Political science

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112thCongress.pptx

Congress

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

House Standing Committees

Subcommittees of the Armed Services Committee

U.S. Senate: Committees

Finance Committee Subcommittees

Fragmentation – cont’d

central coordination becomes difficult: herding cats