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Congressional Organization - Coggle Diagram
Congressional Organization
House of Representatives
qualifications = To be elected, a representative must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years and an inhabitant of the state he or she represents.
Terms - All House members are elected for two years. All members stand for reelection in the general election during even years and begin serving the first day of the legislative session following the general election (the second Monday of January).
Leadership -
Speaker of the house
majority leader
Majority Whip
committee chairs
minority leader
minority whip
Powers - The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an electoral college tie.
How Districts Are Determined - The Census data is then used to determine congressional districts, areas in the state from which representatives are elected to the House.
"Cracking" involves spreading voters of a particular type among many districts in order to deny them a sufficiently large voting bloc in any particular district.
"Packing" is concentrating many voters of one type into a single electoral district to reduce their influence in other districts.
Gerrymandering manipulates the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.
Senate
Terms- A senator's term of office is six years and approximately one-third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years.
Powers- The Senate takes action on bills, resolutions, amendments, motions, nominations, and treaties by voting.
qualifications - The Constitution sets three qualifications for service in the U.S. Senate, at least thirty years of age, U.S. citizenship for at least nine years, and residency in the state a senator represents at time of election.
Leadership
senate
president of the house (vice president)
President Pro Tempore (senior Ranking Member of the Majority party )
Senate Minority Leader
Senate minority whip
Senate Majority Leader
Senate Majority whip
100 senators (100 From each state)
How a Bill Becomes a Law Process
open rule allows for amendments, makes it much less likely for a bill to pass because opponents of the bill can add clauses that make it hard for the bill's proponents to vote
close rule does not allow for amendments
3.senate version goes to the house
2once it wins a majority in the committee it moves onto the floor of the senate for full consideration
4.goes to the rules committee
1.The first step on how a bill becomes a law starts with a congress man or woman introduces a bill, which may come from the ideas and help of an interest group.
5.goes to the house
6.goes to the conference committee
conference committee sends out a compromise bill for both houses to agree upon again
8.if agreed upon by both houses it goes to the president for signing
10.if the president signs it, it becomes a law
Elections
In Article I Section 4, the US Constitution says, "The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations"
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen.
4 Types of Committees
Agriculture
The House Committee on Agriculture has legislative jurisdiction over agriculture, food, rural development, and forestry.
Aging
The Senate Special Committee on Aging conducts a continuing study of issues related to older Americans such as health, income, lifestyle, and more.
Armed Services
The Senate Committee on Armed Services has legislative jurisdiction over military and defense.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
The Senate Committee on Agriculture has legislative jurisdiction over agriculture, food, and nutrition.
What defines casework for a Representative
Activities of members of congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get.
Tools used by members during the Law Process
There are multiple tools used by congress but the most popular are Pork Barreling, Filibuster, Mark Up
these tools are used in the process of passing laws, it could delay the passing or it could speed it up. used to edit too
Pork barrel: The mighty list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities, business, colleges, and institutions available in a congressional district
filibuster: Informal term for any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter by debating it at length, by offering numerous procedural motions, or by any other delaying or obstructive actions.
markup : The process by which congressional committees and subcommittees debate, amend, and rewrite proposed legislation. act.
What are Congressional Support Organizations?
They are part of the legislative branch provide services that help Congress carry out its powers. They are usually on the back end doing research
The three legislative branch agencies, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
What is the staff like in Congress?
the role of the staff is to manage, implement and carry out work that helps the organization achieve its mission/overall purpose.