The document provides an overview of the first days of Congress and the legislative process. It describes how the House and Senate begin their sessions, with the State of the Union address. It outlines the roles of the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. It then explains the committee system and how bills are introduced and debated before a final vote in both the House and Senate. A bill must pass both chambers before being sent to the President to be signed into law.

1. Congress in Action
Chapter 12

2. First Days…
• When new House and Senate
members are sworn in, their
legislative year begins
• This officially begins with the State of
the Union Address by the President

3. • This speech is mandated by the
Constitution
• Outlines policies and shape of the
Administration
• May recommend specific legislative
actions

4. First Days in the House…
• Constitution calls for a Speaker of the
House to be the head of the House.
Chosen by members-elect
• Other officials—sergeant at arms,
doorkeeper, postmaster and Chaplin

5. Speaker of House…
• Head of majority party in House
• Duties: preside and keep order
• May take floor and debate
• May vote at anytime—MUST vote to
break a tie
• 3rd Person in line to the Presidency

6. First days in the Senate…
• Constitution calls for the Vice President
to be President of Senate
• Cannot take floor to speak
• Can ONLY vote in a tie
• Most of time he is not present at the
Senate
• 2nd presiding officer is President Pro
Tempore—leading member of majority
party

7. Congress as a Whole
• 1. Run largely on party lines, causes
some things not to get done
• 2. Floor Leaders:
–Appointed by both the majority and
minority parties
–Try to make floor debates benefit their
party
–Each is assisted by majority or minority
whip

8. Congress as a whole cont.
• 3. Committee Chairmen
–The one of the most important
position in Congress
–Decide which bills will be introduced
–Usually appointed on basis of Seniority

9. Congressional Committees
• 1. Standing
–Currently 19 standing in House and 17
in the Senate
–House allows each Representative to
be on one Standing committee
–Senate allows senators to be on 2
Standing committees

10. Congressional Committees cont.
• Chairmen of the committees are
chosen by seniority rule and by party

11. House rules committee
• Also known as “traffic cop” in the
house
• Before bills can reach the floor of the
House, they must pass the Rules
Committee
• Can speed, delay or stop a bill

12. Select Committees
• Set up for specific purpose and
usually for a limited time
• Members are appointed by Speaker
of the House or Pres of Senate
• Sometimes used to investigate
matters

13. Joint Committees
• Committee comprised of members
of both houses of Congress
• Economic, Library, Printing and
Taxation are the four joint comm.
• Sometimes joint committees are
select committees

14. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
House
• First Steps
– A Bill is a proposed law presented to the House or
Senate for consideration.
– Only a member of the House can introduce a bill,
which they place in the “Hopper” on the clerk’s
desk.
– The Clerk of the House records the bill with a
number and title and it is introduce to the House
members

15. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
House
• Bill in Committee:
– The bill goes to a Standing Committee either
rejection or consideration (most are rejected)
– If considered worthy then it goes to a
subcommittee for research

16. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
House
• Subcommittee:
– When the subcommittee as complete its work the
bill goes back to the Standing committee which
may do one of the following:
• Report bill favorably
• Refuse to report the bill
• Report the bill in amended form
• Report the bill with unfavorable recommendations
• Report an entire new bill
– How the Bill goes to the Rules Committee

17. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
House
• Going to the Floor:
– The Rules Committee decides how and when the
Bill will reach the floor of the House
– Once the committee has given its decision the bill
goes for a debate and a vote.
– Once a bill is approved at the second reading it is
printed and read again and voted on again.
– If approved at the third reading then it is given a
title and signed by the Speaker and sent to the
Senate

18. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
Senate
• Basically the procedure of introduction,
committee, subcommittee, debate, and voting
that happens in the House happens in the
Senate
• Filibuster- Attempt to talk a bill to death. A
Senator will try to monopolize the floor for as
long as they can until the Senate either drops
the bill or changes it.

19. How a Bill Becomes a Law: The
Senate
• Presidents Act:
– When the Bill has passed both the House and
Senate it is sent to the President’s desk where he
can do one of three things:
• Sign the Bill into law
• Veto- refuse to sign it
• Not sign the bill within ten days, Bill becomes a law
• Pocket Veto- if Congress adjourns within ten days of
submitting the Bill and the President doesn’t sign the
Bill dies

20. Odds and Ends
• Congress-
– Power to propose Constitutional amendments
• Senate-
– Power to approve or reject Presidential
appointments
– All Treaties must be approve by 2/3’s vote