Congress

number of members in the Senate

100

number of members in the House of Representatives

435

minimum age to become a senator

30 years

citizenship for senators

9 years to the state

minimum age to be a House of Representative

at least 25 years

is able to have filibusters

Senate

filibuster

a tactic used in the Senate to delay or block legislation by prolonged debate

cloture

60 votes are needed to end a filibuster

leadership of the Senate

Vice President (official) & Majority Leader/Whip (day-to-day)

organization: less governed & more power for individual members

Senate

terms for Senate

unlimited 6 year terms

terms for House of Reps

unlimited 2 year terms

organization: more rule-governed, less informal, and more power for individual leadership positions

House of Reps

whose debates are shorter & more structured

House of Reps

duties: confirming presidential nominees & approving treaties

Senate

duties: originating tax/revenue bills (has a strong influence on the budget

House of Reps.

leadership: Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, & Whips

House of Reps

Article I, Section 8

outlines the specific enumerated powers of Congress: regulating commerce, declaring war, raising taxes, and creating federal programs

standing commitee

permanent, focused on specific policy areas; ex: Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, & Intelligence

select committees

created for a specific investigation on issues

joint committees

contain both members from the House and Senate

conference committees

temporary committees that resolve differences b/w the bills; their goal is to create a final compromise on a bill

Chairperson

is a senior member of the majority party who leads a specific House or Senate committee, setting its legislative agenda, managing hearings, and directing oversight of federal agencies.

how to override a presidential veto

2/3rd vote from both chambers

caucuses

a group of members of Congress sharing interest, characteristic, or objective, up to and including ALL members of a political party

pork-barrel spending

government funding directed by lawmakers toward localized projects in their home states or districts

rules commitee

determines which bills reach the House floor for a vote and sets the terms for debate, including time limits and amendment allowed

personal staff

works directly for a member of Congress

-Help constituents 

-Research legislation

-Manage schedules

committee staff

organize hearings interact w lobbyists, research issues, & draft legislation

staff agencies

provide expert research

-Congressional Research Service (CrS): policy research

-Government Accountability Office (GAO): investigate government spending 

-Congressional Budget Office (CBO): economic and budget analysis

“discharge petition”

a procedure in the House that allows a majority of members to force a bill out of committee and bring it to the floor for a vote, even if the committee or leadership doesn’t want to act on it

casework

aiding constituents to get services they feel entitled to