Unit 2: Congress

Standing committees

are permanent bodies in the Senate and House with specific responsibilities and jurisdictions that are defined in the rules. They are not specific – standing committees are periodically updated to effect the issues of a changing nation.

Select (or special) committees

are temporary or permanent committees that are created to investigate a specific issue or perform a function that goes beyond the scope of a standing committee. The four special or select committees that were created from Senate resolution to address a specific purpose are now considered permanent.

Joint Committees

can be permanent bodies and are composed of members of the Senate and House of Representatives. They conduct studies and perform necessary housekeeping tasks (ex. Oversight of printing and the Library of Congress).

Conference Committee (or temporary joint committee)

formed by members from both houses and resolves differences between versions of a bill passed by each chamber.

The House Committee on Rules

is responsible for setting the terms for a debate on legislation, determining which bills reach the House floor and when, and the allotted time amendments are allowed.

The Appropriations Committee

has more of a broad jurisdiction than any other committee in Congress. It is responsible for the legislation that allocates federal funds and handles supplemental spending bills.

The Committee on Ethics

is a bipartisan House of Representatives committee that offers guidance and enforces the House’s Code of Official Conduct. It offers confidential advice to members and staff, investigates suspected ethics violations, and reviews disclosure statements for financial issues.

The House Committee on Ways and Means

is the main tax-writing committee. It’s responsible for legislation regarding increasing revenue such as taxes and tariffs. Also, the House Committee on Ways and Means oversees social programs like Medicare, Social Security, and unemployment insurance.

The House Committee on the Budget

is responsible for drafting the annual federal budget resolution. The federal budget resolution sets spending and revenue targets for Congress. The House of Committee oversees the budget process, analyzes federal spending, and examines the president’s budget.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

provides oversight of foreign aid, handles U.S. foreign policy legislation, and processes treaties and nominations. The committee oversees foreign arms distribution and international economic policy as well as border disputes.

The Senate Judiciary Committee

monitors the Department of Justices and holds hearings on presidential nominations for federal judges and general key executive positions. The committee considers legislation for a wide range of issues such as constitutional amendments and civil liberties.

The Senate Armed Services Committee

holds legislative oversight over the Department of Defense, the nation’s military forces, and military research and development. The committee drafts the annual National Defense Authorization Act and oversees military personnel benefits.

The Senate Committee on Finance

is responsible for reviewing federal finance matters such as social security, taxation, and trade agreements. The committee has jurisdiction over the bonded debt of the U.S., customs, and programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

The Senate Budget Committee

drafts Congress’s annual budget plan and then proceeds to monitor the federal budget and spending. The committee oversees the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Bicameralism

the division of legislators into two separate assemblies. The bicameral system established at the Constitutional Convention (and still followed today) requires the two houses to pass identical bills.

Bills

proposed items of legislation.

Apportionment

a Congressional system that is achieved through the equal proportions method, which uses a mathematical formula to allocate seats in the House of Representatives based on U.S. Census Bureau population data, gathered every 10 years as required by the Constitution.

Majority-Minority Districts

districts within states where African Americans became the majority and thus gained the electoral power to send representatives to Congress. Following the Voting Rights of 1965, many Democrats led the charge to create these congressional districts to enhance the power of African American voters.

Gerrymandering

the manipulation of legislative district boundaries as a way of favoring a particular candidate.

Enumerated Powers

a power explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

one not specifically detailed in the Constitution but inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government.

Inherent Powers

while not enumerated or implied, these governmental powers must be assumed to exist as a direct result of the country’s existence such as

Incumbency Advantage

the historical difficulty of unseating an incumbent in the House or Senate. They normally have a much higher number of name recognition with voters and voters are more likely to choose a candidate they recognize than one they hardly know.

Constituent Casework

Constituents continually reach out to their local Congressional representatives to solve challenges such as tracking federal benefits, resolving immigration, and citizenship challenges. Incumbent members of Congress have paid staff, influence, and access to specialized information that can help constituents in ways other people can’t.

Surge and Decline Theory (1960)

a theory proposed by the political scientist Angus Campbell. He noticed that with the exception of 1934, since the Civil War the president’s party has consistently lost seats in Congress during midterm elections. He proposed that the reason was a surge in political stimulation during presidential elections, which tends to have greater voter turnout for people who are typically not interested in politics. The voters during presidential elections tend to favor the party holding the presidency. On the contrary, midterm election voters tend to favor the minority party.

Delegate Model of Representation

a model of representation in which representatives feel compelled to act on the specific stated wishes of their constituents.

Trustee Model of Representation

a model of representation in which representatives feel at liberty to act in the way they believe is best for their constituents.

Politico Model of Representation

a model of representation in which members of Congress act as either trustee or delegate, based on rational political calculations about who is best served, the constituency or the nation.

Descriptive Representation

the extent to which a body of representatives represents the descriptive characteristics of their constituencies, such as class, race, ethnicity, and gender.

Pork-Barrel Politics

federal spending intended to benefit a particular district or set of constituents.

Speaker of the House

the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the leader of the majority party; the Speaker is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president.

President Pro Tempore

the senator who acts in the absence of the actual president of the Senate, who is also the vice president of the United States; the president pro tempore is usually the most senior senator of the majority party.

Majority Leader

the leader of the majority party in either the House or Senate; in the House, the majority leader serves under the Speaker of the House, in the Senate, the majority leader is the functional leader and chief spokesperson for the majority party.

Minority Leader

the party member who directs the activities of the minority party on the floor of either the House or the Senate.

Whips

in the House and in the Senate, a high leadership position whose primary duty is to enforce voting discipline in the chambers and conferences.

Select Committees

a small legislative committee created to fulfill a specific purpose and the disbanded; also called an ad hoc, or special, committee

Standing Committees

a permanent legislative committee that meets regularly.

Joint Committees

a legislative committee consisting of members from both chambers that investigates certain topics but lacks bill referral authority.

Conference Committees

a special type of joint committee that reconciles different bills passed in the House and Senate so a single bill results.

Markup

the amending and voting process in a congressional committee.

Filibuster

a parliamentary maneuver used in the Senate to extend debate on a piece of legislation as long as possible, typically with the intended purpose of obstructing or killing it.

Cloture

a parliamentary process to end a debate in the Senate, as a measure against the filibuster; invoked when three-fifths of senators vote for the motion.