Congress

Committees help organize the work of Congress by considering, shaping, and passing the laws that govern the nation. Each chamber of Congress has committees set up to perform specific functions, which enable the legislative bodies to more easily accomplish their often-complex work. There are about two hundred and fifty congressional committees and subcommittees, each charged with different functions and all made up of members of Congress (Longley).

There are four types of congressional committees. The first type is standing committees, which are one of the most important committees because they consider and shape the vast majority of proposed laws as well as conduct investigations. They continue from one Congress to the next and can be combined or discontinued, although most of them have been around for many years (“The Importance of Committees”).

The second type is select committees. They are formed temporarily for specific purposes, often to study a particular issue and usually do not draft legislation. Some select committees such as the Select Committee on Aging and the Select Committee on Indian Affairs have existed for a number of years and produced legislations as well. Occasionally, select committees that have existed for a long time become sitting committees (“The Importance of Committees”).

The third type is joint committees. They are similar to select committees in purpose but have members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. They are set up to conduct business between both of the houses and help focus public attention on major issues, although some joint committees handle routine matters such as the overseeing of the Library of Congress (“The Importance of Committees”).

The fourth type of congress...

... middle of paper ...

...te in issue networks or relationships among interest groups, congressional committees and subcommittees, and government agencies that share a common policy concern. For members of Congress, the most important thing lobbyists provide are funds for their reelection campaign. Interest groups also provide volunteers for campaign activities. Furthermore, their failure to support the opposition can enhance the candidate’s chance of being reelected (Magleby 146-147).

Works Cited

"The Importance of Committees." American Government. US History.org, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. .

Longley, Robert. "The Congressional Committee System." US Government Infor. About.com, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.

Magleby, David B., Paul C. Light, and Christine L. Nemacheck. Government by the People. 2012 Election ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2012. Print.