We The People Chapter 9 Congress

Congress

Chapter 9

Congress

House & Senate: Differences in Representation

• Bicameral system: two chambers– Each state has two senators.– Each state has House representatives; number

determined by state population

• Predicated on different representation models– Senate: states, with longer terms– House: districts, with shorter terms


• Senate: 100 senators– Since 1913, directly elected by voters statewide– Six-year terms– Two per state (fixed)

• House of Representatives: 435 members– Elected by districts– Two-year terms– Population determines number per state (varies)


• How representatives “represent”:

– Sociological representation: shares demographic traits, experiences, and interests with constituents

– Agency representation: representative has electoral incentive to act on constituent interests

Women, African Americans, andLatinos in Congress (1971–2010)

Sociological

Representation

The Social Composition of the U.S. Congress


• Representatives as agents: legislators learn about the interests of constituents.

• Parties rarely ask a member of Congress to vote against constituent interests.– Electoral incentives are important to parties, too.

The Electoral Connection

• Who gets elected?– Who runs (some encouraged more than others)

– Incumbency advantage

– Districting and gerrymandering issues


• Incumbency advantage– Members of Congress have an array of tools to keep

them in office.• Constituency services• Name recognition and title• Ability to raise funds more easily

– Combine to make incumbents strong candidates

The Power of Incumbency


• Districting and redistricting– Congressional districts are typically drawn in a

manner that clearly benefits one party or the other.

– The vast majority of incumbents represent “safe districts,” where most voters support one party.

– Primaries are the critical election in safe districts because there is little party competition.

Results of Congressional Reapportionment


• Direct patronage– Pork barrel spending

• Earmarks– Patronage

• Some local and state elected officials have jobs to offer to constituents.

– Constituent services– Private bills


The Organization of Congress

• The majority party controls leadership and shapes agenda.– The Speaker of the House is the leader of the majority

party.– Both parties also elect a majority leader, a minority

leader, and a whip.– Parties determine which of their members sit on

various committees.

Majority Party Structure in the House of Representatives

Majority Party Structure in the Senate


• Committee system– Standing committees– Select committees– Joint committees– Conference committees


• Standing committees are permanent; where majority of legislation is written



• Select committees– Formed temporarily to focus on a specific issue

• Cannot present bills to the chamber• Bring attention to a specific subject

• Joint committees– Formed from members of both chambers– Gather information– Cover issues internal to Congress


• Conference committees– For a bill to become a law, the same wording of the

bill must be passed by both chambers.– Conference committees are formed to write the final

wording when both chambers pass similar bills that need to be reconciled.


• The number of seats the minority party has on a committee is roughly proportionate to the seats it has in the House, but at an unfavorable rate.

• Seniority determines committee assignments.– Chairs can be removed by the party caucus.– Chairs are term-limited.


• Congressional staffers– Specific topic or issue expertise – Constituent service

• Over 11,500 staff in DC and district offices• Another 2,000 staff for committees

How a Bill Becomes a Law


• A bill is a proposed law that has been sponsored by a member of Congress and submitted to the Clerk of the House or Senate.

• The bill is given a number and assigned to a committee, which typically refers it to a subcommittee.

• Bills taken seriously are given a hearing.• The vast majority (95 percent) do not become laws.


• The House rule determines how much time is allocated for floor debate.

• The debate time is divided equally between those for the bill and those against the bill.

• The Senate allows for unlimited discussion, requiring 60 votes to end a filibuster via cloture.


• Once a bill clears in one chamber, it is sent to the other, where the process starts over.

• If both chambers pass the same wording, the bill is sent to the president.

• If not, both chambers create a conference committee.


• The president is given 10 days to veto a law.– Vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each

chamber.– Pocket veto: If there are less than 10 days left in the

congressional calendar and the president does not sign the bill into law, it dies and must begin again from scratch in the next session.

How Congress Decides

• Many factors influence members of Congress.• Constituents

– Legislators take constituents seriously if they believe it will affect their support in the next election.

– This includes voters as well as industries with a large presence in the district.

– Electoral incentives make constituents a priority.

Interest Groups Influence Constituents and Congress


• Interest groups– Can supply legislators with very detailed information

and data about pending bills– Can make sizeable donations– Do they represent the interests of constituents?


Party discipline: Congress increasingly partisan since 1990s


• Tools party leaders have at their disposal:– Leadership PACs– Committee assignments– Access to the floor– The whip system– Logrolling– Presidency

Beyond Legislation

• Oversight– Congress is expected to oversee the activities of the

executive branch in order to ensure funding is spent properly and laws are enforced.

• Advice and consent– The Senate confirms executive appointments,

ambassadors, and federal judges.– Approves all treaties

Beyond Legislation

• Impeachment– If high officials are thought to have committed

“Treason, Bribery or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” they can be impeached.

– The House acts as a grand jury.– The Senate conducts the actual trial.

Public Opinion Poll

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is

handling its job?

a) Strongly approve

b) Approve

c) Disapprove

d) Strongly disapprove

Public Opinion Poll

Do you approve or disapprove of the way your member

of Congress is handling his or her job?

a) Strongly approve

b) Approve

c) Disapprove

d) Strongly disapprove

Public Opinion Poll

Do you believe we should have term limits for

members of Congress?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

Do you believe state legislatures should be responsible

for drawing congressional districts?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

Do you think it is important that members of Congress

reflect national economic demographics?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

Do you think it is important that members of Congress

reflect national racial and ethnic demographics?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

When members of Congress cast a vote, which of the

following factors should most influence their decision?

a) The interests of the country as a whole

b) The interests of their district or state

Public Opinion Poll

When members of Congress cast a vote, which of the

following factors should most influence their decision?

a) Constituent preferences

b) The president’s preferences

c) The members’ party leadership preferences

d) The members’ own ideology

Chapter 9: Congress

• Quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

• Exercises

wwnorton.com/we-the-people

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/polisci/we-the-people8/essentials/ch/09/studyplan.aspx

Following this slide, you will find additional images, figures, and tables from the textbook.

Differences between the House and the Senate

Party Leaders Rely on Party Discipline

Debate

Documents

We The People Chapter 9 Congress