Phase I: Introduction to Congress
February 13th , 2013 (2.20.14)
Part 1: Who’s In Congress?
demographics - selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research;
commonly-used demographics include race, age, level of education, gender, religion, political
affiliation and occupation.
1) Use Student Handout 1: Demographic Profile 111th Congress.
a.
Identify at least five demographical characteristics of a typical representative in the 111th Congress based on the data
above.
b. List three groups of people who might have reason to question whether or not the Congress adequately represents their
interests.
c. Can a legislative body make decisions that are in the best interest of the whole if that legislative body does not
truly reflect the whole? Explain with evidence from handout 1.
Fun Facts (research on your own)
2) The House of Representatives has _____ members. There are _____ representatives from my state. I live in the
__________ district and my representative is __________?
Since Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms, one session of Congress lasts
two years. Each two-year session has a number. The current session is the ________Congress, which began
January 20____. It ends on __________?
3) Do the math, what session of Congress would have the Contract with America been signed? _____
Part 2: Differences between House and Senate.
4) Using the information from Student Handout 2 complete the Comparison Chart in Student Handout 3.
5) Read the green box on pg. 318 of your textbook and identify two other differences.
 __________
 __________
Part 3: Scavenger Hunt: Party Leadership (Google)
6) Every two years the Speaker of the House of Representatives is elected by the _____________ party.
7) Currently, the ______________ Party has the most seats in the House of Representatives.
8) Complete Student Handout 4a-b by using the website sources AND pages 297-299 in your textbook. Once this is
finished please complete Activity A individually.
Activity A: Assume your entire class are Republicans. Using your knowledge of each leadership position,
choose a member from your class who would fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the Top three leaders in the
House. Justify your choices!!!
Part 4: Congressional Committees
9) Read Student Handout 5: CRS Report for Congress AND Text book pages 304-308. Use the information to fill
out Student Handout 6
10) Based on that knowledge, match the three picture collages (A,B,C) to the three types of committees they
represent (Student Handout 7) List the reasons why the collage represents the committee.
11) "Congress in session is Congress on public exhibition, whilst Congress in its committee is Congress at work.”
- Woodrow Wilson (1885). Based on what you learned in part 4 Explain.
Part 5: Congressional Caucuses:
12) Using pages 303-304 Define Congressional Caucuses.
13) List, explain and cite examples of four types of Congressional Caucuses.
Part 6: Delegates or Trustees? Who do Members of Congress Represent?
15) Read pages 294-297. After reading, select 1 of the 2 activities to complete. Please see Student Handout 8 & 9 for
examples.
A. Draw a “Sensory Figure” that represents the different explanations of how a Congressperson might vote.
Try to use at least 4 of the 5 senses. Try to create a “6th Sense” and use it to represent an aspect of each
view
B. Create a THREE headed Mutated caricature of a Congressperson. The caricature should incorporate
symbols that reflect the dilemmas a Congressperson will face when trying to decide on how to vote on
certain issues. Tie in references from the text.
16) Why are the terms Delegates and Trustees used to represent the different responsibilities of a Congressperson?
Which is the better fit?
Part 7: Congressional Support
17) Read pages 309-310. What role do Congressional Staff members play in the following?
(a) linking Congressman to constituents,
(b) in the legislative process
(c) dealing with lobbyist,
(d) changing the structure of Congress?
18) Define both the GAO and the CBO. Which one is most essential to government? Explain
19. Which quote or cartoon is
the best description of Congress?
WHY
Churchill's remark that
"democracy is the worst
system devised by the wit
of man, except for all the
others," still rings true.
"Suppose you were an idiot ... And suppose you were a member of
Congress... But I repeat myself."
--Mark Twain
I’m so confused! If the opposite of “pro”
is “con,” does that mean that the opposite
of progress is Congress?
Student Handout 1
Demographic
Categories
Party Association:
Democrats
Republicans
Independents
Median Age:
Gender:
Men
Women
Education (college)
Religion:
Protestants
Catholics
Jews
Muslims
Other/None
Ethnicity:
Whites
Hispanics
African Americans
Asian Americans
Native Americans
Military Service:
Occupation:
Lawyers
Businesspersons
Public Officials
Educators
Length of Service
House of
Representatives
Senate
General Population
(2001 stats)
256
178
0
57
56
41
2
63
48%
26%
26%
36.6
82%
18% (78)
95% college educated
83%
17% (17)
HR & S combined
48.6%
51.4%
36.6%
59%
28%
7%
>1% (1)
>1%
53%
25%
13%
0%
9%
56.1%
25.9%
1.4%
0.6%
16%
84%
6% (28)
10% (41)
>1% (9)
>1% (1)
25% (96)
94%
3% (3)
1% (1)
2% (2)
0%
25% (25)
67%
14.8%
13.4%
4.4%
>1%
10% (approximate)
50% (215)
37% (162)
20% (109 combined
19% (82)
11 yrs. (5.5 terms)
58% (58)
26% (26)
HR & S)
14% (14)
12.9 yrs. (2.2 terms)
0.5%
9.9%
NA
4.6%
N/A
Student Handout 2
House
Senate
435 members; 2 yr terms
100 members; 6 yr terms
Low turnover
Moderate turnover
Speaker bill referral hard
to challenge
Referral decisions easily
challenged
Scheduling/rules
controlled by majority
party; powerful Rules
Committee
Debate limited to 1 hour
Scheduling/rules agreed
to by majority & minority
leaders
Members policy
specialists
Members policy
generalists
Emphasizes tax &
revenue policy
Emphasizes foreign
policy
More formal &
impersonal
More informal &
personal
Unlimited debate unless
cloture invoked
House v. Senate
House
Senate
Student Handout 3
Reason(s)
Why did the Founders create the
difference?
