Congressional Committee Structure & Purpose
To deal more effectively with the multitude of issues that are
brought before it each session, Congress utilizes several standing
committees – 20 in the House and 16 in the Senate. In addition,
the House and Senate each have five select committees that focus
on short-term issues. There are also four joint committees with
membership from both bodies. Representatives usually serve on
two or three committees, senators on three or four.
Each committee deals with a set of specific issues. Consequently,
members of Congress generally request committee assignments that
allow them to develop an expertise on issues that are of interest
to them and their constituents.
Probably the most critical step in the legislative process takes
place in one or more of the House and Senate standing committees.
Each committee has a special area of concern (e.g. agriculture,
taxation, civil rights, and appropriations) and is responsible
for reviewing all legislation in its specialized area.
The committee function is a screening process. In committee,
bills are studied for their relevance, necessity, and relation
to existing law. Bills deemed unnecessary or in conflict with
specific interests are screened out and allowed to “die.”
Other bills are amended to conform to legal requirements or political
preferences.
Bills are considered in committee according to a schedule set
by the chair. Some committees have a professional staff that conducts
research on bills being considered by a committee. If a bill has
broad public interest, the chair may schedule public hearings.
Once a committee completes its study of a bill, it may take one
of the following actions:
- Report the bill with a favorable recommendation
- Add amendments
- Replace the original bill with a substitute
- Report the bill with an unfavorable recommendation
- Report the bill with the recommendation that
it be referred to another committee
- Postpone action indefinitely
- Table the bill
- Refuse to take action on the bill
- Defeat the bill
How a Bill Passes Through Committee
Once a bill is introduced, the usual first step is to refer the
measure to a subcommittee of the pertinent full committee. The
subcommittee holds hearings where witnesses testify. After hearings
are completed, the subcommittee meets to “markup”
the bill. During markup, the subcommittee reviews the bill and
makes any agreed-upon changes. If a majority of the subcommittee
members present approve the bill, the measure is favorably “reported”
to the full committee for further consideration. The full committee
often repeats the process of holding hearings and a markup to
prepare the bill in “floor action.”
Numerous measures are “killed” in committee, before
the full Congress has a chance to act. In fact, more than 10,000
bills and resolutions are introduced during each Congress, but
only about five percent become law.
The House Rules Committee must determine guidelines for floor
debate on a bill before the measure can come up for a vote in
the House. For instance, the Rules Committee sets time limits
for debate as well as limits on the number and kinds of amendments
that may be offered to the measure; these limits often determine
the fate of a bill. There is no such committee in the Senate,
where a bill reported by a full committee usually goes directly
to the Senate floor for a vote.
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