Opening Day in The House Opening Day in

Opening Day in The House

Opening Day in the House When the House First meets for the new term, none of the members are sworn in, there are no rules, and there is no organization The clerk of the House of the preceding term presides, and chairs the 1 st session

House Floor http: //clerk. house. gov/hist. High/Virtual_Tours/index. html

Choosing a Speaker The majority party’s caucus has chosen the Speaker of the House before the first session begins - the election on the floor is a mere formality - Speaker of the House is both the elected presiding officer of the House, and the acknowledged leader of the majority party

Tan Speaker of the House John Boehner R-OH

Speaker’s Duties To preside and keep order Names the members of all select and conference committees Signs all bills and resolutions passed by the House

Speaker’s Role Can vote, only to cause or break a tie -Can debate any matter on floor, but must appoint a Speaker pro tempore

The Speaker Takes Charge Once sworn in, the Speaker will in turn swear the other members in The Democrats will then take their seats to the right of the center The Republicans to the left The House then adopts rules that will govern the term, and members are selected to fill the 22 permanent committees

Opening Day in the Senate The Senate is a Continuous Body, it has been organized since 1789 Hence, they do not have the organizational problems of the House They simply wait for the House to notify them that they are ready Once this is done, they notify the President that they are ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make

State of the Union

State of the Union Within a few weeks, the President will deliver the State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress

The Senate http: //www. senate. gov/vtour/3 high. htm

The Head of the Senate The Vice-President sits as the head of the Senate He has presiding powers Can only vote to break a tie Cannot take the floor to debate

President Pro Tempore However, the VP is usually busy, so the Senate elects a member to serve in his absence This person is usually a leading member of the majority party Senator Daniel K, Inouye D-Hawaii

Senate Pro Tempore Senator Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii

Floor Leaders The floor leaders are legislative strategists that try to carry out the decision of their party’s caucuses and steer floor actions to their party’s beliefs They are assisted by party whips that check with party members and advise them of support

Committee Chairmen The bulk of work is done in committee Thus, a committee chairman holds a strategic post When not meet Which bills to address Whether to hold public hearings Whether to call witnesses

House Committees http: //www. house. gov/house/Committee. WWW. html

Senate Chain of Command http: //www. senate. gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_se ction_no_teasers/org_chart. htm

Seniority Rule Custom provides that the most important posts will be held by senior party members Ignores ability, and discourages younger members