Committees and Lobbyists

Unit 3: The Three
Branches of Government

1. Legislative Branch
2. Executive Branch
3. Judicial Branch

Standing
(Permanent)
Committees

• Continues from one Congress to

the next (Permanent)

• Probably the most important

type

• They consider and shape most

proposed laws

• Most of them have been around

for many years

• They also conduct investigations

Examples of standing committees

Agriculture, Armed services, Budget, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Ethics, Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security, etc

Multiple Choice

True or False: Standing Committees are permanent and carry from one session of Congress to the next

• True

• False

Select
Committees

• Temporarily formed for specific

purposes

• Often to study a particular issue
• Or set up to deal with a specific

bill not covered by a standing
committee

• Usually does not draft legislations

• Sometimes longstanding select

committees eventually become
standing committees

Joint Committees

• Can be either a Select or Standing

committee

• Made up of members from both the

House and the Senate

• Conduct business between the houses

• Help focus public attention on major

issues

• Investigate other areas of government or

the private sector on behalf of the
Congress

Multiple Choice

Joint Committees are made up of...

• Just the House

• Just the Senate

• Both the House and the Senate

• The President's Cabinet

Conference
Committees

• Specially created when the House

and the Senate need to reconcile
different versions of the same bill

• Made up of members from the

House and Senate committees that
originally considered the bill

• Once the committee agrees on a

compromise, the revised bill is
returned to both houses of Congress
for their approval

What is a
lobbyist?

Lobbyist

• Lobbying is a way to influence the lawmaking process by convincing lawmakers to vote in favor of their interests

• A LOBBYIST is a person who tries to influence lawmakers on behalf of an interest group

An INTEREST GROUP is a group of people who seek to influence public policy for their benefit

Multiple Choice

An attempt by a private person or group to influence government decisions is called

• amending

• campaigning

• lobbying

• reforming

Multiple Choice

The role of a lobbyist is to

• try to influence government policy

• work in an agency of the executive branch

• serve on the staff of a member of Congress

• represent defendants who cannot afford lawyers

Multiple Choice

Which type of group would be most likely to lobby Congress to pass a law tightening penalties to businesses that pollute streams and rivers?

• a labor union

• a professional group

• a public interest group

• a religious organization

Poll

Do you think Lobbyist have more power than the average person?

• Yes

• No

• Not sure yet

Open Ended

Before you go! Do you think lobbyists are disruptive to our representative democracy? Why or why not?