Chapter 10

Congress

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Congress

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Congress’s Place in Our Constitutional System

• Bicameralism – the system of having two chambers within one legislative body, like the House and the Senate in the U.S. Congress.

Two-year terms in the HouseSix-year terms in the Senate

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Women and Minorities in Congress

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Fenno’s Concentric Circles

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The Job of a Member of Congress

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Congressional Behavior and Voter Behavior

• Voters are typically not informed enough to monitor their representatives.

• However, members of Congress behave as if voters were fully informed, because any issue might become salient in the next election.

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Understanding Congressional (In)action

• Gridlock – an inability to enact legislation because of partisan conflict within Congress or between Congress and the President

• Electoral Connection – the idea that congressional behavior is centrally motivated by members’ desire for

re-election

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North Carolina Redistricting, 1992

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Origins of the Incumbency Advantage

• Gerrymandering – attempting to use the process of redrawing district boundaries to benefit a political party, protect incumbents, or change the proportion of minority voters in a district

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House Incumbency Re-election Rates, 1948–2012

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Senate Incumbency Re-election Rates, 1948–2012

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Elections and Member Behavior

• Home style: a Congressperson’s way of relating to their district

• Many Members of Congress (MCs) are called the “Tuesday-to-Thursday club” because they spend so little time in Washington.

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Casework (“Constituency Service”)

• Constituency service includes:– Using the franking privilege to stay in touch with

voters– Doing casework to help voters with large

federal bureaucracy

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Informal Norms

• Universalism: As many districts as possible should reap rewards or legislative benefits.

• Reciprocity (logrolling): “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.”

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Informal Norms (continued)

• Specialization: Members become experts on specific issues; this helps members claim credit.

• Seniority: maintains order and helps incumbents win re-election.

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The Structure of Congress

• The Speaker, Majority Leaders, and Whips are decided by straight party-line vote.

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Party Votes in Congress, 1962–2011

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Party Unity in Congress, 1962–2011

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The Committee System

• Standing Committee - permanent part of the House or Senate structure with more authority than other committees

• Select Committee – created to address a specific issue

• Joint Committee - contain members of both houses but with limited authority

• Conference Committee - created to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of legislation

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Congressional Rules

• Open Rules – allows the addition of relevant amendments to a bill

• Closed Rules – prohibits the addition of amendments to a bill

• Modified rules – allows certain amendments to a bill while barring others

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How a Bill Becomes a Law

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Oversight

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Reforming Congress

• Potential reforms include:– Term limits– Filibuster reform– Strengthening parties– Campaign finance reform

• Many of these have either been tried and have not worked as planned or are under debate as to their merits.

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Comparing Ourselves To Others

PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD

HOUSE FLOOR*† SENATE FLOOR*†HOUSE BILL SENATE BILL

SPEAKER OF HOUSE RECEIVES BILL

PRESIDENT OF SENATE

RECEIVES BILL

COMMITTEE*† COMMITTEE*†

SUBCOMMITTEE*† SUBCOMMITTEE*†

RULES COMMITTEE*†

MAJORITY LEADER*†

PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD

HOUSE AMENDS SENATE BILL*†

SENATE AMENDS HOUSE BILL†

HOUSE FLOOR*† SENATE FLOOR*†

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE*†

CONFERENCE REPORT*†

ADOPTION BY BOTH HOUSES†

HOUSE APPROVESSENATE AMENDMENT†

SENATE APPROVESHOUSE AMENDMENT†

PASSING LEGISLATION: THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD

WHITE HOUSE*†

VETO APPROVE

HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR†

VETO OVERRIDE

LAW

DEVIATIONS FROM THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD: AN EXAMPLE

THE 2010 AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA)

In the House, 3 committees crafted the bill. 5 committees worked on the Senate version.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi assumed a central role in shaping the final bill, adding things

that weren’t in the committee version.

After a deadlock between two committees, Majority Leader Harry Reid pushed

through a merged version of the bill, adding things

that weren’t in the committee version.

President Obama was intensely involved. The White House held daily meetings with the committees.

DEVIATIONS FROM THE CONVENTIONAL METHOD: AN EXAMPLE

Floor Action Floor Action

No conference committee. Instead, committee leaders, White House staff, and party leadership negotiated the details of the bill.

The Senate version of the bill was passed by the House, but then

the House also passed a separate reconciliation bill that included many amendments to the Senate version.

That reconciliation bill was then passed by the Senate.

President Obama signed the ACA into law.

PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ!

1. A conference committee’s job is to

a. draft an original bill.b. determine whether a bill should be considered by

Congress.c. determine whether a bill is constitutional.d. reconcile differences between House and Senate

versions of a bill.e. convince the president to sign the bill.

PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ!

1. A conference committee’s job is to

a. draft an original bill.b. determine whether a bill should be considered by

Congress.c. determine whether a bill is constitutional.d. reconcile differences between House and

Senate versions of a bill.e. convince the president to sign the bill.

PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ!

2. One way the passage of the ACA differed from the conventional process is that

a. committees were not involved.b. President Obama and party leaders were directly

involved in shaping the bill.c. no floor action took place.d. only one house voted on the bill.e. the president signed it into law.

PASSING LEGISLATION: POP QUIZ!

2. One way the passage of the ACA differed from the conventional process is that

a. committees were not involved.b. President Obama and party leaders were

directly involved in shaping the bill.c. no floor action took place.d. only one house voted on the bill.e. the president signed it into law.

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Public Opinion Poll

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?

a) Strongly approve

b) Approve

c) Disapprove

d) Strongly disapprove

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Do you approve or disapprove of the way your member of Congress is handling his or her job?

a) Strongly approve

b) Approve

c) Disapprove

d) Strongly disapprove

Public Opinion Poll

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Do you believe we should have term limits for members of Congress?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

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Do you believe state legislatures should consider the racial makeup of a district when redistricting?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

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Do you think it is important that the demographics of Congress represent the social, racial, and economic demographics of the country?

a) Yes

b) No

Public Opinion Poll

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When members of Congress cast a vote, which of the following factors should typically most influence their decision?

a) The interests of the country as a whole

b) The interests of their district or state

Public Opinion Poll

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Which of the following do you believe should be the most influential factor in the voting decisions of members of Congress?

a) The preferences of their constituents

b) The preferences of the president

c) The preferences of the members’ party leadership

d) The members’ own ideology

Public Opinion Poll

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Chapter 10: Congress

• Practice quizzes

• Flashcards

• Outlines

wwnorton.com/studyspace

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Following this slide, you will find additional slides with photos, figures, and captions from the textbook.

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