Committees & Leadership Positions in Congress

House Committees & Senate Committees
This is where things happen

Standing Committees
- permanent committees; usually have sub-committees that report to them
   examples House: Budget, Foreign Affairs, Rules*, Ways & Means* (*=something notable)
   examples Senate: Judiciary, Foreign Relations

Forward to minute 23 to see the Hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committe on Syria from September 2013

Select Committees
- created to carry out a specific task
   example: Watergate investigative committees

Joint Committees
- addresses issues that affect both House and Senate

Conference Committee
- members of House & Senate resolve differences in two similar bills passed for same purpose

Note importance of Committee Membership, Committee Chairs, seniority, safe seats, and what the discharge petition is

Leadership positions in the House
(selected by party caucus)
Speaker of the House (most powerful)
Party leaders (majority and minority)
Party whips (majority and minority)

Leadership positions in the Senate
(again, selected by party caucus)
Party leaders (majority and minority) special note: majority leader most powerful in Senate
Party whips (majority and minority)
President of the Senate
President Pro-tempore