The Legislative Branch - Mock Congress
Congress is made up of 535 men and women (100 Senators and 435 Representatives), each performing a delicate balancing act between the needs and demands of their constituents, their political parties, their contributors, their staffs, the Administration, and even each other. These often conflicting demands can simultaneously pull members of Congress in dozens of different directions on any one issue. It is against this background that legislative process, or the passage of a bill into law, occurs in the two Chambers of Congress. No two bills ever follow exactly the same path to enactment. The life of each Congress is two years and each Congress has been numbered since the first Congress in 1789. The 114th Congress, for example, convened on January 3, 2015, and ends on January 3, 2017. Since World War II, the two-year Congress has been divided into two sessions (first and second), each lasting one year.
Congress
Key concepts: bicameral, sessions, continuous body, House of Reps: size and terms, apportionment and Reapportionment, single-member vs. at-large district rules, qualifications; Senate: size and terms, continuous body, constituency, oversight, voting factors: trustee, partisan, politico, delegate Oversight role of Congress
Powers of Congress
Key concepts: expressed-implied-inherent powers, borrowing power, commerce power, foreign relations powers, war powers, Necessary and Proper Clause—McCulloch v. Maryland, impeachment, appointment, investigatory powers,
Congress in Action
Key concepts: bills, resolution—joint and concurrent, rider—Christmas tree bills, “three readings” process, committee actions, Committee of the Whole, quorum, debate, voting, engrossed, roll-call voting; Senate: rules for debate, filibuster, cloture, conference committee veto, pocket veto, and don’t forget the signing statement, which is not covered in this textbook!
Key Questions
Key Events
Test: Comprehensive exam
Projects: Mock Congress
Terms
Bill or Measure. General legislation is designated by "H.R." in the House of Representatives and "S." in the Senate. Public bills deal with general matters and, if signed, become public laws. Private bills deal with individual matters, such as a person's claim against the government, and become private laws if signed.
bicameral legislature. A legislative assembly composed of two separate houses, such as the U.S. Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
closed rule. Limitation imposed by the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives on the amount of debate time allotted to a bill and on the introduction of amendments from the floor or of any amendments other than those from the sponsoring committee.
cloture rule. Rule 22 of the Senate, providing for the end of debate on a bill if three-fifths of the members agree. A cloture motion is brought to the floor if sixteen senators sign a petition. The purpose is typically to terminate a filibuster and to force a vote on a bill.
concurrent resolution. A resolution used to settle housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses. This is a resolution dealing with internal matters of both Chambers. A concurrent resolution must be passed by both Chambers, but is NOT signed into law by the President and does not have the force of law. The congressional budget resolution is an example of a concurrent resolution.
conference committee. A special type of joint committee appointed to resolve differences in House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation.
Congress. A meeting place of representatives of local constituencies who can initiate, modify, approve, or reject laws. It also shares supervision of government agencies with the executive.
Congressional Budget Office. Created in 1974 to advise Congress on the economic effects of spending programs, to provide information on the cost of proposed policies, and to prepare analyses of the president’s budget proposal.
Congressional Research Service. Created in 1914 to respond to congressional requests for information. It also keeps track of every major bill and produces summaries of legislation for members of Congress.
Filibuster. A prolonged speech or series of speeches made to delay action on legislation in the Senate. The purpose is to kill the measure by talking it to death.
franking privilege. The ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for postage.
General Accounting Office. Created in 1921 to perform routine audits of the money spent by executive departments. It also investigates agencies and makes recommendations on every aspect of government.
joint committee. Committee on which both representatives and senators serve.
joint resolution. A resolution requiring approval of both houses and the signature of the president and having the same legal status as a law. Generally used for limited matters, such as commemorative holidays. Joint resolutions are signed by the President and have the force of law. Joint resolutions also are used to propose an amendment to the Constitution. In this case, they must be agreed to by a two-thirds majority in each Chamber and by three-fourths of the states. The President does NOT sign this type of joint resolution.
majority leader. The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate.
mark-up. Revisions and additions to legislation made by committees and subcommittees.
minority leader
The head of the minority party in each house of Congress chosen by the caucus of the minority party. This person formulates the minority party’s strategy and program.
open rule. A rule from the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives which permits amendments from the floor on a particular piece of legislation.
party unity vote. The extent to which members of a party vote together in the House and Senate. By any measure, the extent of such voting has fluctuated and is lower now than at the turn of the century, although a slow but steady increase has developed since 1972.
pork-barrel legislation. A bill introduced by a member of Congress that gives tangible benefits, like a highway or bridge, to constituents in the hopes of winning votes in return.
president pro tempore. A position created in the Constitution to serve as presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.
