1. Chapter 7
Congress at Work

2. 7-1 How a Bill Becomes a Law

3. Types of Laws
• Public – applies to whole nation
• Private – applies to an individual; i.e.
immigration issues
• Ryder – unrelated issue attached to
a law that is likely to pass; often “pork”
being sneaked in

4. Types of Resolutions
Becomes
a law if
passed?
Requires
president’s
signature?
Applies to: Uses or
examples:
Simple No No One house
of
congress
Joint Yes Yes Whole
nation
Correct error in
earlier law;
appropriate
money
Con-current
No No Congress Set date of
Congress’
adjournment;
express
Congress’
opinion

5. How Laws are Made – Simplified
1. Introduce
2. Committee Action
3. Floor Action
4. Conference Action
5. Send to President
6. Signature, 10-day rule or veto

6. Committee Action
• Hearings – testimony from expert
witnesses, government officials and/or
interest groups
• Markup session – committee makes
changes in bill
• Reporting a bill – committee sends bill
and its report to House or Senate

7. • “Pigeonholing” – committee lets a bill
die by doing nothing
• Line-item veto – ability to veto portions
of a bill (usually appropriations)
• Appropriation – approval of government
spending
Vocabulary

8. 7-2 Taxing and Spending Bills

9. Taxes
The committees that work on tax laws are:
• House Ways & Means Committee
• Senate Finance Committee

10. The president proposes the annual budget
The budget must be approved by Congress in a two-step
process
• Authorization bill – approves a program
• Appropriations bill – approves the funding
House & Senate appropriations committees deal with
this
Appropriations

11. Vocabulary
Uncontrollables – spending to which the
government is committed by previous
laws or contracts (about 70% of budget)
Entitlements – social programs that continue
from one year to the next

12. 7-3 Influencing Congress

13. Constituents
• Representatives listen to:
– Visits home / face-to-face meetings
– Letters, faxes, e-mails, form letters
– Surveys
– Polls
– Key supporters
• Why? Reelection!
• Constituents expect politicians to defer
to the district’s needs more than the
“good of the nation”

14. Political Parties
• Strong influence on economic and
social policy issues
• Less influence on foreign policy
Why?
• Elected officials tend to have the
same views as their parties
• They can’t be experts on everything
• They get pressured
• They want election support

15. Other Influences
• President
• Special interest groups / lobbyists
• PAC’s (Political Action Committees)
• Lobbyists or PAC’s may represent:
– Businesses
– Labor unions
– Professions (doctors, educators, etc.)
– Non-profits (environmental groups, etc.)

16. 7-4 Helping Constituents

17. Vocabulary
• Casework – helping constituents with
problems related to government
• Public works – infrastructure – “built”
environment” under the jurisdiction of a
government
– Roads, mass transit, airports
– Sewage, water supply, dams
– Sometimes hospitals, schools, jails
• Pork Barrel legislation – benefits a particular
district
• Logrolling – lawmakers helping each other
get federal projects for their districts