In the House of Representatives Who Is Second in Authority

• Introduction
• What is the Legislative Branch?
• What does the House of Representatives do?
• Boosted Resources
• Ways to Get Involved/What You Can Do
• Suggestions for Your Side by side Chat

Introduction

The United states of america spent eight long years of drastic fighting for independence from 1775 to 1783. By 1789, the Founding Fathers had fix nearly constructing a government "built on the fundamental confidence of revolutionary-era republicanism: that no central authority empowered to coerce or discipline the citizenry was permissible , since information technology merely duplicated the monarchical and aloof principles that the American Revolution had been fought to escape. The Usa is now the oldest enduring republic in world history, with a gear up of political institutions and traditions that have stood the exam of fourth dimension."

According to House.gov , "To ensure a separation of powers, the U.S. Federal Government is fabricated up of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. To ensure the government is effective and citizens' rights are protected, each branch has its own powers and responsibilities, including working with the other branches." This is often referred to as " checks and balances ," and prevents any 1 function of regime from wielding too much political ability.

Why information technology Matters

America benefits from a judicial branch positioned to halt executive co-operative overreach. The President of the United States cannot stay in ability indefinitely and is unable to force the U.S. Congress to pass laws. From the very offset, and still to today, the American people take access to and influence over their elected representatives.

The House of Representatives virtually directly reflects the desires of the American public due to the ratio of American citizens to U.S. Representatives and the abiding election cycle every ii years. Much of the deadlock of the U.S. government that we witness today reflects a divided American people.

This brief focuses on the Legislative branch of the U.South. government, in detail the House of Representatives, including the basics and bolts of how its inner workings, and how everyday citizens can influence the legislative procedure. For a brief on the U.South. Senate, click here .

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What is the Legislative Branch?

The legislative co-operative is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate , known collectively equally the Congress. Among other powers, the legislative branch "makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies."

CrashCourse U.S. Authorities and Politics, produced in collaboration with PBS, explains the Bicameral Congress (ix min):

Of all federal government institutions, the House of Representatives is designed to be closest to American voters, most closely reflecting the individual cares and concerns of American taxpayers. In fact, the House is the only institution that has been directly elected by American voters since its formation in 1789.

"'If proportional representation takes place, the small States fence that their liberties will be in danger. If an equality of votes is to be put in its place, the large States say their money volition exist in danger,'" explained Benjamin Franklin . What eventually "emerged from weeks of stalemate was called the 'Great Compromise' and created a bicameral legislature with a Firm, where membership was determined by state population, and a Senate, where each state had two seats regardless of population."

Size and Construction of the House

There are 435 representatives in the Business firm , and have been since the number was fixed past law in 1911. Each House representative is elected to a two-yr term serving the people of a specific congressional district in a land. "Each state receives representation in the Business firm in proportion to the size of its population but is entitled to at least one representative." This means that states with large populations have more representatives than small states have. Representation based on population was "one of the most important components of the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787," every bit 1 of the founders' greatest concerns was designing a arrangement of government that would better represent the public than did the British model from which they had won independence.

In addition to the 435 representatives from u.s., there is a Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and Delegates from Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, The Republic of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. The Resident Commissioner and Delegates are able to serve and vote on committees, but do not have the aforementioned full voting rights as the 435 state representatives.

The Role of the Census

Specifically, seats in the House " are apportioned based on country population according to the constitutionally mandated Census."  The Census, which occurs every ten years and is overseen by the Bureau of the Census, part of the U.South. Department of Commerce. Tying representation to Census data allows the number of each state'southward representatives to increase or decrease along with fluctuations in state population. The Census data is then used to determine congressional districts, areas in the state from which representatives are elected to the Firm. This process is called redistricting. For more on redistricting and the Census, see The Policy Circumvolve's Decennial Census Brief.

Elections

Members of the Firm of Representatives " must stand for ballot every 2 years , after which information technology convenes for a new session and essentially reconstitutes itself – electing a Speaker, swearing-in the Members-elect, and approving a slate of officers to administer the institution." Biennial elections are held in November, and the Congress commences in the following January. To be elected, a representative must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of the state he or she represents. U.S. House candidates are not required to live in the congressional district they stand for.

