Dominican University
POSC 170: American Government
Assignment #2: CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES
I. Purpose
Understanding congressional committees is equivalent to understanding Congress as a whole. While great stories about
action on the floor, such as getting beaten with a cane, bringing in hunting dogs, or discussing why American women
should wear bras (really happened) is interesting, they are just stories. While Congress has held larger-than-life leaders in
our country, such as Webster, Clay, Johnson, Reed, Cannon, and Rayburn, they are just citizens passing through.
Committees are where the real story of the Congress is told. It is not always humorous and seldom does it provide fodder
for a movie script, but it is where real conversations take place, discussions occur, and future laws of the country either
find life or quietly pass into oblivion. To understand committees is to understand Congress.
II. Task
You will examine, in a compare and contrast essay, a committee in the House and the Senate. The committees may be
found on the chamber websites, with links provided on the class Canvas site. The committee choice is entirely open as
long as one committee is taken from the current House and one from the current Senate. Perhaps there is an area that is of
particular interest to you, two committees that look as if they cover similar areas, or two committees that appear to cover
completely different areas, whatever works for you is acceptable. Examine the different committees. Examine the
different committee jurisdictions for breadth and depth of topic areas. Make note of the committee activity with regard to
meetings, hearings, and mark-up sessions. What type of bills or activity is being referred to these committees – suggest
you use congress.gov for specifics (such as non-controversial, policy, …) Are their evident characteristics in the
membership (regional, individuals, experience,…)? This is not a question- and-answer assignment, but a compare and
contrast; so, always keep in mind how the committees you chose represent their chamber and how they look across
chambers. Every committee controls their own site, so some are of greater value than others in completing this
assignment.
III. Requirement
Select any two committees, one from each chamber. Write a 3-5 page essay-styled compare and contrast paper discussing
the committees you chose. The paper must be double-spaced, 10-12 font, and 1-inch margins. I want you to read and
think about the committees, not copy the sites! At a minimum, a 70% paper MUST address the following areas:
1. Discuss the basic information on the committee, including membership size, leadership positions, and
members of note for any reason (state, region, reputation,…)
2. Discuss the committee jurisdictions (what issues do they discuss), including a general discussion of its
breadth and depth. This is not a high school level list, but a discussion!
3. Discuss the presence of subcommittees and membership of interest there. Is this a logical breakdown?
4. Discuss any activity currently taking place with the committees and how this information may indicate the
power and importance of this committee in the overall congressional structure.
5. Discuss your educated impression of these committees and how they compare and contrast with regard to
all the above information and what you personally think of what they do.
The assignment is a compare/contrast essay, so your essay should work between both chambers. In other words, I do not
want a single report on the Senate committee followed by a single report on the House committee. Committees are central
to the legislative process, so discuss how the committees you selected are playing their part (or not). Again,
compare/contrast across chambers (the hint here is to select two committees that appear to have overlapping jurisdiction
and power – thus creating many comparison possibilities; or to select two committees completely different in power or
prestige to create many contrast possibilities). A paper receiving a 75% or higher will do the above, but do so in a more
articulate, thoughtful, and grammatically correct way.
House of Representatives website http://www.house.gov
United States Senate http://www.senate.gov
Please
First go to committees then Agriculture then click about then you will find Membership, write about who are these
people and why they are in this position, what they do, what they cover also you should go to Rules and
Jurisdiction by click Agriculture then click about then you will find Rules and Jurisdiction
Legislation
Here are example : I went to https://agriculture.house.gov/
I click committees then Agriculture then click about then you will find Membership,
Then write about who are these people and why they are in this position, what they do, what they cover also you should
go to Rules and Jurisdiction by click Agriculture then click about then you will find Rules and Jurisdiction: that show the
rules that they have
Here are the rules of the house https://agriculture.house.gov/about/rules-and-jurisdiction.htm
You do not have to read the whole page just go to their roles
Here they are:
Rules of the House of Representatives:
https://agriculture.house.gov/about/rules-and-jurisdiction.htm
Rule X
Establishment and Jurisdiction of Standing Committees
There shall be in the House the following standing committees, each of which shall have the jurisdiction and related
functions assigned to it by this clause and clauses 2, 3, and 4; and all bills, resolutions, and other matters relating to
subject within the jurisdiction of any standing committee as listed in this clause shall (in accordance with and subject to
clause 5) be referred to such committees, as follows:
COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Adulteration of seeds, insect pests, and protection of birds and animals in forest reserves.
Agriculture generally.
Agricultural and industrial chemistry.
Agricultural colleges and experiment stations.
Agricultural economics and research.
Agricultural education extension services.
Agricultural production and marketing and stabilization of prices of agricultural products, and commodities (not including
distribution outside of the United States).
Animal industry and diseases of animals.
Commodity exchanges.
Crop insurance and soil conservation.
Dairy industry.
Entomology and plant quarantine.
Extension of farm credit and farm security.
Inspection of livestock, poultry, meat products, and seafood and seafood products.
Forestry in general, and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.
Human nutrition and home economics.
Plant industry, soils, and agricultural engineering.
Rural electrification.
Rural development.
Water conservation related to activities of the Department of Agriculture.
Then you will go to the other link the senate United States Senate http://www.senate.gov
And then you will do the same as the house
You will go to the link http://www.senate.gov
Then go to committees then Agriculture then click about then you will find Membership, write about who are these
people and why they are in this position, what they do, what they cover also you should go to Jurisdiction by click
Agriculture then click about then you will find Jurisdiction (https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction
):you will find their roles and what they cover
The last part is that you are going to compare between the two committee
write about who are the most famous people in the memberships of both senate and house, and write about the number of
the women in both senate and house are they many or few, write about their state for example how many people from the
same state.
You will compare between their membership of both senate and house, how there are different or similar
Compare about their roles, For example, you can wirte about that the seanta and the house are both have Rural
electrification. And Rural development.) https://agriculture.house.gov/about/rules-and-jurisdiction.htm)
(https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction)
You will find them in that link then you will write about how they similar and why they are different
And also you can find any other point and make the compare between the senate and the house
For example, you can write about other rules that they have, they do not have to be similar they could be different
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