Objectives Do you believe that Congress should have

Objectives • Do you believe that Congress should have the same demographic characteristics as the American people? • How is Congress organized? • What is the current Congress doing?

Congress and Representation • U. S. Senate (100): two senators directly elected from every state: – Staggered elections, one-third up for re-election every two years – 17 th amendment: direct elections! Prior to 1913, senators picked by state legislatures • U. S. House (435) : Three step process: – Census (count every ten years) – Reapportionment: redistribution by U. S. Congress – Redistricting: redrawing of district boundaries by states

HOUSE SENATE Differences Between the House and Senate Members chosen from local districts Two-year term Members chosen from an entire state Six-year term Originally elected by voters Originally (until 1913)elected by state legislatures May convict federal officials of impeachable offenses Smaller (100 members) Fewer rules and restrictions Debate extended More prestige and more media attention Has power to advise the president on, and to consent to, presidential appointments and treaties National leadership Less party loyalty May impeach (indict) federal officials Larger (435 voting members) More formal rules Debated limited Less prestige and less individual notice Originates bills for raising revenues Local or narrow leadership More partisan

The Mall in Washington

Seating Arrangements • The House chamber. • Democrats sit on the left side of the aisle; Republicans on the right side. • The Senate Chamber

How do you divide 320, 000 people into 435 districts? One Person, One vote

Census: Completed by Census Dept. Reapportionment: U. S. Congress is responsible Redistricting: Each state chooses the boundaries of districts After 1990 After 2000

2001/2011 Congressional Districts

Twenty-Fifth Congressional District After 2000 Census After 2010 Census

Political Gerrymandering: Drawing Districts to obtain as many districts with a majority of voters of your party

Drawing Districts to benefit your party, or …. any other group

U. S. Congressional Districts: Politicians group party members Together to create safe seats. . (after 2000 census) Note 23 th And 25 th Districts…

The original Gerrymander by Elbridge Gerry: The oddly shaped districts form a salamander-like creature

Gerrymandering creates Job Security in the House Source: opensecrets. org

Control of the state legislature benefits your party nationally Source: New York Times

Effort to Reduce Gerrymandering: Redistricting in CA Instead of our esteemed Legislature drawing the districts California’s Voters First Act (Prop 11, 2008) created a Citizens Redistricting Commission of fourteen members who are charged with drawing the new districts by August 2011. The members cannot be politicians.

California Redistricting Commission: Redraws districts 2012 -2020

What does “representation” mean? • • Partisan representation Geographic representation Descriptive Representation A Representative as a Role: Delegate, Trustee, and Politico

Is Descriptive Representation a necessary goal for our nation? If so, how should it be promoted? • Definition: the belief that representatives should look like those that they represent (race, gender, ethnicity, etc).

What is your opinion about descriptive representation? Define this term and discuss one or more thoughts you have about this issue.

2015 -2016 Congress

Why are there so few women in the U. S. Congress? 1. Women have other concerns, such as family and children, so they don’t have time for politics 2. Powerful positions in society are occupied by males. 3. Voters prefer men (still prejudice) 4. Traditionally women have underrepresented, less prejudice and barriers will be present in the future

Percentage of Legislative Positions held by Women (December 2015) • • U. S. House of Representatives: 19. 3% U. S. Senate: 20% Statewide Elected Office (24. 7%) State Legislatures: 24. 4% Mayors of top 100 cities: 17% Mayors of cities over 30, 000: 18. 4% City Councils of Large and Medium Cities : 36% • Small Cities: 25% (2001 data) • School Boards: 44% (2010 data) Sources: Center for Women in Politics 2015 data, City Councils, National League of Cities, National School Boards Association

Percentage of Women in Elected Office

Racial Gerrymandering I: : Racial gerrymandering originally referred to manipulating legislative district lines to under-represent racial minorities. Tactics such as "packing" black voters into a given district or "cracking" them to make black voters a minority in all districts can be illegal. This sort of gerrymandering was first used in the South after the Civil War to dilute the black vote. Racial Gerrymandering II In 1982, the Voting Rights Act was amended to require many political jurisdictions to create "majority-minority" districts in order to allow more racial minorities to elect candidates of their choice.

Is racial gerrymandering unconstitutional? • Shaw v. Reno (1996): Yes, race should not be used as the predominant factor • Hunt v. Cromartie (2001): But if the state legislature used partisan rather than racial divisions as the primary criterion, than a district that is primarily composed of one race or ethnicity is not unconstitutional (majority-minority districts)

What should be the role of a Congressmember? • The Delegate: Listens to his constituents and does what they want • The Trustee: Does what he thinks is best for his constituents • The Politico: Combines both roles

Responsibilities of Congressmembers • Lawmaking • Senate: Confirmation of executive department officials and judges, ratifies treaties • Oversight: to make sure laws are implemented correctly • Constituency service “ombudsman role”

U. S. Senators from California Diane Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D)

Factors Influencing How Congress Members Vote • • 10 -5 party Scenario: Hyperlink constituents ideology president interest groups staffers other members Leadership of Congress

