Gov. - Notes #5 Review

Congressional Structure

Membership of the House

House * 25 years old * citizen for at least 7 years * legal resident of state electing them * 2 year terms
Representation based of off population * ==Reapportionment== after every ==census== * reapportionment - reapportioning the number of representative per state * census - official count of national population * ==Redistricting== after reapportionment * redistricting - done by state; re-drawing of districts based off of population * ==Gerrymandering== is fueled by competitive struggle of the two party system * gerrymandering - the drawing of district lines to favor one party over the other

Membership of the Senate

Senate * two per state * 30 years old * citizen for 9 years * legal resident of state they represent * 6 year terms

Members of Congress

535 total members of congress * 100 senators * 435 representatives
Membership changes slowly because of ==incumbents== * incumbents - person holding a seat in congress that get re-elected

Rules in the House

Rules help congress move quickly when bills reach the floor
Party distinction and political parties are very important
==Committees== perform most of legislative activity * committees - group of people working on a specific topic or function

House Leadership

==Speaker of the House== * most powerful position in the House * chosen by majority party * presiding officer * assistants include, majority leader and the majority ==whip==, as well as deputy whip * whip - assistant to the party floor leader

Minority

Lawmaking in the House

After a bill is passed → ==Committee==
==The Rules Committee== * oldest committee in the House * controls major decisions, path, and progress of a bill
==Quorum== needed for official legislative action * quorum - minimum number of people needed to vote on a bill; simple majority * 51 in Senate * 218 in House

Leadership in Senate

Senate rules are more flexible
Senate has no Speaker
Vice President serves as the President of the Senate and breaks a tie
When Vice President is gone ==President Pro Tempore== presides * president pro tempore - from majority party; presided while VP is gone

Lawmaking in Senate

Less formal in Senate
Brings bill by ==unanimous consent== * unanimous consent - emotion by all members to consider a bill
==Filibuster== can kill a bill, but can be stopped by ==cloture resolution== * filibuster - a method to kill a bill to prevent a vote * cloture resolution - a vote to end a filibuster

Purpose of Committees

Crafting of bills takes place in committees
Committees divide the work of Congress into smaller groups
Committees select a few bills for further consideration and inform the public about the bills

Kinds of Committees

==Standing== - stand from one legislative session to the next; nearly all have subcommittees
==Select== - study one specific committee; not permanent
==Joint== - have members from the House and the Senate
==Conference== - set up when the House and Senate have passed different versions of a bill

Choosing Committee Members

==Chairpersons== are the most powerful people in committees
Chairpersons are elected by a secret vote; usually based of off seniority * Chairs are always held by the majority party

Congressional Staff

Staff help draw bills, stay informed on issues, and represent their ==constituents==
Until 1946 congress had no staff, however as lawmaking became more complex they became needed
There are two types of staff; personal and congressional

Personal Staff

}}Administrative Assistant}}	serves as chief of staff
}}Legislative Director}}	establishes agenda and briefs lawmakers on matters
}}Legislative Assistants}}	keep the lawmaker informed on bills
}}Press Secretaries}}	keep the lawmakers public image
}}Caseworkers}}	handle requests from constituents