R Committees

Tuesday,
March 10, 2009

6:10 PM

Where much of the
work of Congress is done

Rare in other
western democracies

Standing
Committees

Each
with a different subject matter

Have
subcommittees

Hold
markup sessions on a bill

Up
to 75 seats on one committee in the house

Number
of seats change to let members who want to be on one

Thus
number of people on each committee goes up

Number
of seats for each party based on majority

Usually
in ratio with control of the body

Assignments
based on what people ask for

Kinda
based on seniority

Though
freshmen have been bolder to ask for higher posts

If
their reelection has been tough may be given higher posts

Appropriations,
Taxes, and Finance are sought after

Most
try to get something to show helping constituents

Except
this makes it hard to cut wasteful programs in committee

Some
hold stock in companies in the industry they work with

Some
committees have more TV exposure

Committee Chairs

Leader
and most influential

Call
meetings, set agendas, control committee staff and funds

Some
rule committee with an iron fist

Seniority rule

He
who was on committee longest was chair

Started
to decrease power of the speaker

But
the leader might not be liked by his party and may not represent views of
rest of part

Rule
done away with in the 1970s

Each
party now has a steering committee

Still
kinda observed since most senior members have the most experience

Much
more like theior party now

Subcommittees

Chairs
choose subcommittees to get results they want

But
their power was limited in 1973

Diffused
power contributes to gov gridlock

Up
to 7 diff subcommittees work on a bill

House
now limited to 5 subcommittees per committee

Repubs
limit committee chairs to 3 terms

Plus
6 years as members

Typical
senator on 4 committees and 5 subcommittees

Sometimes
conflicting schedules; even possibly not enough for a quorum

Other Committees

Special
committees for a certain purpose or to hold hearings

Conference
committees reconcile bills between house and senate

Task forces

Designed
to bypass committee gridlock

Produce
bills to offer alternatives to committee one

Used
to get legislation through fast

Or
to bypass leadership

Can
break down paralysis

And
also accountability with no hearings and being in private

Evaluating
Committee Government

Allows
gov to consider thousands of bills while not requiring each member to be an
expert in everything

But
also makes them more responsive only to minor interests

And
gain closer relationship with the minority

Legislators,
lobbyists and bureaucrats get to know each other personally and respect the
status quo

More
fragmentation of power

About
half of members are chairs of something

Without
a strong chair each member could hold a piece of legislation hostile

But
it got a lot done in 1995, so it is prob not the committee structure which
holds things up

Common man

Too much relies on
party system - since if majority switches all of the committees switch

The idea that
everyone votes on everything - way of passing is not true - majority controls
formally hammering it out

Minority complains

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R Committees

Tuesday,
March 10, 2009

6:10 PM

Where much of the
work of Congress is done

Rare in other
western democracies

Standing
Committees

Each
with a different subject matter

Have
subcommittees

Hold
markup sessions on a bill

Up
to 75 seats on one committee in the house

Number
of seats change to let members who want to be on one

Thus
number of people on each committee goes up

Number
of seats for each party based on majority

Usually
in ratio with control of the body

Assignments
based on what people ask for

Kinda
based on seniority

Though
freshmen have been bolder to ask for higher posts

If
their reelection has been tough may be given higher posts

Appropriations,
Taxes, and Finance are sought after

Most
try to get something to show helping constituents

Except
this makes it hard to cut wasteful programs in committee

Some
hold stock in companies in the industry they work with

Some
committees have more TV exposure

Committee Chairs

Leader
and most influential

Call
meetings, set agendas, control committee staff and funds

Some
rule committee with an iron fist

Seniority rule

He
who was on committee longest was chair

Started
to decrease power of the speaker

But
the leader might not be liked by his party and may not represent views of
rest of part

Rule
done away with in the 1970s

Each
party now has a steering committee

Still
kinda observed since most senior members have the most experience

Much
more like theior party now

Subcommittees

Chairs
choose subcommittees to get results they want

But
their power was limited in 1973

Diffused
power contributes to gov gridlock

Up
to 7 diff subcommittees work on a bill

House
now limited to 5 subcommittees per committee

Repubs
limit committee chairs to 3 terms

Plus
6 years as members

Typical
senator on 4 committees and 5 subcommittees

Sometimes
conflicting schedules; even possibly not enough for a quorum

Other Committees

Special
committees for a certain purpose or to hold hearings

Conference
committees reconcile bills between house and senate

Task forces

Designed
to bypass committee gridlock

Produce
bills to offer alternatives to committee one

Used
to get legislation through fast

Or
to bypass leadership

Can
break down paralysis

And
also accountability with no hearings and being in private

Evaluating
Committee Government

Allows
gov to consider thousands of bills while not requiring each member to be an
expert in everything

But
also makes them more responsive only to minor interests

And
gain closer relationship with the minority

Legislators,
lobbyists and bureaucrats get to know each other personally and respect the
status quo

More
fragmentation of power

About
half of members are chairs of something

Without
a strong chair each member could hold a piece of legislation hostile

But
it got a lot done in 1995, so it is prob not the committee structure which
holds things up

Common man

Too much relies on
party system - since if majority switches all of the committees switch

The idea that
everyone votes on everything - way of passing is not true - majority controls
formally hammering it out

Minority complains