Congress Structures, Powers, Functions

Chapter 4: Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress

Essential Question

  • How do the structures, powers, and functions of Congress affect the policymaking process?

Leadership in Congress

  • Only official Congressional leaders named in the Constitution:

    • Speaker of the House

    • President of the Senate

    • President Pro Tempore of the Senate

  • Each congressional term begins with electing leaders in January of odd years.

  • Party caucuses meet before Congress opens to determine choices for leadership positions.

    • Voting usually represents party-line decisions.

Speaker of the House

  • Leader of the Majority party in the House.

  • Holds significant influence in lawmaking.

  • Majority and Minority leaders serve as party spokespersons.

  • The Whip assists in party discipline and vote tracking.

Senate Leadership

  • Vice President: Non-voting President of the Senate, rarely present, can break tie votes.

  • President Pro Tempore: Mostly ceremonial, presides over Senate in absence of Vice President.

    • Senior member of the majority party.

  • Senate Majority Leader: Holds more power than the Vice President and Pro Tempore, schedules legislative calendar and determines bills for debate.

  • Senate Whips assist in similar duties to House counterparts.

Committees in Congress

  • Committees are essential for handling legislation.

    • Standing Committees: Permanent committees focusing on specific policy areas; chaired by senior members of the majority party.

    • Joint Committees: Members from both houses address long-term issues.

    • Select/Special Committees: Temporary, handle specific issues or investigations.

    • Conference Committees: Reconcile similar bills from both House and Senate.

Roles of Standing Committees

  • House Judiciary Committee: Drafts crime bills and handles impeachments.

  • House Ways and Means Committee: Determines tax policy and income tax changes.

  • Appropriations Committees: Control federal spending.

Unique House Rules

  • Governed by parliamentary rules; limited debate on bills.

  • Amendments must be approved by the committee before being considered.

  • Rules Committee: Very powerful, controls bill scheduling and whether a bill reaches the floor.

Committee of the Whole

  • Allows for longer debates with fewer representatives.

  • Non-voting delegates can participate; requires only 100 members present to act.

Discharge Petition

  • Mechanism to bring a bill out of committee to the floor with simple majority approval.

Select Congressional Committees (House)

  • Examples include:

    • Ways and Means: Tax policy

    • Judiciary: Crime bills and impeachments

    • Armed Services: Military oversight

Select Congressional Committees (Senate)

  • Examples include:

    • Foreign Relations: US Foreign Policy

    • Judiciary: Oversight of courts and judges.

Unique Senate Rules and Procedures

  • Less centralized and more open debates than House.

  • Filibuster can stall legislation through prolonged debate.

  • Unanimous Consent: Requires agreement from all senators to proceed with business.

  • Cloture Rule: Requires supermajority to end debate; modified from two-thirds to three-fifths in 1975.

Foreign Policy Functions of Senate

  • Power to ratify treaties and confirm Ambassadors.

  • Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee collaborates with the President on foreign policy.

Legislative Process

  • Only House and Senate members can introduce bills; typically crafted by staffers or experts.

  • Sponsor: Member introduces the bill, which is numbered upon presentation.

  • Riders: Additions to bills for political benefit.

  • Thousands of bills are introduced; few become law.

Steps in the Legislative Process

  1. Proposal: Introduction of the bill.

  2. Drafting: Writing the bill's content.

  3. Lower House Readings: Three readings in the House.

  4. Assent by Upper House: Bill must also go to the Senate.

Omnibus Bills and Pork Barrel Spending

  • Omnibus Bill: Addresses multiple programs; associated with riders for enhancements.

  • Pork Barrel Spending: Funds earmarked for local projects in a legislator's district; known as "bringing home the bacon".

Assigning Bills to Committees

  • Majority leader and House Rules Committee assign bills.

  • Committees follow three stages: Hearings, Markup, Reporting out.

Voting on Bills

  • Public opinion and town hall meetings inform legislators on constituents' desires.

  • Logrolling: Members trade votes to support each other's bills.

Generating a Budget

  • OMB created budgeting process via Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

  • Each chamber has appropriations committee to allocate money.

Sources of Revenue

  • Majority from individual income taxes, also includes corporate taxes, social insurance taxes, tariffs, and other revenues.

Mandatory vs. Discretionary Spending

  • Mandatory Spending: Statutory obligations (e.g., Social Security) accounting for over 60% of the federal budget.

  • Discretionary Spending: Congress decides allocation, accounting for 38% of budget; focuses on programs outside mandatory spending.