Organization of Congress

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Organization of Congress
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Congress Constitutional responsibilities

• To provide for the common Defense and general
  Welfare of the United States
• Lay and collect Taxes
• Borrow Money
• Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and
  among the several States, and with the Indian
  Tribes
• Coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of
  foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and
  Measures
• Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,
  
• To constitute Tribunals (Courts)
• Declare War etc..

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The Elastic Clause

• To make all Laws which shall be necessary and
  proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing
  Powers, and all other Powers vested by this
  Constitution in the Government of the United
  States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

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House special powers

• Originate all tax bills
• Impeach (charge) presidents and judges

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Senate special powers

• Try impeachments
• Confirm ambassadors, public ministers, judges
• Ratify treaties (2/3 vote)

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Why might it be hard for 435 Representatives and
100 Senators to write all of the laws that
provide for the common defense and promote the
general welfare?
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How does Congress cope with those problems? How
does it fulfill its Constitutional
responsibilities?
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Institutions to overcome obstacles

• Committee System
• Party organization
• Floor Procedure
• Staff

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Committee System
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House committees

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Budget
• Education and the Workforce
• Energy and Commerce
• Financial Services
• Government Reform
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• International Relations
• Judiciary

• Resources
• Rules
• Science
• Small Business
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans' Affairs
• Ways and Means
• Joint Economic Committee
• Joint Committee on Printing
• Joint Committee on Taxation
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

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Senate committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
  Appropriations Armed Services Banking,
  Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce,
  Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural
  Resources Environment and Public Works Finance
  Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor, and
  Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental
  Affairs Judiciary Rules and Administration
  Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans
  Affairs

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Subcommittees House Agriculture Committee

• Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural
  Development and Research
• Jurisdiction Soil, water, and resource
  conservation small watershed program
  agricultural credit rural development rural
  electrification farm security and family farming
  matters agricultural research, education and
  extension services plant pesticides, quarantine,
  adulteration of seeds, and insect pests
  biotechnology.
• Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk
  Management
• Jurisdiction Program and markets related to
  cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans,
  oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils
  Commodity Credit Corporation crop insurance
  commodity exchanges.
• Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign
  Agriculture Programs
• Jurisdiction Peanuts sugar tobacco honey and
  bees marketing orders relating to such
  commodities foreign agricultural assistance and
  trade promotion programs, generally.
• Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight,
  Dairy, Nutrition and Forestry
• Jurisdiction Agency oversight review and
  analysis special investigations dairy food
  stamps, nutrition and consumer programs forestry
  in general, forest reserves other than those
  created from the public domain energy and
  biobased energy production dairy.
• Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture
• Jurisdiction Livestock poultry meat seafood
  and seafood products inspection, marketing, and
  promotion of such commodities aquaculture
  animal welfare grazing fruits and vegetables
  marketing and promotion orders

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Floor procedure
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A riddle (sort of)

• How is a carpool different than a bus line?

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House floor procedure

• Limited debate
• The Rules Committee
• Open and closed rules
• The bus line

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Senate floor procedure

• No rules committee
• Unlimited debate
• Filibuster
• Cloture Rule
• Complex Unanimous Consent Agreements
• The car pool

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Parties
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What do parties do?

• Elect organizational leadership that
• Hands out committee assignments
• Hands out committee chairmanships
• Controls Rules Committee (Speaker)
• Influences distribution of pork
• Can help with campaigns

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Party organization House
MAJORITY PARTY
Speaker
Majority leader
Majority Whip ( whips)
Conference (all Reeps)
Steering committee
Policy committee
Campaign committee
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Other institutions

• Staff
• (provides information)
• Decorum
• (regulates conflict)
• Seniority system
• (reduces incentive to free ride)

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Differences between the House vs. Senate

• Prominence of constituents and reelection
• Degree of Specialization
• Hierarchy
• Protection of minorities