Chapter 11 Congress

Constitution

Legislative= Congress; HOR and Senate

Executive= White house

Judicial= Supreme Court

The members

• not glamorous job, but perks:

  • power to make key policy decisions

  • $174000 annual salary, retirement and health benefits

• Constitutional Requirements

  • house: age 25, citizens for seven years

  • Senate; 30, citizen for nine years

  • reside in state

  • 435 representatives; 100 senators

• representation

  • descriptive; mirrors personal characteristics

  • substantive: same beliefs

• women underrepresented group in government

Why not alot of women in congress

fewer women run

• childcare responsibilities

• risk aversion

bias

• must be more qualified than men to get equal consideration from voters

Who wins elections

• incumbents

  • already in

• house

  • more than 90%-win reelection

  • most with more than 60% of the vote

• senate

  • still likely to win but with narrower margins

  • larger, more diverse constituencies

  • more media coverage, accountability

  • challengers with name recognition and backing

The advantages of Incumbency

• advertising and Constituent Contact

• Credit Claiming

  • casework

  • pork barrel projects: member of congress bring jobs wants to boost economy

• weak opponents

• campaign spending

• party identification

Defeating Incumbents

why challenge

• challengers can be naive

Unexpected help for challengers

• scandal

• redistricting

• wave elections

Open seats

• vacant seat, no incumbent running

• how most turnover occurs

Stability and Change

• stability from incumbency

  • development of expertise

• harder for voters to affect elections

• term limits?

American Bicameralism

bicameral legislature

• bills must pass both houses

• checks and balances

• result of Connecticut compromise

the house

• more institutionalized

The senate

• less centralized and less disciplined

Congressional Leadership

• Chosen by Party

• The House

  • speaker of the house

  • majority and minority leaders

  • whips

• The senate

  • vice president

  • majority leader

• Congressional Leadership in Perspective

The Committees and Subcommittees

Four types

• standing committees

• joint

• conference

• select

Getting on a Committee

• constituent needs

• appealing to leadership

Committee Chairs and the Seniority System

Congressional Staff

Personal staff

• casework

• legislative functions

Committee staff

• legislative oversight

Staff agencies

• congressional research service (CRS)

• Government accountability office

• congressional Budget office

Lawmaking process

• agenda setting

• Committees at work: legislation

• Committees at work: oversight

• Floor debate and the Filibuster

• Unorthodox Lawmaking

Agenda Setting

• agenda setting

  • house and senate set own agendas

  • house rules committee

  • House republicans informal rule

    • when they are in the majority

    • wont vote on a bill without the support of majority of their caucus

The Committees at work: legislation

Process

• bills go first to standing committee

• bills referred to subcommittee

full consideration

• only bills with favorable reports

floor managers

committees at work: oversight

legislative oversight

• hearings

• grown in size and complexity

keeping tabs on the exec

• tracking implementation of public policy

little incentive for members of congress

majority party

• determines oversight agenda

Floor Debate and the Filibuster

Filibuster

• unlimited debate

• talking a bill to death

Cloture

• takes 60 votes to end debate

Questions about Democracy

• tool of the minority

• recent rule changes

Unorthodox Lawmaking

Legislating becomes more difficult

Methods of coping

• party leader involvement earlier and deeper

• multiple legislative referrals

• special rules from the House Rules Committee

• Omnibus legislation

House Party Leaders, More Leverage

Party, Ideology, and Constituency

party influence

• economic and social welfare policies

Ideology and polarized politics

• parties more internally homogeneous

• less compromise

Constituency opinion vs. member ideology

• trustees vs instructed delegates

• politicos

Congress and Democracy

• depends on successful representation

• congress unrepresentative

  • elites, chosen, based on states

• Obstacles to good representation

  • constituent service, reelection campaigns

• Representativeness vs. effectiveness