Lesson 44: House-Senate Differences and Congressional Perks
In this lesson, we will take a look at some of the features that make the House
different from the Senate. We will also look at how debate is conducted in the
Senate, including the use of the filibuster. We will learn about the “Nuclear
Option” to eliminate the filibuster, and finally, we will take a look at the
type of person that typically serves in Congress and the benefits they enjoy.
The House and
the Senate are two equal parts of Congress,
but there are features that distinguish them.
Obviously, the House is much larger than the Senate. Because of this,
there are many more rules that
govern how the House conducts business when compared to the Senate.
One main difference is in
the form of the Rules Committee, the standing committee of the House of
Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be
debated, amended, and considered by the House.
The Senate can have extended debates if they prefer,
but the House has limits and that often results in them moving faster on issues.
Because the Senate has different rules concerning debate on the floor,
there are
strategies employed by Senators. One of those strategies is the filibuster.
That is the use of the Senate's tradition of unlimited debate as a delaying
tactic to block a bill.
Even though Senators can filibuster,
they can be stopped by invoking cloture. That means that
discussion on a bill is shut off if at least 16 Senators sign a petition and
3/5 of the Senate body vote for it after two days have lapsed.
Another way of bypassing filibuster is through reconciliation. That is a
special rule that can be applied to budget bills sent from the House of
Representatives to the Senate. Reconciliation measures cannot be filibustered.
The Senate does have the power to abolish the filibuster altogether. It would
take the vote of 3/5 or 60 Senators. Such a move is considered the "Nuclear
Option" since it is an extreme option to exercise. Until now, it has not been
taken yet.
In the Republican party itself, the Hastert Rule states that
a bill can only be introduced by the Republican Speaker if it has the support
of a majority of the Republicans in the House. The Democrats have also used
this guideline, but they have never made it an official rule.
Taking a look at the Congressional body, they are not at all typical as far as
American citizens go. They are generally older because of the age requirement
and they normally acquired a good bit of political experience to get there.
They are also mainly wealthy, white males who are trained in a professional
occupation such as law.
Serving in Congress comes with some great benefits. Members of Congress get a
staff to assist them in all aspects from writing legislation to responding to
media requests. Another benefit is the fact that if a legislator makes
allegations on the floor in a debate, they cannot be held liable for it in a
court of law if someone decides to sue.