Congress

Constitutional Powers
of Congress
The most important constitutional power of Congress is the power to make laws.
This power is shared by the House and the Senate.
In order to become a law, a bill must be passed by both the House and the Senate.

Remember in the original design, the framers wanted the Senate to be more conservative
So Representatives in the House have always been directly elected
Senators since 1913 with the 17th amendment

Formal Requirements for membership
House of Representatives- 25 years old, citizen of U.S. for 7 years, legal resident of state
Senate- 30 years old, citizen of U.S. for 9 years, legal resident of state

The House has 435 Reps
Why such an odd number?
Fixed by statute in 1929.
Constitutional requirement that the House be based on population leads to reapportionment/redistricting every 10 years.

Apportionment and Redistricting
The Constitution requires that all Americans be counted every ten years by a census.
The census determines the representation in the House of Representatives.
Redistricting is done by state legislatures and, of course, always has political overtones.

When the process is outrageously political, it is called gerrymandering and is often struck down by the courts.

Incumbents tend to be re elected 95% of the time
Because Incumbents enjoy:
Name recognition-free media access
Fundraising is easier as a current member
Franking privilege
Campaign experience
A support staff partially paid for by taxpayers

Many political scientists also attribute the 95% reelection rate to extremely gerrymandered districts
Over the last 20 years districts have increasingly become either Republican or Democrat leaning.

Both sides engage in this practice.

Key Differences
House Senate
Initiate revenue bills
Two-year term
435
Formal
Specialist
Tax policy
Advise and consent
Six-year term
100
Relaxed
Generalist
Foreign policy

Seats by party (113th Congress, 2012-2014)
House of Representatives
Democrats: 200 Republicans: 233
+2 vacant
Senate Democrats:53 Republicans: 45
+ 2 Independent who caucus with the Democrats
Joe Lieberman of CT and Bernie Sanders of VT.

Minnesota’s Congressional Districts

Minnesota’s Congressional Delegation
U.S. Senate
Al Franken (D)
Amy Klobuchar (D)
U.S. House of Representatives
Tim Walz (D-1st)
John Kline (R-2nd)
Erik Paulsen (R-3rd)
Betty McCollum (D-4th)
Keith Ellison (D-5th)
Michelle Bachman (R-6th)
Collin Peterson (D-7th)
Rick Nolan (D-8th)

How Congress is Organized
Every two years, a new Congress is seated.
The first order of business is the election of leaders and adoption of new rules.
Both houses of Congress are organized on the basis of party for both leadership and committee purposes.

Congressional Leadership
The officers in the House of Representatives and Senate vary in title and power.

In the House of Representatives
The most important position is Speaker of the House. Currently held by Republican John Boehner of OH.

Other officers of the House
Majority Leader Majority Whip
Eric Cantor VA (R) Kevin McCarthy CA (R)

Minority Leader Minority Whip
Nancy Pelosi CA (D) Steny Hoyer MD (D)

Leader of the Senate
VP Joe Biden President Pro Temp
Patrick Leahy-VT (D)

Senate Majority Leader Majority Whip
Harry Reid NV (D) Richard Durbin IL (D)

Minority Leader Minority Whip
Mitch McConnell KY (R) John Kyl AZ (R)

Much of the day to day work in Congress is done in Committees
The committees vary in power and prestige.
For members of Congress assignment to a preferred committee is an important incentive.
Assignment to a less favored committee can be a punishment.

Types of
Congressional Committees
Standing Committee: continues from one Congress to the next.
Special or Select Committees: temporary committees designed for a specific purpose. May or may not become a standing committee.

Some committees have members from both houses.
Joint Committee: set up to expedite business between the two houses.
Conference committee: special joint committees that resolve differences in bills passed by either house.

The Law-Making
Function of Congress
Only a member of the House or Senate may introduce a bill but anyone can write a bill.
Over 9,000 bills are proposed and fewer than 5 to 10% are enacted.
Today, most bills originate in the Executive Branch.

A bill must survive three stages to become a law:
1. Committees and subcommittees
2. The floor vote
3. The conference committee.
A bill can die at any stage.

Concerns a member of Congress must balance
Constituent Casework
Party Commitments
Policy work
Re Election

Congress and the President
Especially since the 1930s, the president has seemed to be more powerful than Congress.
However, Congress retains several key powers vis-a-vis the president:
funding powers
oversight
impeachment/removal

Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch
Examples:
Committee Hearings
Congressional Investigations
Annual Budget fight
The War Powers Act of 1973