Quorum. The minimum number of representatives required to be in attendance to conduct official business.
quorum call. A calling of the roll in either house of Congress to see whether there is a quorum present.
Rider. A nongermane amendment to an important bill. It is added so the measure will “ride” to passage through the Congress. When a bill has lots of riders, it is called a Christmas tree bill.
roll-call vote. A method of voting used in both houses in which members answer yea or nay when their names are called. These votes are recorded and occur in the House at the request of 20 percent of its members.
Rules Committee. In the House of Representatives, the committee that decides which bills come up for a vote, in what order, and under what restrictions on length of debate and on the right to offer amendments. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee, by contrast, possesses few powers. Instead, the Senate majority leader organizes floor debate by negotiating unanimous consent agreements.
select committee. Congressional committee appointed for a limited time period and purpose.
senatorial courtesy. The tradition observed in the Senate in which the president is expected to consult with senators, if they are in the president’s party, when a federal office appointment is to be made in their state.
Seventeenth Amendment. A constitutional amendment ratified in 1913 requiring the popular election of U.S. senators. Senators were previously chosen by state legislatures.
simple resolution. A resolution passed by either house to establish internal chamber rules. It is not signed by the president and has no legal force.
Speaker of the House. The constitutionally mandated presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is chosen in the caucus of the majority party and is empowered to recognize members to speak on the floor, to rule whether a motion is germane, to assign bills to committee, to appoint House members to select and joint committees, and to appoint the majority members of the Rules Committee.
standing committees. The permanent committees of each house with the power to report bills.
Whip. Members of the party leadership in each house who help the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up members when important votes are to be taken, and attempts to keep a nose count of how the voting on a controversial issue is likely to go.
Congress is made up of 535 men and women (100 Senators and 435 Representatives), each performing a delicate balancing act between the needs and demands of their constituents, their political parties, their contributors, their staffs, the Administration, and even each other. These often conflicting demands can simultaneously pull members of Congress in dozens of different directions on any one issue. It is against this background that legislative process, or the passage of a bill into law, occurs in the two Chambers of Congress. No two bills ever follow exactly the same path to enactment. The life of each Congress is two years and each Congress has been numbered since the first Congress in 1789. The 114th Congress, for example, convened on January 3, 2015, and ends on January 3, 2017. Since World War II, the two-year Congress has been divided into two sessions (first and second), each lasting one year.
Congress
Key concepts: bicameral, sessions, continuous body, House of Reps: size and terms, apportionment and Reapportionment, single-member vs. at-large district rules, qualifications; Senate: size and terms, continuous body, constituency, oversight, voting factors: trustee, partisan, politico, delegate Oversight role of Congress
Powers of Congress
Key concepts: expressed-implied-inherent powers, borrowing power, commerce power, foreign relations powers, war powers, Necessary and Proper Clause—McCulloch v. Maryland, impeachment, appointment, investigatory powers,
Congress in Action
Key concepts: bills, resolution—joint and concurrent, rider—Christmas tree bills, “three readings” process, committee actions, Committee of the Whole, quorum, debate, voting, engrossed, roll-call voting; Senate: rules for debate, filibuster, cloture, conference committee veto, pocket veto, and don’t forget the signing statement, which is not covered in this textbook!
Key Questions
- What factors most likely influence a legislator’s voting decisions?
- What are congressional districts?
- What are two possible reasons why incumbents are frequently reelected?
- Briefly describe each of the different roles that a congressperson plays.
- What is the role of the Speaker of the House?
- Who are the other leaders in the House and what are their functions?
- How is Senate leadership organized?
- Describe the functions of the different types of committees in Congress.
- What types of support do members of Congress receive?
- What is the purpose of party caucuses prior to the convening of Congress?
- How are bills introduced in the House? In the Senate?
- What happens during permanent committee meetings?
- How are bills scheduled for debate?
- What is the committee of the whole?
- How does debate differ in the House and in the Senate?
- What happens when the two chambers of Congress pass two different versions of the same bill?
- What is the purpose of a conference committee?