Student Handout 4a
Party Leadership
Directions – Your task is to research the major leadership positions in the House and Senate and include the following information in the
table below: 1) identify the current leader, her/his party and state, 2) briefly describe the major roles and responsibilities of each position.
The websites below are excellent resources:
http://www.ushistory.org/gov/6b.asp
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/leaders/LRDRoles.htm#pos
http://www.congresslink.org/print_basics_leadershippositions.htm
http://www.house.gov/leadership/
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm
House of Representatives Leadership - 113th Congress
LEADERSHIP
POSITION
Speaker of the
House
House
Majority
Leader
House
Majority Whip
House
Minority
Leader
House
Minority
Whip
CURRENT
LEADER
ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES
Student Handout 4b
Senate Leadership - 113th Congress
LEADERSHIP
POSITION
President of the
Senate
President Pro
Tempore
Senate Majority
Leader
Senate Minority
Leader
Senate Majority
Whip
Senate Minority
Whip
CURRENT
LEADER
ROLES/RESPONSIBLITIES
Student Handout 5
Committee Types and Roles
Valerie Heitshusen
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Structure of the Committee System
Congress divides its legislative, oversight, and internal administrative tasks among more than 200 committees
and subcommittees. Within assigned areas, these functional subunits gather information; compare and evaluate
legislative alternatives; identify policy problems and propose solutions; select, determine, and report measures for full
chamber consideration; monitor executive branch performance (oversight); and investigate allegations of
wrongdoing. For more information on legislative process, (http://www.crs.gov/products/guides/guidehome.shtml].1)
The 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act (60 Stat. 812) sets the framework for the modern committee system.
The act organized the Senate and House committees along roughly parallel lines, but divergences have emerged over
time. Within the guidelines of chamber rules, each committee adopts its own rules addressing organizational, structural,
and procedural issues. As a consequence, there is considerable variation among panels and across chambers.
Following organizational meetings at the beginning of the 110th Congress, there were 20 standing committees in
the House with 97 subcommittees, and two select committees. The Senate has 16 standing committees with 72
subcommittees, as well as four select or special committees with no subcommittees. In addition there are four joint
committees. CRS-2
Types of Committees
There are four main types of committees: standing, select or special, joint, and conference.
Standing committees are permanent panels identified as such in chamber rules (House Rule X, Senate Rule
XXV). Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend
measures for consideration by their respective chambers. They also have oversight responsibility to monitor agencies,
programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions.
Most standing committees recommend funding levels — authorizations — for government operations and for
new and existing programs. A few have other functions. For example, the Appropriations Committees recommend
legislation to provide budget authority for federal agencies and programs. The Budget Committees establish aggregate
levels for total spending and revenue, via the annual budget resolution, that serve as guidelines for the work of the
authorizing and appropriating panels.
Select or special committees are established generally by a separate resolution of the chamber, sometimes to
conduct investigations and studies, and, on other occasions, also to consider measures. Often, select committees examine
emerging issues that do not fit clearly within existing standing committee jurisdictions, or which cut across jurisdictional
boundaries. A select committee may be permanent or temporary. Select committees may have certain restrictions on
member tenure or may include certain specified representatives (e.g., party leaders or certain standing committee chairs)
as ex officio members. Instead of select, the Senate sometimes uses the term special committee (e.g., the Special
Committee on Aging).
Joint committees are made up of Members of both the House and Senate. Today’s joint committees are
permanent panels that conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks rather than consider measures. For instance, the
Joint Committee on Printing oversees the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures
of the federal government. The chairmanship of joint committees usually alternates between the House and Senate.
A conference committee is a temporary joint committee formed to resolve differences between competing House
and Senate versions of a measure. Conference committees draft compromises between the positions of the two
chambers, which are then submitted to the full House and Senate for approval.
Student Handout 6
Committee
Type
Standing
Committee
Subcommittee
Select or
Special
Committee
Joint
Committee
Conference
Committee
Description
House Examples
Senate Examples
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 7
Student Handout 8