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Essential Question
Section 1: Congressional Membership
Section 2: The House of Representatives
Section 3: The Senate
Section 4: Congressional Committees
Section 5: Staff and Support Agencies
Chapter Summary
Essential Question
What is the basic structure and organization of Congress as it represents the interests of the voters?
Section 1-Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
• bicameral legislature
• session
• census
• reapportionment
• redistrict
• gerrymander
• at-large
• censure
• incumbent
Section 1-Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
• formulate
• occur
• trace
Section 1-Reading Strategy
Reading Strategy
As you read, complete a table like the one below to help you compare the qualifications for representatives and senators.
Does gerrymandering have a positive or negative affect on the process of reapportionment?
A. A
B. B
Section 1-Polling Question
A. positive
B. negative
A B
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Section 1
Congressional Sessions
• The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning it is made up of two houses:
– the Senate, and
– the House of Representatives.
• Each Congressional term is two sessions, or meetings.
– A session lasts one year and includes breaks for holidays and vacations.
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 1 – DQ1
The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning
A. it is made up of two houses.
B. its term is made up of two sessions.
C. it is made up of two political parties.
A B C
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Section 1
Membership of the House
• The House of Representatives has 435 members.
• Members of the House must be:
– at least 25 years old,
– citizens of the U.S. for at least 7 years, and
– legal residents of the state that elects them.
• Members of the House are elected for two-year terms.
Section 1
• To assign representatives on the basis of population, the Census Bureau takes a national census, or population count, every 10 years.
• Each state’s population determines the number of representatives it will have for the next 10 years through the process of reapportionment.
Membership of the House (cont.)
Congressional Apportionment, 2000
Section 1
• State legislatures have abused their power to divide the state into congressional districts by gerrymandering—drawing distinct boundaries to give one party an electoral advantage.
Membership of the House (cont.)
• Redistricting is the process of setting up new district lines within each state after reapportionment.
North Carolina CongressionalDistricts, 2002
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 1 – DQ2
A B C D
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Each state’s number of representatives is based on
A. geographical size.
B. historical precedent.
C. population size.
D. the House Speaker’s preference.
Section 1
Membership of the Senate
• The Senate is composed of 100 members–two from each state.
• All voters of each state elect senators at-large, or statewide, with no particular district.
• The Senate and the House set their own salaries.
Swings in Control of Congress
Section 1
• Members enjoy benefits and resources such as stationery, postage for official business, a medical clinic, and allowances to pay for staff, trips, telephones, telegrams, and newsletters.
• Both the House and Senate may judge the qualifications of new members and decide whether to seat them.
• Each house may punish its members for disorderly behavior by censure—a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions.
Membership of the Senate (cont.)
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 1 – DQ3
A B C D
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What constitutional requirement is needed for election to the Senate?
A. must be at least 25 years of age
B. must be a U.S. citizen for 7 years before the election
C. must be at least 30 years of age
D. must be a natural-born U.S. citizen
Section 1
The Members of Congress
• Congress includes 535 voting members—100 senators and 435 representatives.
• There are 4 non-voting delegates in the House—1 each from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands—and 1 resident commissioner from Puerto Rico.
Profile of the 111th Congress
• In recent years, Congress has slowly begun to reflect more racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.
Section 1
• Membership in Congress changes slowly because incumbents—members who are already in office, often win reelection.
The Members of Congress (cont.)
• The Internet has joined TV and radio as an important campaigning tool.
The Power of Incumbency
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 1 – DQ4
A B C D
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Why might an incumbent win reelection?
A. an increase in new voters
B. voter recognition
C. the inability to raise campaign funds more easily
D. constituents want political change
Section 2-Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
• constituent
• caucus
• majority leader
• whip
• bill
• calendar
• quorum
Section 2-Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
• available
• parallel
• constitute
Section 2-Reading Strategy
Reading Strategy
Use a graphic organizer similar to the one below to help you take notes about the organization of leaders in the House.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 2-Polling Question
A B C D
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A. influencing proceedings by deciding which members to recognize first
B. appointing the members of committees
C. scheduling bills for action
D. following the vice president in the line of presidential succession
Which is the most important power held by the Speaker of the House?
Section 2
Rules for Lawmaking
• The House and Senate have organized themselves in a way that will help them carry out their obligation to make the laws.
• House rules are aimed at defining the actions an individual representative can take.
• Committees of Congress perform most legislative activity.
• Representatives tend to specialize in issues that are important to their constituents—the people in the districts they represent.
Section 2
Rules for Lawmaking (cont.)
• In each house, the majority party gets to select the leaders to control the flow of legislative work and appoint the chairs of all committees.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 2 – DQ1
A B C D
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Who gets to select the leaders of the House and Senate?
