READINGS
U.S. Congress
Over time, many changes have occurred within the U.S. Congress as a result of changes in leadership and political parties, amendments to the Constitution, and the influence of special interest groups. Let's learn about some of the important events in the history of the U.S. Congress.
Some additional historic events include the Federalist Papers, Anti-Federalist Papers, limiting the term of office for the President, establishing the Office of Vice President, the War Powers Act, and gifts to Congress by special interest groups.
Congress is a self-regulating body that applies an Ethics Committee to enforce congressional rules. Changes to the US Congress are documented in an Annotated Constitution. You can learn more about these changes through online research.
Next, let's learn about the powers of the U.S. Congress and its organization.
Under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, legislative authority is granted by the Constitution. You will also find information about representation, voting, meetings, and rules of legislation. Congress convenes every two years on January 3—the 1st was in 1789. Let's learn about the powers of the U.S. Congress.
The number of voting representatives in the House is fixed by law at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.
Third parties rarely have had enough members to elect their own leadership, and independents will generally join one of the larger party organizations to receive committee assignments. The majority party in the House and Senate establishes the rules and controls the legislative agenda.
The U.S. Congress consists of the Senate, which is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, and the House of Representatives, which is the lower house of the U.S. Congress. Let's learn about their organization.
There are many agencies of the U.S. Congress that exist to promote the interests of both its houses. Let’s learn about these agencies.
U.S. House of Representatives Leadership
Let's first learn about the key leaders of the House of Representatives.
House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer in the House and is second after the vice president in the line of succession to the presidency. The Speaker is elected by the majority party by a simple majority of votes on the first day of the new congressional session. Besides having duties as the leader of his or her party in the House, the Speaker also has administrative functions such as procedural duties and presides over nearly all joint sessions of Congress. In addition, the Speaker remains the representative of his or her district from his or her home state.
Majority Leader
The majority leader in the House acts as a liaison with the minority leader, the executive branch, and the Senate. The main focus of the majority leader is on moving the party’s agenda forward as well as negotiating with others to gain consensus on issues. The majority leader is elected by the other House members of his or her party.
Minority Leader
The minority leader is elected by the minority party and has duties similar to those of the majority leader. Depending on the makeup of the House at the time, the minority leader may have less political clout compared with the majority leader.
Majority and Minority Whips
The majority and minority whips of the House are elected by members of their own parties. They are responsible for forming a consensus of their parties, count votes before the actual vote, and persuade others to join their side of the issue. The majority whip is the third-ranking member of his or her party; the minority whip is second in his or her party’s leadership line of command.
U.S. Senate Leadership
Now let’s look at the key leaders of the U.S. Senate.
President Pro Tempore
The role of the president pro tempore in the Senate is to preside over the Senate when the vice president is not present. While the vice president is the president of the Senate by the Constitution, he or she rarely comes to Capitol Hill unless there is a need to break a tie vote in the full Senate. Senior members of the Senate are given the position of the president pro tempore. They are third in succession to the presidency.
Majority Leader
The majority leader of the Senate has responsibilities similar to those of the majority leader of the House. Depending on the bill or resolution, the House or the Senate may have more impact on the life of the legislation being introduced.
Minority Leader
The minority leader of the Senate has responsibilities similar to those of the minority leader of the House. Depending on the bill or resolution, the House or the Senate may have more impact on the life of the legislation being introduced.
Majority and Minority Whips
The majority and minority whips of the Senate are elected by their respective party and have duties similar to those of the whips of the House of Representatives. They are responsible for forming a consensus of their parties, count votes before the actual vote, and persuade others to join their side of the issue.
State and Federal Judiciary
The judicial branch of the U.S. government was established by Article III of the Constitution and is led by the Supreme Court of the United States.Congress has the constitutional power to establish lower courts, and the members of the judicial branch are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The judicial branch of the U.S. government is at two levels, federal and state. Let's learn about the federal and the state judiciary.
State Judiciary
In the state judiciary, the court systems are determined by the individual laws and constitutions of each state. Some states have circuit or district courts in addition to court of appeals and state trial courts. In addition, states have smaller courts that handle specific matters such as wills and juvenile and family law. The accused parties have the right to take their case to the highest state court to get their case heard.
Federal Judiciary
Federal courts serve the United States through their interpretation of the law, determining the constitutionality of the law, and how it can be applied to the individual. The U.S. Supreme Court hears far fewer cases than the U.S. district or appeals courts; however, once the Supreme Court has ruled, all lower courts must follow its ruling. Federal judges have no set terms of service and their term ends only when they die, retire, or are impeached. Federal judges can be impeached only by members of the House of Representatives with subsequent conviction and removal by the Senate.