The CongressChapter 13

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“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

James Wilson:

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I. Congresses and ParliamentsA. Congress has more power than Parliaments; can exercise

power independently• Congress=a coming together• Parler=to talk

B. Getting Elected• Parliament—party puts you on ballot; people vote for party as a

whole• loyalty to party a necessity; party chooses prime minister and cabinet

officers

• Congress—run in primary; people vote on issues and candidates; loyalty to constituents a necessity

• Autonomy, independence, and power• 104th Congress (1994)

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II. Structure and Powers of Congress

A. Congress is bicameral.

B. Constitution gives House and Senate similar legislative tasks, though each has powers that are only its own.• Only House has the power of impeachment.

• Only House may introduce appropriations bills

• The Senate must approve major presidential appointments.

• The Senate has power to affirm treaties.

C. Framers intended it to be the dominant institution

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II. Structure and Powers Cont.D. Congress is more decentralized than it once was

—individuals have more power and independence• Party leaders have less control over members

E. Historically, the House has fluctuated between a strong Speaker and a weak one

• It wants to be big and powerful; if individuals have more power, the House is harder to run and has less power

F. Senate was chosen by state legislatures and was called the “millionaires’ club”

• The 17th Amendment (1913)—popular election• The filibuster; Rule 22 (cloture) (60 senators needed)

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II. Structure and Powers Cont.G. Who is in Congress?

• House is less male and less white today• Membership has become a career• Incumbents have great electoral advantage

• Mayhew: Committees, Parties, Offices

• But in 1994, voters opposed incumbents due to budget deficits, various policies, legislative-executive bickering, and scandal

H. Incumbency advantage• Media coverage is higher• Greater name recognition• Members secure policies and programs for their

constituents

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Figure 13.2: Percentage of Incumbents Reelected to Congress

12California State Assembly and Senate Districts

24th District = Elton Gallegly

California Congressional Districts

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California State Assembly and

US House Districts

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California State Senate and

US House Districts

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III. Electing CongressA. Incumbency is the most important factor, but this has not

always been the case. • Being in Congress was not considered a career; low pay, undesirable

place to live, travel was difficult• Today there are fewer freshmen in Congress. This has led to…

B. The debate on term limits• All efforts to impose term limits have failed—constitutional amendment,

state imposed• New district lines—1990 census led to an influx of freshmen• Marginal and Safe districts—Congress has become safer • Incumbency advantage—franking, name, free travel, credit taking

C. Members of Congress are not representative of the U.S. population in terms of demographics.

• Congress is getting less male and less white

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III. Electing Congress

D. Democrats have dominated the Congress• Controlled both houses in 25 out of 33 from 1933-1998• Redistricting—Democratic controlled state legislatures

Legislature, Governor, Courts Reapportionment—every 10 years Malapportionment—unequal districts; Gerrymandering—odd shaped

• Other factors—Democrats run better candidates, campaigns

E. Republican Revolution of 1994• Incumbency disadvantage?

F. Representation• Descriptive Representation (aka Categorical)—demographically

represents a district• Substantive Representation—opinions correspond to members of a

district

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III. Electing CongressG. How do they vote?

• Representational view—they vote to please constituents 30% don’t know their representative; turnout in Midterms—35% Tip O’Neill, “All politics is local.” Poll your parents

• Organizational (aka Party Discipline)—follow cues from their party Logrolling; whip system; committee assignments

• Attitudinal—their own ideology affects how they vote

H. Majority-Minority districts• Shaw v. Reno (1993)—North Carolina district; 14th amendment issue

“equal protection under the law” Race can only be a factor if “compelling government interest” exists Court ruled Unlawful “racial gerrymandering”

I. Two worlds: Washington and their home district/state• Should they vote their conscience or their constituency

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IV. The Congressional Agenda

How do issues get on the congressional agenda?

A. A major event (9/11) or a new technology (cloning) draws attention to a problem

B. Presidential support can also move an issue onto the agenda quickly

C. Congressional party leaders and committee chairs have the best opportunity to influence the agenda.

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V. How does a Bill become a Law?

A. After being introduced, bills go to committee, then subcommittee.

• After bill is passed by committee, it goes to the floor for debate, amendment, and a vote.

• Needs simple majority to pass

B. The President may sign or veto any bill that Congress has passed.

• Congress may override with 2/3 of each chamber

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VI. CommitteesThe workhorses of CongressA. Committees develop and use expertise in specific areasB. Committee types:

• Standing, Joint, Select and Conference

C. Influence on committees grows with seniority and expertise

D. Committee Chair—Senior member of the majority party (usually).

E. Most public policy decision-making takes place in committees and subcommittees

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Committee Practices

The number of committees has varied; significant cuts in number of House committees in 1995, and in the number of House and Senate subcommittees

Majority party has majority of seats on the committees and names the chair

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VII. Party Structure in the Senate

President pro tempore presides; this is the member with most seniority in majority party (a largely honorific office)

Leaders are the majority leader and the minority leader, elected by their respective party members

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Party whips: keep leaders informed, round up votes, count noses

Each party has a policy committee: schedules Senate business, prioritizes bills

Committee assignments are handled by a group of Senators, each for their own party

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Speaker of the House is leader of majority party and presides over HouseMajority leader and minority leader: leaders on the floorParty whips keep leaders informed and round up votesCommittee assignments and legislative schedule are set by each party

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VIII. Republican Revolution1994 brought changes:

Committee chairs hold positions for only 6 yearsReduced the number of committees and subcommitteesThe Speaker dominated the selection of committee chairsThe Speaker set the agenda (Contract with America) and sustained high Republican discipline in 1995

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Congressional Caucuses

Caucus: an association of members of Congress created to advocate a political ideology or a regional or economic interestIntra-party caucuses: members share a similar ideology Personal interest caucuses: members share an interest in an issue Constituency caucuses: established to represent groups, regions or both

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Congressional Staff

Constituency service is a major task of members’ staffLegislative functions of staff include devising proposals, negotiating agreements, organizing hearings, and meeting with lobbyists and administratorsMembers’ staff consider themselves advocates of their employers

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Figure: The Growth in Staffs of Members and

Committees in Congress, 1930-2000

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