A. the minority party
B. the Speaker of the House
C. the majority party
D. the president
Section 2
House Leadership
• Leaders of the House coordinate the work of 435 individual members by meeting six goals:
– organizing and unifying party members,
– scheduling work,
– making certain that lawmakers are present for key floor votes,
– distributing and collecting information,
Section 2
– keeping the House in touch with the president, and
– influencing lawmakers to support their party’s positions.
• The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer and its most powerful leader.
• A caucus, or closed meeting, of the majority party chooses the House Speaker at the start of each session of Congress.
House Leadership (cont.)
Section 2
• The Speaker has several powers, including:
– influencing proceedings by deciding which members to recognize first,
– appointing the members of some committees,
– scheduling bills for action and referring bills to the proper House committee, and
– following the vice president in the line of succession to the presidency.
House Leadership (cont.)
Section 2
• The majority leader, the Speaker’s top assistant, is responsible for:
– helping plan the party’s legislative program,
– steering important bills through the House, and
House Leadership (cont.)
– making sure the chairpersons of the many committees finish work on bills that are important to the party.
Section 2
• The majority leader is the floor leader of his or her political party in the House and is elected by the majority party.
• Majority whips and deputy whips are assistant floor leaders in the House.
House Leadership (cont.)
• The majority whip’s job is to monitor how majority-party members vote on bills.
• The minority party in the House elects its own leader and whip with responsibilities that parallel the duties of the majority party.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 2 – DQ2
A B C D
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The presiding officer and most powerful leader of the House is
A. the majority leader.
B. the president pro tempore.
C. the Speaker of the House.
D. the vice president.
Section 2
Lawmaking in the House
• A proposed law is called a bill until both houses of Congress pass it and the president signs it.
• The Speaker of the House sends bills to the appropriate committee for review.
• Only 10 to 20 percent of bills ever get to the full House for a vote.
• Bills that survive the committee process are put on one of the House calendars, which list bills that are up for consideration.
Section 2
• After a committee has considered and approved a major bill, it usually goes to the House Rules Committee.
• Major bills that reach the floor of the House do so by a special order from the Rules Committee.
Lawmaking in the House (cont.)
• The Rules Committee has the power to delay or block bills that representatives and House leaders do not want to come to a vote on the floor.
Section 2
• A quorum is the minimum number of members needed for official legislative action.
• For a regular session, a quorum requires a majority of 218 members.
Lawmaking in the House (cont.)
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 2 – DQ3
A B C D
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The House calendar that deals with money issues is the
A. Discharge Calendar.
B. Consent Calendar.
C. Private Calendar.
D. Union Calendar.
Section 3-Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
• president pro tempore
• filibuster
• cloture
Section 3-Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
• specific
• assistant
• devote
Section 3-Reading Strategy
Reading Strategy
Use a graphic organizer like the one below to list the differences in the everyday operations of the House and the Senate.
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 3-Polling Question
A. yes
B. no
C. sometimes
Is employing a filibuster an effective way of preventing a bill from coming to a vote?
A B C
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Section 3
The Senate at Work
• The Senate deliberates, or formally discusses, public policies.
• The vice president presides over the Senate but cannot vote except to break a tie.
• In the absence of the vice president, the president pro tempore—elected by the Senate from the majority party—presides.
Section 3
• The Senate majority leader steers the party’s bills through the Senate and makes sure that party members attend important sessions and gets support for key bills.
• The Senate minority leader critiques the majority party’s bills and keeps his or her own party united.
The Senate at Work (cont.)
• The Senate brings bills to the floor by unanimous consent.
Section 3
• To filibuster means to extend debate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote.
• A vote for cloture limits the debate by allowing each senator only one hour for speaking on a bill.
The Senate at Work (cont.)
• The majority party controls the flow of bills in the Senate.
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 3 – DQ1
How does a vote of cloture limit debate on the Senate floor?
A. It allows one senator to speak endlessly.
B. It prevents Senators from the minority party from speaking.
C. It allows each senator to speak for no more than one hour. A B C
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Section 4-Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
• standing committee
• subcommittee
• select committee
• joint committee
• conference committee
• seniority system
Section 4-Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
• issue
• investigation
• temporary
Section 4-Reading Strategy
Reading Strategy
Use the graphic organizer below to take notes about the different types of congressional committees.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 4-Polling Question
A B C D
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A. standing committee
B. select committee
C. joint committee
D. conference committee
Which type of committee has the greatest effect on the passing of a bill?
Section 4
Purposes of Committees
• The committee system serves three important purposes:
– It allows members of Congress to divide their work among many smaller groups.
– Committees select which of the bills introduced into Congress are to receive further consideration.
– By holding public hearings and investigations, committees help the public learn about key problems facing the nation.
How does dividing work into congressional committees help members of Congress?
