This document discusses the different types of committees that exist in Congress, including standing committees, select committees, conference committees, party committees, and joint committees. It provides details on standing committees, noting that they are permanent policy specialists, and describes their roles, including considering and amending legislation, oversight of government agencies, and calling witnesses. The document also covers select committees, noting they are investigative and autonomous, and provides examples like committees investigating Hurricane Katrina and Watergate.

1. Committees in Congress

2. Types
 Standing committees
 Select committees
 Conference committees
 Party committees
 Joint committees
 Last two types tend to be organisational and
procedural

3. Standing Committees in US &UK
 Ad hoc  Permanent, policy specialist
 Built in govt majority –armed services, judiciary
 Whipped  34 committees -18 in House
 Collective identity less and 16 in Senate
likely to develop  Principal role to not only
 Use of guillotine consider & amend
legislation but also involved
 Hindered by lack of power in scrutiny of govt agencies
to obtain evidence from
outside interests  Expertise-call witnesses
from a variety of sources
 Not passive bodies waiting
for policy proposals-may
draft bills themselves

4. Role
 Permanent and policy specialist- will wish to
join committees that have a connection with
their constituents interests eg. Agriculture -
Mid West and South
 Strategic role in legislation – comes before
second reading and able to shape the bill at the
start of the legislative process; power of
amendment and power to kill a bill by
pigeonholing it.

5. Role
 Power to obstruct legislation is not quite total.
 Discharge rule only implemented when an
absolute majority are in favour (218). eg
campaign finance reform bill
 Scrutiny role – members of the executive
branch can be called to account eg 2005
members of Bush’s Cabinet made 67
appearances – Secretary of the Treasury
appeared this year before Senate
Finance,House Ways & Means, Budget

6. Role
 Confirm appointments – The Constitution
gives Senate exclusive power to advise and
consent to numerous appointments made by
the President
 Senate Judiciary Committee – recent
recommendations – Roberts, Alito and
confirmed by Senate showing power of such
committees in shaping decisions on the floor
of the House.

7. House Rules Committee
 Most influential committee –timetabling
committee determining the fate of proposed
legislation
 Sets time limits for floor debate and decides
which amendments can be offered and if so
which ones.
 Closed rule – no amendments allowed to the
bill. House leadership see these as way of
keeping tight control on its legislative agenda.

8. House Rules Committee
 Open rule allows amendments – tend to be
more common in times of divided government
– president’s party tries to make bipartisan
deals.
 Closed rules common when one party controls
both branches - tries to steamroll legislation
through
 Gatekeeper of all major legislation .

9. Select Committees – US & UK
 Investigator  Investigative & special
 Not whipped?  Autonomous &
 Bi partisan independent
 Permanent  Ad hoc
 Except for PAC purely  Influential members of
backbenchers Congress
 Acquire expertise  Power to subpoena
 Have ‘authority’ evidence & witnesses
 Media attention?  Media attention

10. Select committees
 Most are ad hoc – set up when a matter
requiring congressional investigation either
cuts across the policy areas of more than one
standing committee or the investigation is
likely to take too long for a standing
committee

11. Examples of Select Committees
 September 2005 - House of Representatives
approved a SC to investigate the preparation
for and response to Hurricane Katrina by
federal, state and local authorities. Identified
failures at all levels.
 Other prominent examples include – Senate
Select committee on Watergate 1973; Iran –
Contra affair – conducted by a special 26
member committee including members of both
houses -1987; 1995 Waco tragedy.