House and Senate Organizations

Overview

Speaker of the House: Most important position, elected by the full House; presides over the House, assigns bills to committees, and represents the majority party.
Majority and Minority Leaders: Act as floor leaders; the majority leader often stands in line to become the next Speaker.
Whips: Help enforce party discipline, communicate leadership positions, and gather votes.
Leadership positions and power dynamics are influenced by party majority.

Vice President: Official President of the Senate but has limited role, mainly tiebreaker.
President Pro Tempore: Usually the most senior senator of the majority party, holds a ceremonial position.
Majority and Minority Leaders: Hold significant power, manage legislative agenda, and must often cooperate due to Senate traditions like the filibuster.

Purpose: Organize the legislative workload, allowing specialization and detailed consideration of proposed bills.
Types of Committees:
- Standing Committees: Permanent, handle bills in specific areas.
- Joint Committees: Include members from both chambers, focus on broad issues, cannot forward bills.
- Conference Committees: Reconcile different bills from House and Senate.
- Select Committees: Temporary, set up for specific issues.
Power and Process:
- Committees have significant power over legislation, often determining a bill's fate.
- They conduct hearings, gather information, and report on bills.
- Committee chairs have control over meeting times and agenda.

Leadership and committee organization in Congress are crucial for legislative functioning.
The Speaker of the House plays a vital role in the House, while the Majority Leader is key in the Senate.
Committees are essential for managing the legislative workload.