| American Government |
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| Sections: Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 |
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Government : The Legislative Branch : Section Three Organization of Congress
Congress reorganizes itself following each election, when the new term begins. A great deal of work done by Congress is a done along partisan, or party, lines. Whichever party acquires the largest number of seats in each house is called the majority party. The second largest party is called the minority party. The members choose their leader, who then swears in the members of Congress for the term. The leader of the House of Representatives is called the Speaker of the House. The Constitution in Article I, Section 2, directs the House of Representatives to choose “their speaker and other officers.” The Speaker of the House is the next person in line for the office of President following the Vice President. The chairmen of the permanent committees are then appointed; these are generally members of the majority party. The Speaker has a great deal of power. He/she is the highest official and presiding officer in the House, but he/she often delegates the power to preside over debates to others. The presiding officer has the authority to decide in what order the members speak. Members of Congress cannot speak unless recognized by the presiding officer. The Speaker appoints the members of select committees and conference committees and decides which bills will go to which committees for consideration. The start of the new session in the Senate does not always require reorganization since the majority of the members are returning. Most committee leaders, etc., stay the same from one session to the next. The leader of the Senate is officially the Vice President of the United States, however they choose a leader known as the president pro tempore of the Senate to oversee their work. The longest serving senator from the majority party is customarily appointed as president pro tempore. The Vice President does not take part in Congressional action or debate and mainly serves to break ties within the Senate. The majority leader typically exercises leadership power in the Senate. In both houses of Congress, the next most powerful positions are that of the majority and minority leaders. Their task is to ensure the success of legislation that their party favors. They are assisted in this task by the assistant floor leaders, which are referred to as whips. Whips are charged with the task of convincing members of their party to vote the way the party leaders want. Other congressional officials with a great deal of power are the committee chairmen. Members of Congress are assigned to committees based on their preferences, expertise and seniority. Chairmen are chosen by their seniority. Other congressional officials with a great deal of power are the committee chairpersons. Members of Congress are assigned to committees based on their preferences, expertise and seniority. Chairperson appointments are typically based on seniority.
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Before taking the section quiz, let’s play a game to test your understanding of the organization of Congress.
Now it’s time to take the quiz on section 3. When you are finished, proceed to section 4.