Political science
HoneybbCongress
Functions of Congress
to make law (lex, legis: legislature)
to debate & deliberate (parler: parliament)
to represent (re-present)
to act as a watchdog (oversight)
to serve constituents
Who Are They? The 112th Congress - Majorities
House: 241 Republicans, 192 Democrats, 2 vacancies
Majorities
Senate: 51 Democrats, 47 Republicans, 2 independents
The 112th Congress - part 2
New Members:
House: 91 21%
Senate:15 15%
Incumbent advantage 1791-2005
House reelection rates
Senate reelection rates
Why do they get reelected?
pork, franking privilege, paid staff, travel allowances; media access for incumbents
Redistricting of House
New Members
Approximately 35% turnover between 2002 and 2008
House: ~65% 1992-2002
Senate: ~60%1991-2004
The 112th - part 3
Demographics: categories overlap!
House | Senate | |
Women 16% (51.3%) | 71 (24R, 47D) | 17 (5R, 12D) |
Blacks 8% (12.7) | 42 (40D 2R) | 0 |
Latinos 5% (14.5) | 27 (8R, 19D) | 2 (1 R, 1D) |
Asians 2% (5) | 9 (8D, 1R) | 2 (2D) |
Native Americans 0.2% (1.4) | 1 (1R) | 0 |
The 112th - part 4
Average Age (36.4)
Senate=62.2
House=56.7
Religion: 99% have religious affiliation
Protestant: 57% (54%)
Roman Catholic: 29% (26%)
Jewish: 7% (1.4%)
Muslim: 0.4%
Top occupations
Law (0.2% in work force)
Public Service/Politics
Business
Education
Immigrants: 8 in House, 1 in Senate; (12.4%)
Education
Bachelor’s degree (27% of age 25+)
92% House
99% Senate
Associate’s degree only: 1%
High school diploma only: 5%
Ph.D.: 3%
Congress - Wealth
≥40% of Senate were millionaires in 2003 (<1% of Americans are millionaires) 10 Senators worth less than $100,000
28% of Representatives were millionaires in 2004
Rank-and-file Representatives & Senators are paid $174,o00/year
Average net worth of incoming members of 112th: $815,000
Are They Representative?
Delegate theory
representative acts in perfect accord with his/her constituents
Trustee theory
representative who relies on his/her independent judgment
Congressional Committees
Party Committees: mainly committee assignments
Special/Select: temporary, special purpose
Joint: bicameral membership
Conference: to resolve bicameral conflicts
Standing: by far the most important
Standing Committees
permanent
fixed membership, leadership, staff
specific jurisdiction
not intended to be representative of all possible interests
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Filibustering in the 20th Century
Filibustering in the 20th Century
Holds
Senate considers business by the use of ‘universal consent’
i.e., if one member object, business can be slowed or halted
Such an objection is known as a ‘hold’
Until 2011, could be done anonymously; so secrecy limited to 2 day
But ‘tag teams’ (2 or more Senators) can still preserve secrecy
Problems
The Problem of Amateurism: vast executive, puny legislative
Congress’s bureaucracy
staff
specialization
Problems
The Problem of Corruption
accepting money, favors for votes
rare compared to other countries
Corruption Perception Index/Transparency International
Congressional responses to corruption
censure: reprimand, reduce seniority, strip chair, fine
expulsion (only 4, all from House)
The Problem of Corruption – cont’d
ethical standards
financial disclosure
honoraria forbidden
surplus campaign funds may be not be spent for personal use
limit on gifts ($200/H, $300/S)
limits on free travel
1 year limit on lobbying Congress after leaving
Problems - part 4
The Problem of Fragmentation: decentralization puts power into committee and subcommittee chairs
Fragmentation – cont’d
central coordination becomes difficult: herding cats