The Life of a Representative

According to Congressional Direction Foundation'due south Life in Congress written report , when representatives are in Washington, D.C., they written report spending their fourth dimension as follows:

• 35% on "Legislative/Policy Work"
• 17% on "Constituent Services Work"
• 17% on "Political/Campaign Piece of work"
• 9% on "Press/Media Relations"
• 9% on "Family/Friends"
• 7% on "Administrative/Managerial Piece of work"
• vi% on "Personal Time"

When in their home district, they reported spending fourth dimension as follows:

• 32% on "Constituent Services Piece of work"
• 18%  on "Political/Campaign Work"
• 14% on "Press/Media Relations"
• 12%  on "Legislative/Policy Work"
• nine% with "Family unit/Friends"
• 8% on "Personal Time"
• 7% on "Authoritative/Managerial Piece of work"

Bounty

Article I, Section half dozen of the Constitution requires Congress to decide its ain pay. Congress'southward " current automated aligning formula , which is based on changes in individual sector wages," was established by the Ethics Reform Act of 1989. The last pay adjustment was in January 2009. Since, most representatives earn $174,000 annually, while the bulk and minority leaders make $193,400. The Speaker earns the largest bacon at $223,500. Additionally, representatives "are subject area to some specific laws and regulations regarding the acceptance of gifts ," particularly gifts from registered lobbyists or from private entities that retain or utilize a lobbyist.

What does the House of Representatives exercise?

Responsibilities of the House

Per the Constitution , the House and Senate together brand and pass federal laws, introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments, and serve on committees that enable members to develop specialized knowledge on the matters under that committee's jurisdiction. Though both make up Congress, at that place are a few distinctions between the 2. In particular, the Constitution "provides that only the House of Representatives may originate acquirement bills, " and by tradition information technology also originates appropriation bills.

Additionally, while the Constitution does not specifically mention investigations and oversight , "the say-so to bear investigations is implied since Congress possesses 'all legislative powers'." The House initiates impeachment proceedings and passes articles of impeachment (the Senate sits equally a court to try the impeachment).

Finally, during a presidential election, the House of Representatives steps in if no candidate receives a majority of the total balloter votes. Each state delegation has 1 vote to choose the President from amid the top three candidates with the largest number of balloter votes.

Leadership in the House

After each election, the political party that wins the nearly representatives is designated the " Majority ." The other political party is the " Minority. " The majority political party holds fundamental leadership positions, such as Speaker of the House. The aforementioned party can have the majority in both the Business firm of Representatives and the Senate, or the chambers can exist separate. 3rd parties rarely accept plenty members to elect their own leadership, so independents generally join one of the larger political party organizations to receive committee assignments.

The House is run by majority rule.  When a majority of members vote to do something in the Firm, it gets done. Majority rule makes passing legislation relatively efficient, and that means that the party in the minority has less power to set up the agenda or pass its proposals. This contrasts with the Senate, where a single senator – in the majority or the minority – tin can by and large force a vote or stop a bill in its tracks.

Firm Leadership includes the Speaker of the House, Bulk and Minority Leaders, and Bulk and Minority Whips.

The Speaker of the Firm is the presiding officer of the House, and is elected by the members of the House. The Speaker administers the Adjuration of Part to House members, chairs certain committees or nominates committee chairs (namely the chairs of the House Administration Commission and the Rules Committee ), and appoints members of various committees and Business firm staff. Later the Vice President, the Speaker is 2nd in line to succeed the Vice President.

Bulk and Minority Leaders correspond their respective parties on the House floor. Each is elected by his or her respective party. The majority leader is 2d to the Speaker and schedules legislative business, planning legislative agendas rather than serving on committees. The minority leader serves as the minority party'south spokesperson, essentially the minority party's counterpart to the Speaker. He or she likewise chairs the minority political party's committee assignment panel.

Majority and Minority Whips serve as middlemen to betwixt their party leaders and members. They "maintain communication between the leadership of the party and its members, marshal back up for political party positions on the flooring, count votes on central legislation, and persuade wavering Members to vote for the party position."