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 4 – DQ1
A. allows members to become specialists on topics
B. lets members ignore the beliefs of constituents in favor of special-interest groups
C. committee members have less responsibilities
A B C
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Section 4
Kinds of Committees
• Congress has four kinds of committees:
– Standing committees are permanent groups that oversee bills that deal with certain kinds of issues.
• Subcommittees specialize in a subcategory of its standing committee’s responsibilities.
Standing Committees of Congress
– Select committees are temporary committees that study one specific issue and report their findings to the Senate or the House.
Section 4
Kinds of Committees (cont.)
– Joint committees are committees that are made up of members from both the House and the Senate.
– Conference committees are temporary committees that are set up when the House and Senate have passed different versions of a bill.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 4 – DQ2
A B C D
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Which type of committee studies one specific issue and reports findings to the Senate or the House?
A. standing committee
B. joint committee
C. subcommittee
D. select committee
Section 4
Choosing Committee Members
• In the House and Senate the parties must assign members to the standing committees.
• Each member can serve on only limited number of standing committees and subcommittees.
• The chairpersons of the standing committees make key decisions about the work of committees and manage floor debates that take place on bills that come from their committees.
Section 4
Choosing Committee Members (cont.)
• The seniority system is the unwritten rule that implies that the majority party member with the longest uninterrupted service on a committee is the appointed leader of the committee.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 4 – DQ3
A B C D
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The “seniority system” is based on
A. age.
B. uninterrupted service to a committee.
C. longest during of service in Congress.
D. qualification.
Section 5-Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
• personal staff
• committee staff
• administrative assistant
• legislative assistant
• caseworker
Section 5-Academic Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
• complex
• expert
• coordinate
Section 5-Reading Strategy
Reading Strategy
As you read, create a table like the one below to describe the functions of congressional support staff.
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 5-Polling Question
A. drafting bills
B. studying and collecting information on specific issues
C. preparing committee reports
What is the most significant responsibility of committee staffers?
A B C
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Section 5
Congressional Staff Role
• Lawmakers rely on congressional staffers to help them:
– handle the growing workload of Congress,
– communicate with voters,
– run committee hearings and floor sessions,
– draft new bills,
– write committee reports, and
– attend committee meetings.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 5 – DQ1
A B C D
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Congressional staffers help lawmakers
A. draft bills.
B. plan committee hearings.
C. prepare committee reports.
D. A, B, and C
Section 5
Congressional Staff Growth
• Congressional staffs grew as lawmaking became more complex after the early 1900s.
• Members of Congress needed a large office staff to deal with the many letters from people in their states or congressional districts.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 5 – DQ2
A B C D
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What is the primary reason for the growth of congressional staffs?
A. growing complexity of lawmaking
B. increase in population
C. gradual simplification of lawmaking processes
D. congressional preference
Section 5
Personal Staff
• Personal staff members work directly for individual senators and representatives.
• Committee staff members work for the many House and Senate committees.
Section 5
Personal Staff (cont.)
• There are three types of personal staff members:
– The administrative assistant runs the lawmaker’s office, supervises the lawmaker’s schedule, and gives advice on political matters.
– The legislative assistants make certain that the lawmaker is well informed about the many bills with which she or he must deal.
Section 5
Personal Staff (cont.)
– Caseworkers handle the many requests for help from a member’s constituents.
A. A
B. B
C. C
Section 5 – DQ3
Which type of personal staff member is responsible for keeping lawmakers informed on relevant bills?
A. administrative assistant
B. legislative assistant
C. caseworker
A B C
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Section 5
Committee Staff
• The committee chairperson and the senior minority party member of a committee are in charge of committee staff members.
• Duties of committee staffers include:
– drafting bills,
– studying issues,
– planning committee hearings, and
– writing memos and reports.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 5 – DQ4
Who is in charge of committee staff members?
A. the committee chairperson
B. the senior majority party member
C. the legislative assistant
D. the caseworker A B C D
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Section 5
Support Agencies
• Congress created several important support agencies, including:
– The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, containing more than 100 million books, journals, music pieces, films, photographs, and maps.
– The Congressional Budget Office coordinates the budget work of Congress, studies budget proposals put forward by the president, and projects the costs of proposed programs.
Section 5
Support Agencies (cont.)
– The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews the financial management of government programs that Congress creates, collects government debts, settles claims, and provides legal service.
– The Government Printing Office (GPO) does the printing for the entire federal government, including the daily Congressional Record and the annual Statistical Abstract of the United States.
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D
Section 5 – DQ5
A B C D
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To which support agency does a comptroller general belong that oversees congressional appropriations?
A. the Government Printing Office
B. the Library of Congress
C. the Congressional Budget Office
D. the Government Accountability Office
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