Key Events
Test: Comprehensive exam
Projects: Mock Congress
Terms
Bill or Measure. General legislation is designated by "H.R." in the House of Representatives and "S." in the Senate. Public bills deal with general matters and, if signed, become public laws. Private bills deal with individual matters, such as a person's claim against the government, and become private laws if signed.
bicameral legislature. A legislative assembly composed of two separate houses, such as the U.S. Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
closed rule. Limitation imposed by the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives on the amount of debate time allotted to a bill and on the introduction of amendments from the floor or of any amendments other than those from the sponsoring committee.
cloture rule. Rule 22 of the Senate, providing for the end of debate on a bill if three-fifths of the members agree. A cloture motion is brought to the floor if sixteen senators sign a petition. The purpose is typically to terminate a filibuster and to force a vote on a bill.
concurrent resolution. A resolution used to settle housekeeping and procedural matters that affect both houses. This is a resolution dealing with internal matters of both Chambers. A concurrent resolution must be passed by both Chambers, but is NOT signed into law by the President and does not have the force of law. The congressional budget resolution is an example of a concurrent resolution.
conference committee. A special type of joint committee appointed to resolve differences in House and Senate versions of a piece of legislation.
Congress. A meeting place of representatives of local constituencies who can initiate, modify, approve, or reject laws. It also shares supervision of government agencies with the executive.
Congressional Budget Office. Created in 1974 to advise Congress on the economic effects of spending programs, to provide information on the cost of proposed policies, and to prepare analyses of the president’s budget proposal.
Congressional Research Service. Created in 1914 to respond to congressional requests for information. It also keeps track of every major bill and produces summaries of legislation for members of Congress.
Filibuster. A prolonged speech or series of speeches made to delay action on legislation in the Senate. The purpose is to kill the measure by talking it to death.
franking privilege. The ability of members of Congress to mail letters to their constituents free of charge by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for postage.
General Accounting Office. Created in 1921 to perform routine audits of the money spent by executive departments. It also investigates agencies and makes recommendations on every aspect of government.
joint committee. Committee on which both representatives and senators serve.
joint resolution. A resolution requiring approval of both houses and the signature of the president and having the same legal status as a law. Generally used for limited matters, such as commemorative holidays. Joint resolutions are signed by the President and have the force of law. Joint resolutions also are used to propose an amendment to the Constitution. In this case, they must be agreed to by a two-thirds majority in each Chamber and by three-fourths of the states. The President does NOT sign this type of joint resolution.
majority leader. The legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate.
mark-up. Revisions and additions to legislation made by committees and subcommittees.
minority leader
The head of the minority party in each house of Congress chosen by the caucus of the minority party. This person formulates the minority party’s strategy and program.
open rule. A rule from the Rules Committee of the House of Representatives which permits amendments from the floor on a particular piece of legislation.
party unity vote. The extent to which members of a party vote together in the House and Senate. By any measure, the extent of such voting has fluctuated and is lower now than at the turn of the century, although a slow but steady increase has developed since 1972.
pork-barrel legislation. A bill introduced by a member of Congress that gives tangible benefits, like a highway or bridge, to constituents in the hopes of winning votes in return.
president pro tempore. A position created in the Constitution to serve as presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of the vice president.
Quorum. The minimum number of representatives required to be in attendance to conduct official business.
quorum call. A calling of the roll in either house of Congress to see whether there is a quorum present.
Rider. A nongermane amendment to an important bill. It is added so the measure will “ride” to passage through the Congress. When a bill has lots of riders, it is called a Christmas tree bill.
roll-call vote. A method of voting used in both houses in which members answer yea or nay when their names are called. These votes are recorded and occur in the House at the request of 20 percent of its members.
Rules Committee. In the House of Representatives, the committee that decides which bills come up for a vote, in what order, and under what restrictions on length of debate and on the right to offer amendments. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee, by contrast, possesses few powers. Instead, the Senate majority leader organizes floor debate by negotiating unanimous consent agreements.
select committee. Congressional committee appointed for a limited time period and purpose.
senatorial courtesy. The tradition observed in the Senate in which the president is expected to consult with senators, if they are in the president’s party, when a federal office appointment is to be made in their state.
Seventeenth Amendment. A constitutional amendment ratified in 1913 requiring the popular election of U.S. senators. Senators were previously chosen by state legislatures.
simple resolution. A resolution passed by either house to establish internal chamber rules. It is not signed by the president and has no legal force.
Speaker of the House. The constitutionally mandated presiding officer of the House of Representatives. The Speaker is chosen in the caucus of the majority party and is empowered to recognize members to speak on the floor, to rule whether a motion is germane, to assign bills to committee, to appoint House members to select and joint committees, and to appoint the majority members of the Rules Committee.
standing committees. The permanent committees of each house with the power to report bills.
Whip. Members of the party leadership in each house who help the party leader stay informed about what party members are thinking, rounds up members when important votes are to be taken, and attempts to keep a nose count of how the voting on a controversial issue is likely to go.