Organization of Congress

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Organization of Congress
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Given re-election motive, Congress as an
institution will

• Be an ombudsman
• Expresses constituency preferences, not
  necessarily national preferences
• Engage more often in legislative activities that
  help re-election
• Write bills that contain particularized benefits
• Serve organized groups more than unorganized
  groups
• Express symbolic policy preferences, but not
  necessarily follow through

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Today

• What is Congress supposed to do?
• What are some obstacles in the way?
• What institutions help Congress meet its
  responsibilities?

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What is Congress supposed to do?
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What are Congress responsibilities in the
Constitutional system?

• Voice of the people / Representation
• Make laws
• Check and balance

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Congress Constitutional responsibilities

• To provide for the common Defense and general
  Welfare of the United States
• Lay and collect Taxes
• Borrow Money
• Regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and
  among the several States, and with the Indian
  Tribes
• Coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of
  foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and
  Measures
• Promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts,
  
• To constitute Tribunals (Courts)
• Declare War etc..

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The Elastic Clause

• To make all Laws which shall be necessary and
  proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing
  Powers, and all other Powers vested by this
  Constitution in the Government of the United
  States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

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House special powers

• Originate all tax bills
• Impeach (charge) presidents and judges

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Senate special powers

• Try impeachments
• Confirm ambassadors, public ministers, judges
• Ratify treaties (2/3 vote)

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Why might it be hard for 435 Representatives from
different districts (and 100 Senators from
different states) to write laws that provide for
the common defense and promote the general
welfare?
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Problems Congress faces

• Free rider problem why legislate at all?
• Coordination problems managing the agenda
• Transaction costs time and effort of legislating
• Conflict resolution
• Informational needs

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Institutions to overcome obstacles

• Committee System
• Party organization
• Floor Procedure
• Staff

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Committee System
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House committees

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Budget
• Education and the Workforce
• Energy and Commerce
• Financial Services
• Government Reform
• Homeland Security
• House Administration
• International Relations
• Judiciary

• Resources
• Rules
• Science
• Small Business
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Transportation and Infrastructure
• Veterans' Affairs
• Ways and Means
• Joint Economic Committee
• Joint Committee on Printing
• Joint Committee on Taxation
• House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

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Senate committees

• Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
  Appropriations Armed Services Banking,
  Housing, and Urban Affairs Budget Commerce,
  Science, and Transportation Energy and Natural
  Resources Environment and Public Works Finance
  Foreign Relations Health, Education, Labor, and
  Pensions Homeland Security and Governmental
  Affairs Judiciary Rules and Administration
  Small Business and Entrepreneurship Veterans
  Affairs

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Subcommittees House Agriculture Committee

• Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Rural
  Development and Research
• Jurisdiction Soil, water, and resource
  conservation small watershed program
  agricultural credit rural development rural
  electrification farm security and family farming
  matters agricultural research, education and
  extension services plant pesticides, quarantine,
  adulteration of seeds, and insect pests
  biotechnology.
• Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk
  Management
• Jurisdiction Program and markets related to
  cotton, cottonseed, wheat, feed grains, soybeans,
  oilseeds, rice, dry beans, peas, lentils
  Commodity Credit Corporation crop insurance
  commodity exchanges.
• Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Foreign
  Agriculture Programs
• Jurisdiction Peanuts sugar tobacco honey and
  bees marketing orders relating to such
  commodities foreign agricultural assistance and
  trade promotion programs, generally.
• Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight,
  Dairy, Nutrition and Forestry
• Jurisdiction Agency oversight review and
  analysis special investigations dairy food
  stamps, nutrition and consumer programs forestry
  in general, forest reserves other than those
  created from the public domain energy and
  biobased energy production dairy.
• Subcommittee on Livestock and Horticulture
• Jurisdiction Livestock poultry meat seafood
  and seafood products inspection, marketing, and
  promotion of such commodities aquaculture
  animal welfare grazing fruits and vegetables
  marketing and promotion orders

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The Committee System

• Helps alleviate free rider problem by serving
  members reelection interests
• Helps meet informational needs by dividing up the
  work
• Committee chairs help solve coordination problems
  by serving as gatekeepers
• More specialization in the House because of its
  size

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Floor procedure
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A riddle (sort of)

• How is a carpool different than a bus line?

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House floor procedure

• Limited debate
• The Rules Committee
• Open and closed rules
• The bus line

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Senate floor procedure

• No rules committee
• Unlimited debate
• Filibuster
• Cloture Rule
• Complex Unanimous Consent Agreements
• The car pool

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How does floor procedure solve some of Congress
problems?

• Formal, predictable procedures reduce transaction
  costs
• Formal process reduces coordination problems by
  identifying a traffic cop
• House more rigid and hierarchical
• Senate rules protect minority interests

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Parties
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What do parties do?

• Elect organizational leadership that
• Hands out committee assignments
• Hands out committee chairmanships
• Controls Rules Committee (Speaker)
• Influences distribution of pork
• Can help with campaigns

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Party organization House
MAJORITY PARTY
Speaker
Majority leader
Majority Whip ( whips)
Conference (all Reeps)
Steering committee
Policy committee
Campaign committee
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Party Organization Senate
MAJORITY PARTY
President Pro Tempore
Majority Leader
Asst. Majority Leader (whip)
Conference (all Reeps)
Policy committee
Committee on committees
Campaign committee
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How do parties solve Congress institutional
problems?

• Reduce transaction costsparties are ready-made
  coalitions
• Channel and manage conflict
• Help meet informational needs
• More delegation to party leadership in the House
  because of rules

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Other institutions

• Staff
• (provides information)
• Decorum
• (regulates conflict)
• Seniority system
• (reduces incentive to free ride)

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Important questions

• How do these institutions serve members
  re-election interests?
• How is the House different from the Senate?

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Differences between the House vs. Senate

• Prominence of constituents and reelection
• Degree of Specialization
• Hierarchy
• Protection of minorities