CongresS

CONGRESSDo They Represent?

HOUSE SENATE 435 Members “close to the people” Elected popularly;

every 2 years Constituencies are

more homogenous Less apt to seek

compromise More partisan More rules Revenue Bills

100 Members “saucer that cools

the tea” Elected every 6

years, staggered terms (formerly by

state legislators) Constituencies are more heterogeneous

More apt to seek compromise

Less partisan Fewer rules

Advise and Consent

113th Congress:A Profile

House of Representatives: 232 Republicans 206 Democrats (including 5 delegates and the

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico) 3 Vacant Seats Average Age:

57 Occupations:

Business, public service, law Education:

93% Bachelor’s Degree Average Length of Service:

9.1 years

Senate: 45 Republicans 53 Democrats 2 Independents (who caucus with Dems) Average Age:

62 Occupations:

Law, public service, business Education:

99% Bachelor’s Degree Average Length of Service:

10.2 years

Overall, Members of Congress Religion:

98% are affiliated 56% are Protestant 31% are Catholic 6.2% are Jewish Other religions represented: Mormon, Muslim, Hindu, Christian

Science, Quaker Gender:

18.7% are female Ethnicity:

8.3% are African American, 6.9% are Hispanic, 2.4% are Asian, 2 members are American Indians

Military Service: 20% have served or are currently serving

Trends:

Colorado Congressional Districts

Trend 1: Incumbents are usually reelected

Doug Lamborn (since 2006)

Joel Hefley (‘86 – ’06)

District 5 was created in 1973, and has never voted Democratic

Colorado Senators

Michael Bennet (D)

Mark Udall (D)

The Incumbency Advantage

Incumbents are re-elected 90% of the time – Why?Catering to the constituencyPork Barrel LegislationFranking PrivilegeCasework

Fundraising is easier90% of PAC money goes to incumbents

Redistricting is more favorable to incumbents

Last Five Election Cycles:

Campaign Expenditures, By Decade

PAC Contributions

Fewer Swing Districts

Pitfalls of Incumbency Paying the price of the presidency – The

president’s party generally loses seats in the midterm election

Trend 2: Party leaders have gained more power over time

John Boehner, R/OHSpeaker of the House

Harry Reid, D/NVMajority Leader, Senate

Leadership House and Senate are organized along

party lines

* Indicates that the chamber was not controlled by the president’s party.

HOUSE LEADERSHIP Speaker of the House Second most powerful federal official

Speaks first Recognizes other members Chooses chairs and committee

members on the House Rules Committee

Assigns bills to committees Assigns members to conference

committees Majority Whip

Generates support for bills

SENATE LEADERSHIP Majority Party Leader: Most powerful VP presides over the Senate; breaks

ties President Pro-Tempore presides in

the absence of the VPLargely honorary (held by most

senior mp senator)

Trend 3: Most of the work is done in committee/subcommittee

Standing Committees

COMMITTEES Standing committees are permanent

35-40 members per committee in the House Half the size in the Senate Most have subcommittees = specialization

Select committees Not necessarily permanent

Joint committees Members of both houses

Conference committees Joint committee that works out differences in

bills

Committee Jurisdiction Bills must be referred to the

proper committee because each committee has jurisdiction over a certain policy area

Turf wars

Committee Membership Fixed number of seats Majority party holds most of them

(ratio same as in H or S) House members serve on 2; Senators

4 Members are appointed by a special

committee Each committee has a chairperson;

usually based on seniority

Committee v. Party Committees decentralize

power; Parties centralize power

Congress does three main things:

Makes laws Represents Oversight