Congress, the bulk of work on legislation consists of what members do Essay

Congress, the bulk of work on legislation consists of what members do in committees - Essay object lessonSimilar to the Senate, Congress has four major categories of committees standing, convocation, select, and joint committees. Standing committees are the most important as they grant with the vast majority of legislative concerns. Within each standing committee are sub-committees tasked with the duty of dealing with specific areas of a legislative issue for example, the Ways and Means committee. Contrastingly, conference committees specific anyy deal with Bills, and comprise of members from both the Senate and Congress. By reconciling differences of members in the committee, conference committees are able to form a single Bill, which can then be forwarded to the President for his assent. Select committees are short-term in temperament and are formed to deal with a specific issue when it arises for example, Intelligence committee. Finally, joint committees resemble conference co mmittees in structure however, they are need-based formed to address specific issues for example, joint committee on revenue (Independence Hall Association).Committees wield a great deal of influence in the US legislature as such, the majority party chooses the Chairman of each committee in the US Congress. However, it is important to note that all committees comprise of members from all political parties with representatives in the Congress. There is no specified criterion used by committees to choose its members however, legislators earn their place based on political favors earned due to loyalty, power and higher rank in the Congress. Due to this, legislators in Congress are always cautious of their dealings with each other, as they are aware failure to do so would cost them favorable committee assignments. The number of members percentage in the various committees varies. Besides the Chairman, the Ranking Member also holds a high status in the committee. This position is rese rved for the senior most member of the minority