Paul Jones

Mrs. Quinn
G.A.L.R.E.
December 8, 2010
Unit 4 Lesson 22 – Reviewing and Using the Lesson
1. How do committees, rules, and political parties help Congress organize its work?
They allow Congress to set up a division of labor and chain of command.
2. What values are served by using seniority to determine committee leadership positions in
Congress? What values are served by using party loyalty to determine leadership positions? Is
one method more consistent with Constitutional ideas?
If seniority is used, politically conservative and established members get their say in Congress.
Should party loyalty be the determining factor, party interests supersede populist interests.
Neither is constitutional, as representatives were to be temporary citizen politicians and political
parties remain unendorsed.
3. How has the role of Speaker of the House evolved since 1900?
The Speakership reached its apogee during the term of Republican Joseph Gurney Cannon.
Cannon exercised extraordinary control over the legislative process; he determined the agenda
of the House, appointed the members of all committees, chose committee chairmen, headed the
Rules Committee, and determined which committee heard each bill.
4. Describe the responsibilities of the House, the Senate, and the president in the law making
process.
Once a bill has a sponsor, it is officially presented to Congress. The proposed legislation
receives a number, so that it can be identified directly. New bills are read to all members of the
legislature before being sent to a committee. When the bill returns to the general legislature, all
members of Congress begin debating the bill. These debates argue the pros and cons of passing
the law and come from both political parties.Once a bill has passed in both the House and the
Senate, it is forwarded to the President to sign. The President, however, has several choices. If
he does nothing, and Congress is still in session, the proposed bill becomes a law after 10 days,
even without his signature.
5. Explain the roles of interest groups in making laws.
Interest groups represent a coalition of people intending to make their whole greater than the
sum of their parts.
6. How does landmark legislation differ from ordinary legislation?
 Landmark legislation will be sweeping overhauls, whereas ordinary will be day-to-day menial
tasks.
7. Congress uses its power to investigate to asses blame for government acts in the past and to
acquire information to help it enact laws. Is one us of the power to investigate more justifiable
than the other? Why or why not?
The latter is more justifiable because it is an act that is progressive, actively educating the lands
highest level law-making institution, whereas the other is largely a destructive and potentially
unguided act that does little to ameliorate problems.