Organization and Committees

of Congress

110th Congress

U.S. Representatives Serve only their districts More homogenous constituencies Less inclined to compromise Frequent re-elections 20% from “marginal districts” 6 committee assignments

U.S. SenatorsServe their entire stateMore heterogeneous

constituenciesTherefore, more inclined to

compromise35% from “marginal districts”10 committee assignments

CommittesOfficersCommittees

•Standing

•Select

•JointStaffs chosen by chairs

Importance of Committees

Most of the work in Congress gets completed in committees.

Committees are the workshops of Congress.

Formation of Committees House:

– Policy Committee selects standing committees and chairs

– Speaker nominates Rules Committee. Senate:

– Steering Committee selects standing committees and chairs

– Majority Leader nominates Steering Committee

– Majority Leader appoints Select Committees

Standing CommitteesPermanent statusFixed membership Officers from majority party

Duties of Standing CommitteesDivide into subcommitteesReceive proposals for billsReceive bills on basis of subject

matterKill most proposals Process some into official billsBase hierarchies on seniority on

this committee

House Standing Committees Agriculture Appropriations Armed Services Budget Education and the

Workforce Energy and

Commerce Financial Services Gov’t Reform House Admin.

Internat’l RelationsJudiciaryResourcesRulesScienceSmall BusinessStandards of Official ConductTransportation and InfrastructureWays and Means

Senate Standing Committees– Agriculture,

Nutrition, Forestry– Appropriations– Armed Services– Banking, Housing,

& Urban Affairs– Budget Committee– Commerce, Science

& Transportation– Energy and Natural

Resources– Environment &

Public Works

– Finance Committee– Foreign Relations Committee– Governmental Affairs Committee– Judiciary Committee– Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee–Rules & Administration –Small Business –Veterans Affairs

Budget Committees Appropriations: How will U.S.

spend money to fund government agencies and programs?

Budget: How can we build a budget that balances requests from all agencies?

Ways and Means: How will we raise funds to pay for agencies and programs? Tax issue

Select Committees

Intelligence (only and Senate House committees that work behind closed doors)

Rules CommitteeDecides order in which

bills come up for a voteDetermines specific

rules governing length of debate

Determines if bills can be amended from floor

House/Senate Joint Committees–Economic

–Library

–Printing

–Taxation

–Conference Committees

(Closed to public)

Committee ChairpersonsSelect subcommittee membersAppoint committee staffs (2000

total) (Powers diluted in last decades

–Many subcommittees

–Each members has his/her staffHelp determine hearing schedules

Senate–Officers–Committees

–Standing–Select–Joint

–Staffs of the Senators

Budget Committees:Appropriations: How will we spend

money raised by taxes & other sources

Budget: How will money be allotted between agencies and programs?

Finance: How will we fund programs?

Both Houses: Personal Staffs1930

–House 870–Senate 280

1993–House 7,400–Senate 4,138

Work in Home State and D.C. Offices

Both Houses: Staff Agencies Congressional Research Service (CRS) (Performs research for legislators) General Accounting Office (GAO) (Congress can investigate financial and

administrative affairs of any federal program/agency)

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) (Assess the economic implications and

likely cost of proposed federal programs)

Both Houses: CaucusesGroups of members who share

certain–Opinions–Interests–Social Characteristics

Strategize to advance certain causes

Reforms (?)104th Congress, led by Newt

Gingrich, –eliminated 25 of 115 House

subcommittees

–Gave committee chairs more power over subcommittees