Chapter 12, Section 1: Congress Organizes.

How often does Congress convene?

Every two years.

On what day does Congress convene?

On January 3rd of every odd-numbered year.

Why does the House have formal organizational meetings at the beginning of each term?

To determine committee membership and standing officers.

When does the House have formal organizational meetings to determine committee membership and standing officers?

At the beginning of each term.

Why does the Senate have fewer organizational issues to address at the start of each term?

It is a continuous body.

The President presents a State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress when ________ __ _________.

Congress is organized.

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.

The _______ __ ___ _____ is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives and the acknowledged leader of the majority party.

Speaker of the House.

What do the Speaker's main duties revolve around?

Presiding over and keeping order in the House.

Who names the members of all select and conference committees?

The Speaker.

Who does the Speaker name?

The members of all select and conference committees.

Who signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House?

The Speaker.

What are two responsibilities that the Speaker of the House has?

Naming the members of all select and conference committees, and signing all bills and resolutions passed by the House.

The job of the _________ __ ___ ______ is assigned by the Constitution to the Vice President.

President of the Senate

What assigns the job of the President of the Senate to the Vice President?

The Constitution.

What can't the president of the Senate do that the Speaker of the House can?

Cast votes on legislation.

What is the party caucus?

A closed meeting of the members of each party in each house which deals with matters of party organization.

Who are the floor leaders?

Party officers picked for their posts by their colleagues.

What do the party whips do?

Assist the floor leaders and serve as a liaison between the party's leadership and its rank-and-file members.

Who are the committee chairmen?

The members who head the standing committees in each chamber of Congress.

How are the chairman of each of these permanent committees chosen?

From the majority party by the majority party caucus.

The seniority rule is a(n) _________ custom.

Unwritten

What does the seniority rule hold?

The most important posts will be held by those party members with the longest records of service in Congress.

The head of each committee member is often the _____________ member of the committee from the majority party.

Longest-serving

Who is often the longest-serving member of the committee from the majority party?

The head of each committee member.