Congress

How a Bill Becomes a Law (A bill that starts in the House of Representatives)

House of Rep.

A bill is sponsored and given a title and

a number.

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

The Bill is sent to Senate

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

How a Bill Becomes a Law (A bill that starts in the House of Representatives)

House of Rep. The Bill is sent to Senate

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

The Bill is discussed in a conference

committee

The Bill is sent to the President

2/3 override by both houses

How a Bill Becomes a Law (A bill that starts in the Senate)

Senate

A bill is sponsored and given a title and

a number.

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

The Bill is sent to HOR

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

How a Bill Becomes a Law (A bill that starts in the Senate)

House of Rep. The Bill is sent to HOR

The Bill is Sent to a Committee.

The Bill is discussed on the floor

The Bill is discussed in a conference

committee

The Bill is sent to the President

2/3 override by both houses

How a Bill Becomes a Law (short version)

Bill introducedSent to

committee

Floor Action

Next House

Conference Committee

President

House of Representatives

435 members

2 year terms

new congress every of odd year

Speaker of the House- runs the debates in the house

2009 Speaker of the House- Nancy Pelosi 2009 House Majority Leader- Steny Hoyer

2009 House Minority Leader- John Boehner

Senate100 members

6 year term

1/3 of senate elected every 2 years

Vice President presides over the Senate

Pres. Pro temp- presides over the Senate when the VP isn’t there.

Vice President- Joe BidenPresident- Pro Temp.- Robert Byrd

Majority Floor leader- Harry Reid

Our Representation for PA. District 8

Senator- Arlen Spector Senator Robert Casey Jr.

District 8 Rep. Patrick Murphy

Types of billsBill- Public Bill law that applies to the whole nation, private bills apply to only certain people or places. Presidential signature needed.

Joint resolutions- temporary proposal that has power of law, also used during the Amendment process.

Concurrent resolutions- Do not have the power of law, do not require presidential signatures. Congress uses them to state a position

Resolutions- deal with matters concerning only the house- don’t have the power of law.

Standing committee- permanent groups divided into subject

Joint committees- members of both houses

Rules committees- HOR – “traffic Cop”- decide which bills are heard. They can slow down, speed up, delay, or prevent a bill from being heard.

Special committees- Committees set up for special purposes

Conference committees- Both House and Senate

Seniority rules- Seniority very important in Congress.

Testimony and influence- lobbyist, interest groups, and experts

Committee action- kill it, amendment it- send to floor, rewrite it- send to floor, send to floor as is recommend defeat or approval/engrossed

Committees

Floor action HORCommittee as a whole- House acts a committee, they only need 100 members to be present to make decisions

Debate rules- time limits on speech

Quorum- majority (218) for the House to make decisions

voting methods – simple majority

Floor action of Senate

Senate- no limit on speech, except 2 speech rule per day

filibuster

Cloture

60/100

The PresidentVeto- Congressional override by 2/3 vote in both houses

Sign into law

Sit on it for 10 days

pocket veto