odd-numbered year
Congress convenes every two years�on January 3 of every *
The House has formal organizational meetings at the beginning of each term to determine committee membership and standing officers.
The Senate, because it is a continuous body, has fewer organizational issues to address at the start of each term.
When Congress is organized, the President presents a State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress. This message, in which the President reports on the state of the nation as he sees it, is given annually.
The Speaker of the House
* is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the acknowledged leader of the majority party.
Its main duties revolve around presiding over and keeping order in the House.
It names the members of all select and conference committees, and signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House.
president of the Senate
The job of * is assigned by the Constitution to the Vice President.
It has many of the same duties as the Speaker of the House, but cannot cast votes on legislation.
The president pro tempore, the leader of the majority party, is elected from the Senate and serves in the Vice President's absence.
The party caucus
* is a closed meeting of the members of each party in each house which deals with matters of party organization.
The floor leaders
* are party officers picked for their posts by their party colleagues.
The party whips assist these and serve as a liaison between the party's leadership and its rank-and-file members.
The committee chairmen
* are the members who head the standing committees in each chamber of Congress.
each of these permanent committees is chosen from the majority party by the majority party caucus.
The seniority rule
* an unwritten custom, holds that the most important posts will be held by those party members with the longest records of service in Congress.
The head of each committee is often the longest-serving member of the committee from the majority party.
Standing committees
* are permanent panels in Congress to which bills of similar nature could be sent.
these handle bills dealing with particular policy matters, such as veterans' affairs or foreign relations.
The majority party always holds a majority of the seats on each committee (the lone exception being the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct).
The House Rules Committee
The Rules Committee decides whether and under what conditions the full House will consider a measure.
This places great power in the Rules Committee, as it can speed, delay, or even prevent House action on a measure.
Select committees
* are panels established to handle a specific matter and usually exist for a limited time.
Most select committees are formed to investigate a current matter.
A joint committee
is one composed of members of both houses.
Examples of it includes the Joint Economic Committee, the Joint Committee on Printing, and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
conference committee
a temporary, joint body�is created to iron out differences between bills passed by the House and Senate before they are sent to the President.
bill
is a proposed law presented to the House or Senate for consideration.
first step introducing a new bill to house
A bill or resolution usually deals with a single matter, but sometimes a rider dealing with an unrelated matter is included.
The clerk of the House numbers each bill, gives it a short title, and enters it into the House Journal and the Congressional Record for the day. With these actions the bill has received its first reading.
public bill, private bill
applies to entire nation;
applies only to certain people or places
joint resolution
proposal for action that hasthe force of law when passes; usually deals with special circumstances or temporary matters
concurrent resolution
statement of positionon an issue used by the house and senate acting jointly; doesnt have the force of law; doesnt require the presidents signature
resolution
measure relating to teh business of either house or expressing an opinion on a matter; doesnt have the force of law; doesnt require teh president's signature
Discharge Petitions
Most bills die in committee, pigeonholed, or put away, never to be acted upon.
If a committee pigeonholes a bill that a majority of the House wishes to consider, it can be brought out of committee via a *
full committee
When a subcommittee has completed its work on a bill, it returns to the * which may do one of several things:
1. Report the bill favorably, with a "do pass" recommendation.
2. Refuse to report the bill. 3. Report the bill in amended form.
4. Report the bill with unfavorable recommendation. 5. Report a committee bill.
calendars
A bill is placed into one of five * before going to the floor for consideration:
1. The Calendar of the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
2. The House Calendar
3. The Calendar of the Committee of the Whole House
4. The Consent Calendar
5. The Discharge Calendar
Committee of the Whole
* includes all members of the House, however, they sit as one large committee and not as the House itself.
When the * resolves itself, the Speaker steps down and another member presides. General debate follows.
Debate
Severe limits are placed on floor debate due to the House's large size.
Majority and minority floor leaders generally decide in advance how they will split the time to be spent on a bill.
four methods
There are * of taking a floor vote in the House:
1. During voice votes the Speaker calls for the "ayes" and then the "noes." 2. In a standing vote, members in favor of for and then those opposed to the bill rise and then are counted by the clerk.
3. One fifth of a quorum can demand a teller vote, in which the Speaker names two tellers, for and against, and members pass by each one to be counted. 4. A roll-call vote may be demanded by one fifth of the members present.
engrossed
Once a bill has been approved at second reading, it is *, or printed in its final form. It is then read for a third time and a final vote is taken.
senators
Bills are introduced by *, who are formally recognized for that purpose.
Proceedings are much less formal in the Senate compared to the House.
debate rules
The major differences between House and Senate rules regard debate over measures.
As a general matter, senators may speak on the floor for as long as they wish.
This freedom of debate allows for the fullest possible discussion of matters on the floor.
filibuster
A * is an attempt to "talk a bill to death."
A senator may exercise his or her right of holding the floor as long as necessary, and in essence talk until a measure is dropped.
The Cloture Rule
Rule XXII in the Standing Rules of the Senate deals with cloture, or limiting debate
If at least 60 senators vote for cloture, no more than another 30 hours may be spent on debate, forcing a vote on a bill.
conference committee
Any measure enacted by Congress must have been passed by both houses in identical form.
If one of the houses will not accept the other's version of a bill, a * is formed to iron out the differences.
Once a * completes work on a bill, it is returned to both houses for final approval. It must be accepted or rejected without amendment.
four options for the President
The Constitution provides * when he receives a bill:
1. The President may sign the bill, and it then becomes law. 2. The President may veto the bill, or refuse to sign it. The President's veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the members present in each house.
3. If the President does not act upon a bill within 10 days of receiving it, it becomes law. 4. A pocket veto occurs if Congress adjourns within 10 days of submitting a bill and the President does not sign it. The bill then dies.