Congressional Webquest
Review the information contained in this webquest packet. Complete the tasks using the websites: house.gov and senate.gov. There are also opinion questions to answer. We will discuss your findings in class tomorrow. ______
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Constitution, Article I, section 1.
American Bicameralism: legislature divided into two houses
The House – 435 members, 2 year terms of office – Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget – House Rules Committee – Limited debates
The Senate – 100 members, 6 year terms of office – Gives “advice & consent,” more influential on foreign affairs – Unlimited debates (filibuster)
Congressional Leadership
The House – Led by Speaker of the House—elected by House members – Presides over House – Major role in committee assignments and legislation – Assisted by majority leader and whips
The Senate – Formerly lead by Vice President – Really lead by Majority Leader—chosen by party members – Assisted by whips – Must work with Minority leader Go to house.gov to identify the following:
Speaker of the House ______
Majority leader ______
Minority leader ______
Go to senate.gov to identify the following:
Majority leader ______
Minority leader ______
Review the following graph, The Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections
What does the graph indicate about incumbents in Congress?
What factors could account for this? The Committees and Subcommittees Four types of committees: 1. Standing committees: subject matter committees that handle bills in different policy areas 2. Joint committees: a few subject-matter areas—membership drawn from House and Senate 3. Conference committees: resolve differences in House and Senate bills 4. Select committees: created for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation
Getting Ahead on the Committee: Chairs and the Seniority System Committee chair: the most important influencer of congressional agenda - Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house - Most chairs selected according to seniority system: members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled Congress become chair
See the following table, Standing Committees in the Senate and in the House.
Select one Committee in the Senate and one in the House. Use house.gov and senate.gov to identify: (1) the chairman of the committee; (2) important issues that the committee is presently working on. Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress – Caucus: a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic – About 300 caucuses – Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearings and for votes on bills. – Caucuses can be more effective than lobbyists
Use house.gov and senate.gov to identify some of the caucuses. If you were a member of Congress, which caucuses would you like to be a member of?
Congressional Staff - Personal staff: They work for the member, mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too. - Committee staff: organize hearings, research and write legislation, target of lobbyists - Staff Agencies: GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress
Go to house.gov and click on Educators & Students. Click on Branches of Government. Under Legislative, find out what GAO and CBO stand for, and what information they provide to Congress? Go to house.gov and click on Educators & Students. Go to Legislative Process to confirm the accuracy of the information in Figure 12.2. Is there any additional information provided?
Party, Constituency, and Ideology
Party Influence: - Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines
Constituency versus Ideology - Prime determinant of member’s vote on most issues is ideology - On most issues that are not salient, legislators may ignore constituency opinion. - But on controversial issues, members are wise to heed constituent opinion.
Lobbyists and Interest Groups There are thousands of registered lobbyists trying to influence Congress—the bigger the issue, the more lobbyists will be working on it. - Lobbyists try to influence legislators’ votes. - Lobbyists can be ignored, shunned and even regulated by Congress. - Ultimately, it is a combination of lobbyists and others that influence legislators’ votes.
* In 1974, 3% of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. Today, 50% of senators and 42% of house members do.
Congress and Democracy: Representation versus Effectiveness Supporters claim that Congress: - is a forum in which many interests compete for policy - is decentralized, so there is no oligarchy to prevent comprehensive action
Critics argue that Congress: - is responsive to so many interests that policy is uncoordinated, fragmented, and decentralized - is so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems
Your members of Congress
Use only house.gov and senate.gov to answer the following questions:
Who is your representative in the House?
Go to your representative’s home page to identify:
- Committees that he/she is a member of:
- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your representative’s positions on these issues:
Who are your two Senators?
Go to your senators’ home pages to identify:
- Committees that they are members of:
- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your senators’ positions on these issues:
Go to the following website and play the redistricting game. http://redistrictinggame.org/index.php?pg=game
What was the challenge that you faced?
Explain how redistricting can be political.