Chapter 6.1

How Congress is Organized

Terms of Congress

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution intended the legislative branch to be the most powerful branch.

Each term starts January 3 of odd-numbered years and lasts two years. Each term has two sessions.

Congress holds special sessions in times of crisis. A joint session occurs when both houses meet together, such as for the president’s State of the Union address.

A Bicameral Legislature

The Great Compromise established Congress as a two-part, or bicameral, body.

The House of Representatives has 435 voting members, allotted to the states by population. After each census, or population count taken by the Census Bureau, Congress adjusts the number of representatives given to each state.

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States are divided into districts, with one representative elected from each district. The states draw districts to include roughly the same number of constituents, or people represented. Some abuse the process by drawing a gerrymander, or oddly shaped district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group.

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House members focus on the concerns of their districts.

The Senate has 100 members – two from each state. Senators represent their entire state. They serve six-year terms. Elections are staggered to ensure some stability.

Congressional Leaders

In both houses, the political party to which more than half the members belong is the majority party. The other party is the minority party. Party members choose their leaders at the beginning of each term.

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The Speaker of the House is the most powerful leader in the House of Representatives. The Speaker always belongs to the majority party. The Speaker is in charge of floor debates and influences most House business. If something happened to the president and vice president, the Speaker would become president.

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The leader of the Senate is technically the vice president, who rarely attends and votes only in case of a tie. The person who actually acts as the chairperson is the president pro tempore. The majority party fills this mostly ceremonial position.

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Powerful floor leaders try to make sure the laws Congress passes are in the best interest of their own party. They speak for their parties on the issues and try to sway votes. Party “whips” help by keeping track of where their party members stand on issues and rounding them up for key votes.

Committees: Little Legislatures

The detailed work of lawmaking is done in committees. Each house has permanent standing committees that continue their work from session to session. Most are divided into smaller subcommittees that deal with specialized issues.

Both houses also have select committees that are created to do a special job for a limited period. They disband after completing their task.

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Joint committees include members of both houses. Temporary conference committees help the House and Senate agree on the details of a proposed law.

Members of Congress try to get assigned to important committees that affect the people who elected them. Party leaders make committee assignments based on members’ preferences, expertise, party loyalty and seniority, or years of service.

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Members with the most seniority usually get the preferred committee spots. The most senior members from the party traditionally become chairpersons. Chairpersons of standing committees are the most powerful members of Congress.