POLS 1101 Lecture 9Outline of Last Lecture I. Constitutional PrerogativesA. Powers of CongressB. StructureII. Causes of Individualism in CongressA. Plurality & SMDB. PrimariesC. RedistrictingIII. Redistricting and “One Person, One Vote”IV. GerrymanderingV. Redistricting and Minority RepresentationVI. Partisan and Racial RedistrictingVII. Best Type of RepresentationVIII. The Incumbency AdvantageOutline of Current Lecture I. Internal Institutions of Congress and Unstable CoalitionsII. Party LeadersIII. CommitteesA. Types of CommitteesB. Committee membershipsIV. Other internal featuresV. Legislative Process IVI. Legislative Process IIVII. Senate DistinctivenessCurrent LectureI. Internal Institutions of Congress and Unstable Coalitions- Institutions and procedures of Congress are designed to grant agenda control to a subset of people- Agenda control helps overcome unstable coalition problems and prevent chaosII. Party Leaders- Party leaders solve coordination and unstable coalition problems by enforcing party discipline (HOR: where republican party is majority who prefer to advance different types of bills)- Reed’s Rules provide procedural guidelines for party leaders: 125 years old… he saw unstable coalitions and set up rules that helped limit debate and make some structure…- Party leaders are elected at the beginning of a Congress by the members of each party: every two years…a. Speaker of the House: leader of HOR, comes from majority party b. Majority/Minority Leader: HOR & Senatec. Majority/Minority Whip: HOR & SenateIII. Committees- Much of the detailed legislative work in Congress occurs in committees- Each committee focuses on a particular area of policy (jurisdiction)- Allows for specialization and expertise in committees—so better public policy- Also allows self-selection for members, who may craft legislation, find district benefits, or rise in prestigeA. Types of Committees- Standing committeeso Exist permanently- Special/select committeeso Formed for a specific purpose: conduct investigations- Joint committeeso Members of House and Senate, no legislative authority- Conference committeeso Both chambers pass bills that are a little different and come to a compromise.o Members of House and Senate for resolving differences over a billB. Committee memberships- Determining committee assignments is a highly political processo Party leaders determine committee assignments, and therefore more loyal members are rewarded: seniority…- Chairs of committees and chairs of subcommittees are powerful because they are agenda setters in that committee or sub-committee… they decide what gets votedon or not…o Agenda setters: Help to resolve unstable coalition issueso Ranking member: like a shadow committee chair person who is very likely to be committee chair personIV. Other internal features- Caucuses, staff, and research services also play a role in Congress- Caucuses are a way for members to group themselves for business- CBO and CRS provide independent information for members: do research and report back… example is budget researchV. Legislative Process I- Bill proposals: only legislators can introduce bills- Bills referred to proper committee based on jurisdiction and party goals- Committee actiono Most bills not acted on in committeeo Committees may mark up bills for the floor- House uses special rules to bring bills to the flooro Open rules, closed rules, and restricted rules- Senate uses unanimous consent agreements to bring bills to floor—this empowersindividualsVI. Legislative Process II- Floor action can be exciting, though typically well-scripted- Little debate, chambers almost empty- Roll calls in both chambers- Resolving differences between House and Senate bills- Enrolled bills sent to presidento Sign, veto, pocket veto, or “pocket sign”- House and Senate can override veto with 2/3 vote of each chamber- Separation of powers system creates bias against action (“institutional friction”)- Floor action can be exciting, though typically well-scripted- Little debate, chambers almost empty- Roll calls in both chambers- Resolving differences between House and Senate bills- Enrolled bills sent to presidento Sign, veto, pocket veto, or “pocket sign”- House and Senate can override veto with 2/3 vote of each chamber- Separation of powers system creates bias against action (“institutional friction”)VII. Senate Distinctiveness- Unlimited debate is allowedo Filibustero Cloture- Committees less powerfulo No germaneness rule- Parties less powerfulo Individual rights trump collective action in