Congressional Webquest
Review the information contained in this webquest packet. Complete the tasks using the websites for the House and Senate. There are also opinion questions to answer. We will discuss your findings in class tomorrow.
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All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Constitution, Article I, section 1.
American Bicameralism: legislature divided into two houses
The House
–435 members, 2 year terms of office
–Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget
–House Rules Committee
–Limited debates
The Senate
–100 members, 6 year terms of office
–Gives “advice & consent,” more influential on foreign affairs
–Unlimited debates (filibuster)
Congressional Leadership
The House
–Led by Speaker of the House—elected by House members
–Presides over House
–Major role in committee assignments and legislation
–Assisted by majority leader and whips
The Senate
–Formerly lead by Vice President
–Really lead by Majority Leader—chosen by party members
–Assisted by whips
–Must work with Minority leader
Go to to identify the following:
Speaker of the House ______
How does one become the Speaker of the House? ______
Majority leader ______
What is their role? ______
Minority leader ______
What are “whips,” and what do they do? ______
How does House leadership go about keeping members in line? ______
Debates in the House:
What is the purpose of the House Rules Committee? ______
What is the difference between a closed and open rule? ______
Go to to identify the following:
Majority leader ______
Minority leader ______
Who is the official “leader” of the Senate? ______
What position stands in for that role most of the time? ______
Do Senate leaders have as much disciplinary power as House leaders? Explain. ______
Debates in the Senate:
What is a filibuster and why would a Senator perform one? ______
How do you stop a filibuster? ______
Review the following graph, The Incumbency Factor in Congressional Elections
What does the graph indicate about incumbents in Congress?
What factors could account for this?
The Committees and Subcommittees
Four types of committees:
1. Standing committees: subject matter committees that handle bills in different policy areas
2. Joint committees: a few subject-matter areas—membership drawn from House and Senate
3. Conference committees: resolve differences in House and Senate bills
4. Select committees: created for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation
Describe how the committees differ: ______
Getting Ahead on the Committee: Chairs and the Seniority System
Committee chair: the most important influencer of congressional agenda
- Dominant role in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house
- Most chairs selected according to seniority system: members who have served on the committee the longest and whose party controlled Congress become chair
See the following table: Standing Committees in the Senate and in the House.
Select one Committee in the Senate and one in the House and identify:
- The chairman of the committee
- Important issues that the committee is presently working on.
Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress
–Caucus: a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic
–About 300 caucuses
–Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearings and for votes on bills.
–Caucuses can be more effective than lobbyists
Identify two of the caucuses within Congress. If you were a member of Congress, which caucuses would you like to be a member of? Explain.
Congressional Staff
- Personal staff: They work for the member, mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too.
- Committee staff: organize hearings, research and write legislation, target of lobbyists
- Staff Agencies: GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress
Go to and click on Educators & Students. Click on Branches of Government and identify the following:
- Under Legislative, find out what GAO and CBO stand for?
- What information they provide to Congress?
Go to house.gov and click on Educators & Students:
- Go to Legislative Process to confirm the accuracy of the information in Figure 12.2.
- Is there any additional information provided?
Party, Constituency, and Ideology
Party Influence:
- Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines
Constituency versus Ideology
- Prime determinant of member’s vote on most issues is ideology
- On most issues that are not salient, legislators may ignore constituency opinion.
- But on controversial issues, members are wise to heed constituent opinion.
Lobbyists and Interest Groups
There are thousands of registered lobbyists trying to influence Congress—the bigger the issue, the more lobbyists will be working on it.
- Lobbyists try to influence legislators’ votes.
- Lobbyists can be ignored, shunned and even regulated by Congress.
- Ultimately, it is a combination of lobbyists and others that influence legislators’ votes.
* In 1974, 3% of retiring members of Congress became lobbyists. Today, 50% of senators and 42% of house members do.
Congress and Democracy: Representation versus Effectiveness
Supporters claim that Congress:
- is a forum in which many interests compete for policy
- is decentralized, so there is no oligarchy to prevent comprehensive action
Critics argue that Congress:
- is responsive to so many interests that policy is uncoordinated, fragmented, and decentralized
- is so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems
Your members of Congress:
Use only and to answer the following questions:
Who is your representative in the House?
Go to your representative’s home page to identify:
- Committees that he/she is a member of:
- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your representative’s positions on these issues:
Who are your two Senators?
Go to your senators’ home pages to identify:
- Committees that they are members of:
- Choose three issues (e.g., healthcare, terrorism, education) and find your senators’ positions on these issues:
Current Congressional Leadership:
Complete the chart below using and as references.
HOUSE: / SENATE:Speaker of the House
Name:
Party:
From (State): / President of the Senate
Name:
Party:
President Pro Tempore of the Senate
Name:
Party:
Majority Leader:
Name:
Party:
From (State): / Minority Leader:
Name:
Party:
From (State):
/ Majority Leader:
Name:
Party:
From (State): / Minority Leader:
Name:
Party:
From (State):
Majority Whip:
Name:
Party:
From (State): / Minority Whip:
Name:
Party:
From (State):
/ Majority Whip:
Name:
Party:
From (State): / Minority Whip:
Name:
Party:
From (State):