U.S. Government and Civics / Unit 6: Congress
6.4 Leadership and Committees
Notes
Each house has leaders and a system of committees that does most of the detailed work.
- Speaker of the House: elected by the full House, usually the majority party's leader; second in line for the presidency after the vice president.
- Majority and minority leaders and whips (who count and round up votes) in each house.
- The vice president is president of the Senate and votes only to break a tie. The president pro tempore presides when the vice president is absent.
- Standing committees are permanent (for example, House Ways and Means handles taxes). Select committees are temporary for special issues. Joint committees include members of both houses. Conference committees settle differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.
- The House Rules Committee sets the terms of debate for most bills.
- Committee chairs usually come from the majority party.
Practice
The Senate vote on a bill is tied 50 to 50. Who can break the tie?
The vice president, as president of the Senate, votes only to break ties.
The House and Senate pass different versions of a bill. Which committee works out a single version?
A conference committee has members of both houses to resolve differences.
Which House committee decides how long a bill may be debated and whether amendments are allowed?
The Rules Committee is sometimes called the "traffic cop" of the House.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 6 test.