The Speaker of the House is elected by the entire House of Representatives, while the Republican Conference and Democratic Conclave elect the other leadership positions. The Republican Conference is the formal organization of Republican Members in the Firm, and the Democratic Caucus is that of the Autonomous Members.

Come across current House Leadership positions hither.

The Part of Committees

Committees " are permanent panels governed past House bedroom rules, with responsibility to consider bills and issues and to have full general oversight relating to their areas of jurisdiction." Committees have unlike legislative jurisdictions, only each considers, shapes, and passes laws related to its jurisdiction, and monitors agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdiction. Each committee has a chair that leads the full committee, and a ranking fellow member who leads the minority members of the commission. Commission assignment directly affects a representative's work in Congress. After a Congressional election, political parties assign newly elected representatives to continuing committees

Crash Course U.S. Government & Politics explains what Congressional committees exercise (eight min):

Some of the most well-known committees include:

• The Business firm Committee on Ways and Ways , which oversees all revenue enhancement, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures.
• The House Committee on Appropriations , which has jurisdiction over setting specific government expenditures.
• The House Committee on Foreign Affairs , which has jurisdiction over foreign assistance and oversees national security developments affecting foreign policy.
• The House Committee on the Judiciary, which oversees the judiciary and civil and criminal proceedings.

Most committees are regular continuing committees, which go on from one Congress to the next. In that location are as well select committees, special committees formed for a short period of time for a specific purpose such as an investigation, and at that place are several joint committees with the Senate. Run into a full list of all House Committees hither .

Legislation in the House

Legislation begins with an idea . It may come from a Congressman, a staffer, a constituent, or a thought leader or expert on a given bailiwick. Y'all may remember the School House Stone video , which walks through the legislative process in an accessible way and is nifty to share with your kids (3 min):

Drafting Legislation

Working with House parliamentarians —  lawyers and clerks who provide nonpartisan guidance on rules and procedures — and other Congressional staff on Capitol Hill, the Congressional representative's staff drafts the bill. The parliamentarians have specific expertise; they piece of work closely with staff in a non-partisan mode to draft the specific language of the bill. Staff works to build sponsors and cosponsors before the bill is introduced.

Introducing a Bill

Any Fellow member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner tin can introduce a bill when the business firm is in session by " placing information technology in the 'hopper, '" a box on the House Clerk's desk in the Capitol building. The Member who introduces the neb is known every bit the primary sponsor. The bill is and so formally assigned a number by the Clerk. A bill originating in the House will beginning with "H.R." (for the House of Representatives, as opposed to "South." for the Senate). The Speaker'due south office then assigns that bill to its committee(s) of jurisdiction, which then assigns the beak to a subcommittee(s).

Commission Process

The Subcommittee seeks input from relevant departments and agencies and holds public hearings. Afterward hearings, there is a markup on the legislation , in which "views of both sides are studied in detail and at the conclusion of deliberation a vote is taken to determine" whether or not the subcommittee recommends the beak to the total committee. In the full committee, the subcommittee reports on the bill; this meeting provides an opportunity for Members to better the legislation. At that place is also the possibility that the committee tables the pecker or fails to take action , which prevents the bill from reaching the full House. Yous tin sentry House Committee hearing videos here .

To get to the full Firm, the committee staff writes a written report describing the purpose of the neb, why the bill is recommended, and an analysis of each part of the bill and how the bill may affect existing law. A full commission mark-up and the determination of what legislation makes it to the House flooring is tightly controlled past the Committee Chairman'southward office and leadership. When the legislation is reported favorably out of the total committee information technology awaits a decision by leadership to schedule fourth dimension for it to be debated on the House floor. This decision is a negotiation based on priorities of the committee and of leadership.

After a committee has reported a neb, the pecker is placed on the calendar . This means the bill is eligible for flooring consideration, but not that it will necessarily brand it to the floor. In the House, it is upward to the majority political party leadership to determine which bills the Business firm will consider on the floor, and in what society.

