Congress, the Committees, and the House V.S. the Senate Essay
1162 Words5 Pages
Congress has many functions to keep it working and functioning. They do many things to make laws, make sure they’re fair, and much more. There are also many committees with important jobs. There are many things that influence congressional elections such as reapportionment, redistricting, much more. There are many people who make up the House and Senate and they have many important jobs to keep things running smoothly. One function of Congress is lawmaking. It is one of their main jobs to make rules for Americans, but they don’t initiate most of the bills they pass. Most are initiated in the Executive Branch or from interest groups and their political parties. Congress gets support for their bills by persuading other members to support…show more content… This is very important to Congress. Another function is oversight. It is a process in which Congress follows up the laws they enact to make sure that they are being properly enforced. They research this by holding hearings, doing investigations, changing the agency’s budget, and cross-examining presidential nominees to lead major agencies. It helps to sniff out problems. Then there is public-education. They do this when they have hearings, debates, or exercise oversight. It gives a variety of viewpoints and opens up important national questions for discussion. Lastly, there is conflict-resolution. Many people look to Congress for guidance and this helps solve the problem. Firstly, there are standing committees. They are a permanent committee in house or senate that considers bills within a specific area. Each different committee is given a specific area of legislative policy jurisdiction. Members tend to seek committee seats that deal with matters of special interest to their constituents. There are select committees. It is a temporary legislative committee created for a limited time for a specific reason. They normally form to investigate public issues like aging. Another is joint committees. It is comprised of both Chambers of Congress. They can be permanent or temporary. They work with economy, tax, or Library of Congress. Conference Committees are formed to reach an agreement between the House and