Oct 29 – Gov – Congress

Agenda:• How a bill becomes a

law• Mock Congress Goals

Homework:• Brainstorm an idea for

a Bill

Take out:• Pen/Pencil• Notebook

Adapted from Kids in the Househttp://clerkkids.house.gov/laws/

Objectives of Mock Congress:

• Describe the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law. Anticipate obstacles in a bill becoming a law.

• Analyze the roles and relationships of Congressional leaders, committees, and the function of party leadership in policymaking

• Understand the organizational and power differences between the House and the Senate

• Analyze the complexity of what it takes to pass a bill in terms of congressional negotiations, committee role, and the process of amending.

• Participate in basic parliamentary procedure• Develop communication skills through debate and

speech• Write their own bill following proper format• Learn about and discuss contemporary issues

Senate vs. House• Senate—

– More naturally decentralized and informal• Fewer members, fewer rules• Lack of Speaker• Lack of strong Rules Committee• 17th Amendment• Filibusters—3/5 vote to kill

• House– More naturally centralized—opposite of

above!!• Strong Speaker—Rules Committee

Congressional LeadershipWho is the boss??

Balance of Power• Senate

– 51 Democrats – 47 Republicans – 2 Independents

• House– 242 Republicans – 192 Democrats – 0 Independents – 1 Vacancy

Ok…so if the Democrats are the majority in the Senate, what does it mean to be the Majority Party? They control every single leadership position in their chamber. The chair of each committee is a Democrat and there are more Democrats than Republicans on each committee. The Dems had nearly uninterrupted control of Congress from 1932-1994…the Republicans took over with the Contract With America under President Clinton…and in 2006 the government returned to a tentative majority for the Democrats.

The “Bosses”• House

– Speaker• Presides over HOR, appoints committees, appoints Rules

Committee members• Assigns bills to committees, third in line for Pres.

– Majority / Minority Leaders• Partisan positions chosen by party members; floor leaders

and strategists– Majority / Minority Whips

• Assistant floor leaders, keep mood of HOR, nose count on important votes, liaison between rank and file and leadership

House Leadership

Majority Whip Minority Whip

These people are sometimes called

floor leaders

These people are sometimes called ass’t floor leaders

House Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi (D-CA)

House Majority LeaderEric Cantor (R-VI)

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)

Washington Congressional Districts

1. Jay Inslee2. Rick Larsen3. Brian Baird 4. Doc Hastings5. Cathy Rodgers 6. Norm Dicks7. Jim McDermott8. Dave Reichert9. Adam Smith

The “Bosses”• Senate—

– Vice President:• President of Senate, presides over the Senate, votes in case

of a tie, ceremonial job– President Pro Tempore:

• Ceremonial, presides in absence of VP, fourth in line for presidency

– Majority Leader:• True leader in Senate, recognized for all debates, influences

committee assignments and agenda (along with Minority Leader)

– Minority Leader and party Whips: (same as House)

SenateLeadership

Majority WhipRichard Durbin (D-IL)

Minority WhipJohn Kyl (R-AZ)

Pres. of the SenateJoseph R. Biden, Jr. (U.S. Vice President)

Sen. Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D-NV)

Sen. Minority LeaderMitch McConnell (R-KY)

Pres. Pro TemporeDaniel K. Inouye (D-AK)

The Committee System

The important work horses of Congress

Who Does The Work?• Real work in Congress is done thru the

Committee System, not on the floor;– A bill will never reach the floor unless it has

gotten out of committee• Functions of the Committee:

– Analyze Legislation, conduct investigations of the executive branch, conduct oversight of executive branch;

How Does One. . . • Get on a committee?

– Importance of getting on the right committee—one where you can do the most for your constituents;

– Assigned by either Committee on Committees or by Steering committee

– Whoever has the majority, has the committee• Who leads committees?

– Generally seniority system• Advantages? Disadvantages?

Standing Committees• Important standing committees—

– Are the permanent committees of Congress– They have legislative, investigative and

oversight functions• HOR—Rules—most powerful of all; Ways and

Means—deals with tax bills; Appropriations - spending

• Senate—Finance—deals with taxes; Appropriations—deals with spending bills; Foreign Relations—Perhaps most prestigious; Judiciary—screens judicial nominations

Conference Committees• Temporary committees of members from

both houses• Develop compromise language on a bill

when the House and Senate disagree– Once it has been decided—goes back to each

house, no amendments are allowed, and a vote is taken;

– Often called the “third house” of Congress

Directions for Party Caucuses

• Republicans and Democrats will hold separate caucuses.

• Until party leaders are elected, the caucus will be chaired by the oldest person in the party. – He or she should take nominations for majority or minority

leaders, wait for the nominations to be seconded. • Is there anyone who would like to speak for or against the candidates?

– Then, hold a vote. – Party leaders should be respected members of Congress. – Typically they have served at least one full term. – The Presiding Officer needs to be able to handle organization

and be able to lead the class through the simulation.– Their selection should be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the

party’s caucus.