Committee on Rules

One time leadership has decided that a specific slice of legislation will receive floortime, the House Majority Leader alerts the committee of jurisdiction that the bill volition exist considered on the Business firm Floor, and this kicks off the Rules Committee procedure.

The Committee on Rules , or Rules Committee, is one of the oldest standing committees in the House. The Committee is commonly known every bit "The Speaker's Commission" – prior to 1910, the Speaker chaired the Rules Committee, and today it is the mechanism by which the Speaker maintains control of the Firm Floor. The Rules Committee is sometimes also referred to as " the traffic cop of the House ," as it determines how much fourth dimension will be immune for argue on each piece of legislation considered on the House floor, and if whatsoever (and which) amendments will be allowed to exist considered during the debate.

Most bills are considered under a process known as intermission of the rules , "which limits debate to 40 minutes and does not allow amendments to be offered by members on the floor." Otherwise, the bill is considered under terms tailored for the particular nib. In this example, the House adopts a resolution called a special rule from the Rules Committee. Later the Rules Commission reports the rule for considering the bill and the House votes to adopt the dominion, the Firm tin can so proceed to the floor debate.

Floor Debate

Once the rule has been adopted, the House normally considers the bill "in a procedural setting called the Committee of the Whole , which is substantially "the House assembled in a different form; it is a committee of the House equanimous of every Representative that meets in the House chamber." This process "allows members an efficient style to consider and vote on amendments."

Later on the floor debate on amendments and the underlying legislation, the Committee of the Whole reports to the full House, which then votes on the nib. The bill passes the House by a uncomplicated majority , 218 votes of the 435 total. It then goes to the Senate and waits to be scheduled for floor time.

See The Policy Circle's Senate Brief to see how the procedure continues.

Additional Resources

Glossary of terms

Dissimilar types of legislation

Culling legislative procedures in the Firm

Ways to Get Involved/What You Can Do

Measure & Identify : Who are the influencers in your land, county, or customs? Acquire well-nigh their priorities and consider how to contact them

• Exercise you lot know who your Congressional Representative is ? What most your state elected officials ?
• Runway your representatives' votes with GovTrack .

Attain out: You lot are a catalyst. Finding a common cause is a great opportunity to develop relationships with people who may be exterior of your immediate network. All it takes is a pocket-size team of 2 or 3 people to prepare a path for real improvement. The Policy Circle is your platform to convene with experts you lot want to hear from.

• Find allies in your customs or in nearby towns and elsewhere in the state.
• Foster collaborative relationships with colleagues, neighbors, friends, and local organizations to mobilize an endeavor to bring attending to your issue to your local Congressional office. Also accomplish out to community leaders to educate them and asking their date on the event.

Plan: Ready some milestones based on your state's legislative calendar .

• You can find the legislative calendar for the House of Representatives here .
• Don't hesitate to contact The Policy Circle squad, communications@thepolicycircle.org , for connections to the broader network, advice, insights on how to build rapport with policy makers and plant yourself as a civic leader.

Execute: Give information technology your best shot. Y'all can:

• Research: Brand sure yous know the facts about the issue y'all are raising. Government agencies, think tanks, and media outlets can all exist good resource. Retrieve to research all sides of the event to make sure you sympathise various angles. You can also talk with people who are affected by the effect with which you are concerned; anecdotal information combined with measured data can be powerful.

• Write: Although we may exist more inclined to electronic mail in the digital age, writing an old-fashioned letter to your local elected representatives or to members of Congress is nevertheless one of the most constructive ways to influence lawmakers.

• • • Meet these tips for footstep-past-step instructions to write letters to elected officials, including how to address your representative, reference specific legislation, and properly transport your correspondence.

• Organize: Organize people to telephone call in, follow-upward on written material, and attain out to other community members to educate them on the issue. Demonstrating wide support can be very effective in influencing a legislator to back up your position.

Working with others, you lot may create something great for your community. Here are some tools to learn how to contact your representatives and write an op-ed .

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Source: https://www.thepolicycircle.org/brief/makes-u-s-exceptional-u-s-house-representatives-explained/