Title: How Congress Works
Headings: How Congress Works
How Congress Works
The Legislative Process
Laying the Groundwork: The Role of Individual Members of Congress
The Importance of the Committee System
Floor Action
Conference Action
The Importance of Staff Contacts
Glossary of Legislative Terms
U.S. Senate - Leadership Structure
Republicans
Democrats
U.S. House of Representatives - Leadership Structure
Democrats
Republicans

Content: As the number of issues brought before Congress grows, lawmakers increasingly rely on the committee system to sift through the facts and determine how issues should be resolved. Congress is made up of both standing committees and select committees. Generally, standing committees have the power to generate legislation in their particular areas of jurisdiction, such as tax writing or appropriations. Select committees, such as the Senate Special Committee on Aging, are primarily advisory in nature. Most committees have delegated specific issues under their jurisdiction to subcommittees, whose job is to analyze each issue and eventually make a recommendation to their parent committee (or full committee, as it is sometimes called). Here again, it is vitally important that constituent contacts be made with the subcommittees as early in the process as possible. In their earliest stages of review, subcommittees welcome input from interested organizations and individuals. At this point, letters and personal visits with members of the subcommittee and their staff can have a tremendous effect on the panel’s recommendations. In many instances, a subcommittee will hold public hearings, either in Washington, DC or elsewhere, where constituents may ask to present their positions. If your senator or representative is not on the relevant subcommittee, does that mean you have no influence over the outcome?