Download Comparison of Congressional Structures: Senate vs. House of Representatives and more Study notes Political Science in PDF only on Docsity! Congress: Institutional Structure and Lawmaking Thursday, Nov. 12 Bicameralism • Congress: Senate and the House of Representatives • Senate: 100 members • 2 per state • House of Representatives: 435 members • According to population Oklahoma • Representatives: John Sullivan, 1st; Dan Boren, 2nd; Frank Lucas, 3rd; Tom Cole, 4th; Mary Fallin, 5th • Senators: James Inhofe; Tom Coburn Party Caucus • Members automatically part of their parties caucus • Democratic and Republican Party Caucuses decide on leadership Speaker of the House • Only leadership post provided for in the Constitution • Develops parties position, persuades members to support position • Right to speak first during House debate • Power to recognize members • Pelosi vs. Cheney Standing Committees • Permanent • Specialize in a policy area • 21 in the House, 20 in the Senate • Fixed number of members • Broken down into subcommittees • Ex: Education and Labor Joint Committees • Members of both chambers • 4 joint committees • Fact-finding and reporting • Ex: Joint Economic Committee Select Committees • Temporary • Specific purpose • Issues outside other committee jurisdictions • Ex: Homeland Security , Watergate Seniority • Defined as: the years of consecutive service on a committee • Members generally stay on the same committee • Senior majority party members become committee chairs Committee Chairs • Responsible for: scheduling committee meetings, determining the order in which bills are considered, presides over subcommittee discussions, directs the committee’s majority staff, and can choose to lead the debate when a committee bill reaches the floor • Always members of the majority party The Purpose of Seniority • Designed to reduce power struggles • Provide experienced leadership • Problem: leaders can be put in place without control of the party • As a result, Republicans have term limits for committee chairs Senate Rules • Leadership proposes rules for floor action • All bills subject to unlimited debate • Unless 3/5ths of the Senate votes for cloture, which is used often used to defeat a filibuster • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington • Members can add any amendment to a bill, regardless of relevance House vs. Senate House Senate One major committee assignment, results in policy specialists Two or more major committee assignments, results in policy generalists Speaker’s referral of bills to committees is hard to challenge Referral decisions are easy to challenge Rules Committee is powerful; controls time of debate, admissibility of amendments Rules Committee is weak Debate usually limited to one hour Unlimited debate unless shorted by unanimous consent or invoking cloture Nongermane amendments may not be introduced from the floor Nongermane amendments may be introduced Floor • Decide to confirm or modify decisions made in committee, subcommittee • To pass, bill needs a simple majority (50%) • If a bill passes and the other chamber has yet to pass a similar bill, it is sent to that chamber Health Care Bill in the House • Introduced to committees • Rules Committee determines 4 hours of debate • Stupak amendment introduced and debated • Boehner amendment introduced and debated • Stupak passes 240-194 • Boehner fails 176-258 • Bill itself passes 220-215 Health Care Bill in the Senate • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yet to schedule floor debate • CNN • 60 votes The President • Sign the bill for it to become law • If he vetoes the bill, can be overridden by 2/3rds of each chamber of Congress • If fails to sign within 10 days while Congress in session, automatically law • If fails to sign within 10 days and Congress is not in term, does not become law
