Congressional Pocket Handbook

CONGRESSIONAL POCKET HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
3. --------------- Congressional Committees
4. --------------- Powers
5. --------------- Representatives and Senate Office
6. --------------- Works Cited

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES:

* Conference Committee: A temporary, panel composed of House and Senate conferences which are formed for the purpose of reconciling differences in legislation that has passed both chambers. Conference committees are usually convened to resolve bicameral differences on major and controversial legislation.

* Select Committee: A committee established by the Senate for a limited time period to perform a particular study or investigation. Select committees might be given or denied authority to report legislation to the Senate.

* Standing Committee: Permanent committees established under the standing rules of the Senate and specializing in the consideration of particular subject areas. There are currently 16 standing committees

* Joint Committee: Committees including membership from both houses of Congress. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation. Chairmanship usually alternates between the House and Senate members from Congress to Congress. Select Committee on Global Warming
POWERS:
* Expressed Powers: also known as Enumerated powers. Expressed powers are explicitly granted to Congress to tax and spend for the defense & general welfare of the U.S., borrow money, regulate foreign and interstate commerce, establish naturalization and bankruptcy laws, coin money, punish counterfeiters of money and securities (stocks), establish post offices, grant patents and copyrights, create courts below the Supreme Court, define and punish piracies & felonies of the high seas, declare war, raise and support an army, provide and maintain a navy, make laws governing the armed forces (different from civilian law), provide and call for the militia/National Guard to execute federal laws, organize, arm, and discipline the militia, govern the District of Columbia, provide for the laws necessary and proper for carrying out all other listed powers.

* Implied Powers: implied powers are powers exercised by Congress which is not explicitly given by the constitution itself. They include: supporting public schools, providing welfare programs, public housing, maintaining the Federal Reserve Board, prohibiting discrimination in public places; restaurants, power to draft people into the armed forces, power to limit number of Immigrants to the U.S., power to establish a minimum wage, monitor Air and Water pollution, and power to regulate monopolies that limit competition.

REPRESENTATIVES:
Delegates vs. Trustees * A Delegate is - Any one sent and empowered to act for another; one deputed or elected to represent; a chosen deputy; a representative * A Trustee is - One to whom something is entrusted to: one trusted to keep or administer something: as a member of a board entrusted with administering the funds and directing the policy of an institution or organization. Obama acts as delegate and trustee for the U.S citizens.

SENATE OFFICE: * President Pro-Tempore: appointed by the Senate. The Constitution provides for a president pro tempore to preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice president.

* Incumbent: An individual that is responsible for a specific office within a corporation or government position. This person has an obligation to the position or office he/she holds.

Works Cited
Google. 07 March 2013 <https://www.google.com/search?aq=&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS504US504&q=standing+committees+in+the+house&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=b8c8UfqEBYmW8gSzwYDAAw&biw=1366&bih=602&sei=ecc8UcLxJYe68ASapIDwBg#um=1&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS504US504&tbm=>.
Investopedia. 7 March 2013 <http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/incumbent.asp#ixzz2NA4JUIzt>.
Quizlet. 27 October 2010. 07 March 2013 <http://quizlet.com/3220770/expressed-powers-of-congress-flash-cards/>.
Senate, U.S. U.S. Senate: Reference Home Glossary conference committee. 07 March 2013 <http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/conference_committee.htm>.
The Select Committee on Energy Independence And Global Warming. 07 March 2013 <globalwarming.markey.house.gov>.
The Spirit Of The Law. 07 March 2013 <http://thespiritofthelaw.blogspot.com/2009/02/delegate-vs-trustee.html>.

Cited: Google. 07 March 2013 &lt;https://www.google.com/search?aq=&amp;rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS504US504&amp;q=standing+committees+in+the+house&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;hl=en&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=og&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wi&amp;ei=b8c8UfqEBYmW8gSzwYDAAw&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=602&amp;sei=ecc8UcLxJYe68ASapIDwBg#um=1&amp;hl=en&amp;rlz=1T4ADRA_enUS504US504&amp;tbm=&gt;. Investopedia. 7 March 2013 &lt;http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/incumbent.asp#ixzz2NA4JUIzt&gt;. Quizlet. 27 October 2010. 07 March 2013 &lt;http://quizlet.com/3220770/expressed-powers-of-congress-flash-cards/&gt;. Senate, U.S. U.S. Senate: Reference Home Glossary conference committee. 07 March 2013 &lt;http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/conference_committee.htm&gt;. The Select Committee on Energy Independence And Global Warming. 07 March 2013 &lt;globalwarming.markey.house.gov&gt;. The Spirit Of The Law. 07 March 2013 &lt;http://thespiritofthelaw.blogspot.com/2009/02/delegate-vs-trustee.html&gt;.