3/16/2016

Steven Tsay
Ap US gov
Chapter

Congressional election have a local orientation and usually and usually

result in the reelection of the incumbent
Leadership in congress is provided by party leaders, including the
speaker if the house and the senate majority leader
The work of Congress is done mainly through its committees and subcommittees, each of which has its own leadership and its designated
policy jurisdiction
Congress lacks the central direction and hierarchical organization
required to provide consistent leadership on major national policies,
which has allowed the president to assume this role. On the other
hand, Congress is well organized to handle policies of narrower scope
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have become more polarized
in recent decades with legislative deadlock and delay among the
consequences

Congresss policymaking role is based on three major functions:

lawmaking, representation, and oversight
1. Congress incumbents benefit job prospects
a. Incumbents 90% change to get re-elected
b. Service strategy: taking care of constituents
c. Cater to constituency: people residing incumbents state or district
i. Get funding for heir states Pork- pork barrel spending
1. Federal funding for specific project in state or district
ii. Service strategy: incumbents respond to individual
constituents request
iii. Public relations constituency service took priority
iv. Funds
1. House 800000 a year- 18 members staf
2. Senators 2 to 4 million based on population
a. Thirty to fifty members
b. Frank free trip back to home and free mailings
3. Allow incumbents to build name recognition
d. Campaign fundraising
i. Cost allow usually a few million- incumbents get more
donation because of the name recognition
ii. PAC donations, individual donations, mailing lists
e. Open seat election- no incumbent, more heavy spending and strong
candidates from each party
f. Redistricting
i. Incumbents get to draw new districts

1. State legislatures get to redraw house election districts

ii. Every decade population census, relocated seats proportional
to the population for house of representative
iii. Gerrymandering- redrawing a district in a way that benefits
(Iowa)
iv.

g. Source http://rangevoting.org/GerryExamples.html
h. Redistricting may damage the incumbents
i. Lose state elections may cause incumbents
ii. Lose seats incumbents redrawn may run against each other
2. Pitfalls of Incumbency
a. Blamed for issues they might necessary control over
b. Scandals- misconducts, get a lot more media attention and potential
for exposure
3. Turnout Variation: the middle election problem
a. More partisan people vote
b. Turnout lower for midterm election
c. Present performance changes national politics( many factors
uncontrollable)
4. Election trends
a. Primary election challengers
i. Primary election usually more polarized, moderate candidates
sufer ( look at the current primaries)
b. General election challengers
i. Incumbents weak against strong candidates that seem
motivated
ii. Senate has wealthy candidates and challengers

iii. House or rep is less prestigious, so strong candidates usually

aim for senate and the presidency
5. Safe incumbency and representation
a. Safe incumbency makes candidates change their policy less more
moderate
6. Who Are the Winners in Congressional Elections?
a. Requirements:
i. House: at least 25 years old, and citizen for 7 years
ii. Senate: at least 30 years old and citizen for 9 years

b. Layers, business people, educated people, sometimes farmers

c. Clerical, blue collar more seldom

d. Ethnicity:
i. Most are white and male
ii. Women only 15% of congressional membership
1. Women and minorities have less money and are less likely to
attempt to run

7. Parties and party leadership

a. Party caucus are closed session for party members
b. Party leaders- individuals that set general policies
i. Vote for leaders start of congressional term caucuses plan
general strategy
ii. More division and loose ideology against two party, more
unified for two party especially national issues
iii. Gradual polarization of parties
iv.

v. Source http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/12/politicalpolarization-in-the-american-public/
vi. Party not as strong and forceful
1. Funding candidate-centric

vii. Current party

a. Speaker: John Boehner (R)

b. Majority: (R)
i. Leader: Eric Cantor
ii. Whip: Kevin McCarthy
c. Minority: (D)
i. Leader: Nancy Pelosi
ii. Whip: Steny Hoyer

viii. House leader- extremely powerful

1. Developing party issues and positions
2. Power to recognize members
3. Choose chairperson and majority party members of
house rules committee
4. Schedule debate of bills
a. Assign bills to diferent commitees
5. House majority leader and whip backup
a. Whip: ensure voting in unison
ix. Senate leaders
1. Heads majority party caucus
2. Forms agenda
3. Chairs policy committee
4. Vice president actual leader
5. Debate is unlimited smaller power
8. Committees and committee leadership
a. Standing committees: responsible for particular areas of the bill
i. Each committee draft rewrite proposal laws
1. Passed to full chamber for vote
2. Sub committees, around 12 members
3. 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act requires that each
bill introduced in Congress be referred to the proper
committee
ii. Select committees: created for a specific time period and
purpose
iii. Joint committee: senate and house
iv. Conference committees: house and senate work together to
work out conflict
v. Conflict jurisdiction- turf war
1. House leader can assign the bill to the committee
vi. Membership in proportion with party seats
1. New prefer efective committees to reach good
performance
2. Old prefer prestigious
vii. Chairperson- schedule meetings, which bills to debate
1. Majority party
2. Seniority based on time in that said committee
a. Can refuse committee to be in session

b. How a bill becomes a law

i. Introduced to house
ii. Assigned bill number
iii. Assigned to subcommittees
iv. Passed on sub go to full committee, then go to champer
v. House sub and full mark up
vi. Senate full mark up
c. House
i. Rules committee determine how long debate will last
1. Also determine if closed rule no amendments or open
rule yes amendments, or if some sections can be
amended
a. Majority party control legislation
b. Amendments must be related to the bill
d. Senate
i. Majority leader schedules bills
ii. Unlimited debate time unless 3/5 vote for closure(filibuster)
iii. Riders- unrelated amendments- allowed
e. Senate and house have to both pass the same identical bills

i. Conference committee formed to resolve diferences between the

two bills
1. Members usually appointed from House and Senate standing
committees that drafted the bill
ii. After that, goes back to full house to receive another vote
1. Can be passed, defeated, or returned to conference, but not
amended

f. President can sign or veto bill

i. If vetoed, 2/3 each chamber can override veto
ii. If president didnt sign or veto in 10 days, law
iii. Pocket veto
1. Congress concludes term president did not sign or veto
g. Congress supported by 3 agencies
i. Congressional budget office
1. Budget impoundment and control act of 1974
a. Economic projection and estimate on costs
ii. Government accountability office
iii. Congressional research service

h.
a. Mitch McConnell senate majority leader