How a bill becomes Law HR 100 Introduced in House S 200 Introduced in Senate Referred to House Committee Referred to Senate Committee Referred to Subcommittee Reported by Full Committee Bill goes to Rules Committee To set conditions for vote on House Floor House Debate, Vote on Passage Senate Debate, Vote on Passage Conference Action Compromise version of bills HR 100/S 200 sent to Senate for approval Compromise version of bills HR 100/S 200 sent to House for approval HR 100/S 200 A Bill OE T VE HR 100/S 200 A Bill D NE SIG D

Laws and Resolutions Passed/Proposed

Leadership of Congress— 114 th • Leadership of Congress is selected by the majority party • Each committee and subcommittee chairman belongs to the majority party Paul Ryan R- WI Mitch Mc. Connell (R-KY New Senate Majority Leader

U. S. Senate: Constitutionally Prescribed Offices • Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States, President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore (senior most member of majority party) Patrick Leahy Joe Biden Orrin Hatch R-UT

House leadership structure

Leadership of the Senate

Types of Committees • Standing Committees: permanent committees – They have subcommittees • Conference Committees: temporary committee to iron differences between House and Senate versions of bill • Select Committees- temporary fact-finding committees to investigate issue or scandal • Joint Committees- composed of both House and Senate members to manage Capitol.

Selection of Committee Members • Chairman – of the majority party – with the most seniority – approved by party leadership • Committee members – make known their preference to the leadership – Decision of Party Leaders

Example: The House Armed Services Committee (114 th) • Composed of 35 Republicans and 26 Democrats (114 th Congress) • Subcommittees: – Military Installation and Facilities – Military Personnel – Military Procurement – Military Readiness

2015 -2016 Congress

As Senate Majority Leader: LBJ’s “treatment” Right: Theodore Green, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Can Congress members work together effectively? • Fragmenting Forces • Centralizing forces – Party as a force for unity – Controversial issues • Polarization of the country – Party division – Committee system – filibuster • Party leaders – The President – Bipartisanship • Strategies to garner more support – Logrolling: politicians trade support for each others’ bills – Pork barrel spending: extra spending, often considered wasteful, is added to bills – Earmarks: extra spending is added in Conference Committee

Logrolling and Earmarks 1. the practice of exchanging favors, especially in politics by reciprocal voting for each other's proposed legislation. 2. Any expenditure requested by a lawmaker, intended for a specific state, district or entity, and outside the usual administrative process.

The Filibuster (U. S. Senate) • Unlimited Debate to halt action on a particular bill. • “To Talk a bill to death” • Can only be broken by a cloture vote—a vote to end a filibuster, requiring 3/5 of Senate, 60 senators ------------------(pre-1917: no cloture vote possible, 1917 changed to 2/3 vote, 1975 changed to 3/5) - The term comes from the early 19 th century Spanish and Portuguese pirates, "filibusteros", who held ships hostage for ransom. ----------------- • Strom Thurmond, 1957, Filibuster against the Civil Rights Act (24 hours and 18 minutes) • Fictional: Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Growth of the Filibuster

President’s Choices upon getting a bill • Sign a bill • Veto a bill//Congress can override with a two-thirds majority • If the president does not sign nor veto a bill within ten days, it becomes law • If Congress adjourns within ten days, bill dies. This is called a pocket veto.

A day in the life of a legislator In Congress (Hill-Style) In the district (Home-Style) 1. Committee hearings 2. Meeting with Constituents and interest groups 3. Fundraising 4. House chamber – voting, listening to speeches, etc 5. Meetings with staff, drafting bills 6. Caucusing with likeminded legislators 7. Communicating with media • Focusing on local issues • Meeting with constituents • Working with staff of district office • Organizing campaigns • Fundraising • Attending public events • Communicating with media

Motivation as a Representative Rational Choice Model David Mayhew’s Congress: the Electoral Connection • Your motive as representative: reelection – Advertising: visits, newsletters, franking privilege – Credit-claiming: particularized benefits to constituents— casework – Position-taking—pleasing judgmental statements Deliberative Model: Your motive as representative: the public good. • Fact-Finding • Deliberation • Debate

Assessing Congress: Criticisms of Mann and Ornstein (The Broken Branch , 2006) Congress is weak: --intense partisanship, – To represent the people gerrymandering, nonstop – To legislate fundraising --– To act as a check of the ---has weakened link to other Branches of people Government ---skewed policymaking process ---reduced Congress to a follower of the executive branch • Purpose of Congress

Solutions • Increase Deliberation: Open process up to allow for more debate • Tell Politicians to spend more time in Washington to focus on policymaking • Campaign Finance Reform: to reduce the need for fundraising • No more partisan gerrymandering: Emphasize bipartisan nature of policymaking: responsibility of the press and the people

Debates about Reforming Congress 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Descriptive Representation: from malign gerrymandering to benign gerrymandering? a. Local issue: at-large vs. district elections Term Limits? The Filibuster: nuclear option? Lesser Alternative? Campaign finance reform Other Changes in Procedure 1. Hastert Rule: a majority of the majority party must approve a bill before it goes forward (House of Reprentatives)