Course Final: Committee System Flashcards
Know where most of the work takes place in Congress.
-In Committee’s
Be able to briefly explain how committees can simplify the efforts of special interests.
-give organized structure to specific interests which special interest groups can then focus on that specific group. Instead of having to lobby all of congress they only need to lobby that one group.
Be able to briefly explain how the committee system can channel the ambitions of MCs.
-Because the committees are set up in a hierarchy of committees that members move up through. MC’s can be appointed to specific committees as part of party rewards system.
Be able to briefly explain how issue complexity is linked to the committee system.
-Number and complexity of issues requires some sort of specialization. Some MC’s have had more experience in specific areas because of their life before congress. Hence they are appointed to a specific committees that take advantage of their expertise.
Be able to list and/or recognize differences between standing (permanent) committees and select/special (temporary) committees.
Standing: Fixed membership, survive congressional change. Can originate legislation Example: Agriculture, appropriations, Armed Services etc
Temporary: Serve one congress, Can survive multiple congresses. Can originate legislation Examples: permanent intelligence, homeland security, Indian affairs, aging.
Be able to state the purpose of a conference committee.
-to resolve a dispute between the House and Senate when dealing with a specific bill.
Be able to list and/or recognize MCs’ three goals in seeking assignments, and to briefly explain how party leaders might use these goals to accomplish their own ends. Also be able to explain how MCs’ typical desire for reelection can impact the committee assignments they seek.
- Reelection: committees that allow them to credit claim to district.
- Policy: Bills that have to do with constituent policy interests.
- Power within the chamber: They want committees that deal with money.
Be able to briefly explain what it means for a committee to be “exclusive.”
-If you serve on that committee, you can only serve on THAT committee and none others.
Be able to briefly compare and contrast policy committees and constituency committees. Also be able to explain why the agriculture committee is so important in the Senate.
- Policy committee’s deal with issues that affect the entire country, constituency committee deals with issues that a specific part of the country (usually their constituency) have an interest in. Being in the agriculture committee helps senators from rural states to take care of their states because their states usually depend on agriculture in some fashion.
- Ag committee in senate important because of equal representation in Senate and smaller states that are interested enjoy being over represented because of this.
Be able to briefly explain why it is costly for a MC to transfer from one committee to another, and what factors might induce them to do so in spite of the costs.
-They lose their seniority within the committee if they move. They would move to another committee if the new committee has a more visibility to their constituency, greater prestige in the chamber, greater media visibility?
Be able to briefly explain the difference between negative and positive powers wielded by committees, and to provide at least three examples of positive committee powers as those powers relate to passing preferred legislation. Also be able to briefly explain how committees might leverage their negative powers.
-Positive Powers:
1-Persuasion based on superior information,
2-leverage through threats of negative action on members bills
3-Strategic packaging of popular provisions into unpopular legislation to get it passed on the floor. 4-Domination of Conference Committee’s
-Negative Power: 1-Gatekeeping of bills by committee can obstruct alternate routes to the floor. 2-committee members assigned to conferences can attempt to delete objectionable proposals.
3- House germaneness rule makes it hard to propose anything the committee has not already considered.
4- Senate rules create much weaker blocking power.
They leverage their negative power by stopping things they don’t like with agenda control and killing the bill before it ever hits the floor.
Be able to explain how party leaders, especially majority party leaders, can limit the power of committees and committee chairs. Also be able to explain why conference committees are used less often to coordinate House and Senate versions of bills.
- Majority Party leaders helped get the chair appointed in the first place and can have house leadership remove a chair if they are not performing in ways the party likes. Party leadership such as majority leaders and speakers can retain bills for themselves (Nancy Pelosi in affordable health care bill)
- Conf. Committee not used as much because kink are worked out prior to bills being passed.
Be able to briefly explain and/or identify the key features of the distributional, informational, and partisan models of congressional committees, as discussed in class.
- Distributional Model: Primary emphasis is how committees help congress deliver particularized benefits to specific groups. Members secure programs that benefit their constituencies Logrolling effect is present.
- Informational committee Model: Good policy makes voters happy and secures reelection for MC’s. Division of workload is necessity because congress can’t be expert in everything and knowledgeable MC’s are put into committee’s on their expert fields. This makes sure that congress is getting the best info possible from committee.
- Partisan Model: focus is on the role of political parties play in organization and work of congress. Party leaders play key role in exercising control over agenda. Leaders rules committee, stack committee assignments, and agenda control to see non-median outcomes.
