Gov CLEP 1.1.3

Which committee assignments would confer the most power and influence on members

of the House of Representatives?

Ways and Means

The power of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives primarily stems from

its authority to

limit the time for debate and determine whether amendments to a bill can be considered

Which of the following is true of both the House of Representatives and the Senate?

-Both chambers employ a complex system of permanent committees to assist them

in carrying out their legislative duties.

An example of an independent regulatory agency is

-The Federal Reserve

Explain the Great Compromise. What is another name for the Great Compromise?

called for a bicameral legislature where the upper house would have equal representation and the lower house would have representation based on the population; sometimes called the Connecticut compromise because proposed by Roger Sherman

How many members are there in the House of Representatives? Approximately how many

American’s do each member represent? How many years is a House Reps term?

435 members, 700,000 Americans, 2 years

This person presides over the House of Representatives?

Speaker of the House

Who is the President of the Senate?

The VIce President

What is the purpose of the president pro tempore?

presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president

What is more important in the Senate than in the House?

Seniority

What is the significance of congressional committees?

Congress primarily gets its work done through committees

Identify and explain five committees

1. Permanent Committees (Standing Com) Continuous existence with ongoing jurisdiction that meet regularly to perform duties.

2. Select Committee - deals with a temporary matter and disbanded once the issue is resolved

3. Steering Committee - decides which members serve on which committees

4. Ways and Means Committee - most powerful and influential, focuses on making revenue for the government

5. Appropriations Committee - deals with government spending of federal funds

Where can all the records of congressional business be found?

Congressional Record

What can the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives have the power to do?

limit the time for debate and determine whehter amendments to a bill can be considered