Congress
How is Congress Organized?
Vocabulary
• Congress – the legislative branch of the US Gov’t
• Joint Session – Senate and House meeting together
• Bicameral – a 2 house legislature
• Census- population count, done every 10 years in
the US
• Congressional Districts – areas represented by an
elected representative
• Congressmen / Congresswomen – elected
representatives for the House of Representative
• Constituents – people represented by an elected
representative
• Gerrymander – an oddly shaped district designed to
increase the voting strength of a particular group
• Senator – elected members of the senate
• Majority Party – The political party to which more
than ½ the members of the Senate or House of
Representatives belong
• Minority Party – The political party that makes up
less than ½ of the members of the Senate or
House
• Speaker of the House – most powerful leader
within the House of Representatives
• President pro tempore – a person who fills in
as leader of a group
• Floor Leaders – leaders in the Senate and
House that try to make sure Congress passes
laws that benefit their political party
• Bill – a formal presentation of an idea for a law
• Party Whips – help floor leaders by keeping track of
where other party members stand on issues
• Committee – a small group of people working
together on a specific task
• Standing Committee- permanent committee that
works together session after session
• Select Committee – a small group of people that
work on a specific task until their work is finished
then they disband
• Joint Committee – members of both the Senate and
the House work together in a small group
• Conference Committee – help the House and
Senate agree on the details of a proposed law
• Seniority – Years of service
I. Terms of Congress
• Terms of Congress set in Article 1 of the US
Constitution (meant to be the strongest
branch of gov’t)
• Each Congressional Term Starts on January 3
of odd numbered years and lasts 2 years
• Each Term is given a number
- Congress that started in Jan. 2013 is
known as the 113th Congress
I. Terms of Congress (Continued)
• Each term is divided into 2 sessions
- Sessions are ran between January and
November
- Special sessions are called in times of
crisis
- Joint sessions are when the Senate and
the House of Representatives meet at the
same time.
- happens when the President gives his
“State of the Union” address
II. Bicameral Legislature:
House of Representatives
• 435 voting members
- number per state is determined by
the population of the state, according
to the census
- States are split into Congressional
Districts
- Districts are drawn to attempt to
have an even amount of people
II. Bicameral Legislature:
House of Representatives (Continued)
• Gerrymandering the congressional
districts can allow a particular voting
group to gain control of an area
• Each Congressman or Congresswoman
serves 2 years and then is up for
re-election.
–Unlimited terms
II. Bicameral Legislature:
House of Representatives (Continued)
• Pennsylvania 19 seats in 2013
- The Greater Hazleton Area is located in
Districts 11 and 17
- District 11 = Congressman Lou Barletta (R)
- District 17 = Congressman Matthew
Cartwright (D)
• Representatives are able to focus on the
needs of their district, are closer to their
constituents than Senators
II. Bicameral Legislature:
Senate (Continued)
• 100 voting members
- 2 from each state
- Both senators represent the entire state
• Senators serve 6 year terms
- Unlimited Terms
- Elections are set so that no more than 1/3
of the senators are up for re-election at
one time.
II. Bicameral Legislature:
Senate (Continued)
• US Senators Representing PA
- Senator Pat Toomey (R)
- Senator Bob Casey Jr. (D)
III. Congressional Leaders
House of Representatives
• Republicans currently hold the Majority of the
House
• Majority Party in the House of Representatives
holds a meeting to choose the Speaker of the
House, Leader of the House of Representatives
• Speaker of the House
- Current Speaker of the House = John Boehner (R)
- experienced member of the majority party
- in charge of floor debates
- 3rd in line for President of the United States
III. Congressional Leaders (Continued)
Senate
• Democrats Currently hold the majority in
the Senate
• The Vice-President is the leader of the
Senate
- Only votes in case of a tie
- Rarely attends sessions of Senate, and is
filled in for by a President pro tempore
III. Congressional Leaders
(Continued)
• Floor leaders and Party Whips
work together to pass laws that
are in the interest of their
political parties
IV. Committees: Little Legislatures
• Bills are reviewed in smaller groups,
committees, before they are introduced
to the floor for all of congress to hear and
vote on.
- Committees dealing with complex
issues are made even smaller by the
committees forming sub-committees
IV. Committees: Little Legislatures
(Continued)
• Committee Chairperson – in charge of committee
- decides what laws to hear in committee
- decides if sub-committees need to be formed
- decides who serves on sub-committees
• Congressmen and Senators are chosen for
committees based on the following factors:
- Expertise
- Party Loyalty
- Preference
- Seniority
IV. Committees: Little Legislatures
(Continued)
• 4 types of Committees
- Standing
- Select
- Joint
- Conference