senate

Why called a “gentlemen’s club?”

Bill Frist

C. The Role of Parties in Organizing Congress

Role regarding committees

What happens at start of new Congress in party caucus or conference?

Committee on Committees

Steering Committee

The Committee System

Real legislative work of Congress takes place in committees

Republican reorganization of committee structure in 1995

Types of Committees

Standing Committee

Joint Committees

Conference Committees

Select (or Special) Committees

Committees of the 109th Congress

House Rules Committee

Discharge Petition

Committee Membership

Pork

Appropriations and Budget Committees

Republican Majority in House and Senate following 2004 election

Committee chairs

Seniority

Role of Seniority in selecting committee chairs in House and Senate

III. The Members of Congress

“congressional careerists”

Some reasons why members of Congress do not seek reelection

How former members of congress can make a lot of money in the private sector

Constituencies that members of Congress must attempt to appease

A. Running for Office and Staying in Office

Incumbency

In 2004 what percentage of incumbents won reelection?

B. Congressional Demographics

General demographics of members of Congress

“Millionaires Club”

C. Theories of Representation

Trustee

Delegate

Politico

Minority representation in Congress

IV. How Members Make Decisions

The Law-Making Function of Congress

A. Party

Divided Government

Both Congress and Presidency controlled by what party?

Reasons why the members vote the way they do relative to party membership

B. Constituents

Constituents

How often do members vote in conformity with people in the districts?

C. Colleagues and Caucuses

Logrolling

Special-interest caucuses

D. Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and Political Action Committees

Primary functions of most lobbyists

Grassroots appeals

Do members of congress tend to vote for interests of lobbyists who have contributed to their campaigns and why?

E. Staff and support agents

Member’s reliance on staff

Duties of staff

Committee staff

Congressional research service

General accountability office

Congressional budget office

V. The law-making function of congress

Who can formally submitted for congressional consideration?

Approximately number of bills introduced in each congress

Percentage of bills introduced in a congress that are made into law

A. How a bill becomes a law: The Textbook Version

Three stages a bill must survive

Sponsors and co-sponsors

One role of clerk of House and of Senate

Role of Committee and Subcommittee

Committee of the Whole

Hold

Filibusters

Cloture

When two Chambers of Congress Approve different versions of the same bill

Conference Committee (a bill must pass both houses in the same language and go to the president)

Veto

Four options regarding veto

Pocket veto

B. How a Bill Really Becomes a Law: The China Trade Act of 2000

VI. Congress and the President

Relationship before and after 1930’s

A. The Shifting Balance of Power

Post Civil War Congress

FDR presidency

B. Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch

Oversight

Key to Congress’s performance of its oversight function

Congressional review

Foreign affairs oversights

Separate constitution role of Congress and the president in foreign policy

War Powers Act of 1973

Confirmation of presidential appointments

Impeachment process

VII. Congress and the Judiciary

Power of judicial review

Ways in which congress can exercise control over the federal judiciary

Senatorial courtesy

Setting jurisdiction of federal courts