Congressional Committees Quiz

Which type of committee deals with timetabling of legislation in the House of Representatives?

• Standing committee

• Conference committee

• Rules Committee

• Select committee

How many members do standing committees typically have (roughly)?

• Senate 12, House 20

• Senate 25, House 60-65

• Senate 18, House 30-40

• Senate 8, House 25-30

Which of the below is the most prestigious Senate committee?

• Judiciary

• Commerce, Science and Transportation

• Energy and Natural Resources

• Rules and Administration

Which of the below could be witnesses during hearings at the committee stage of a bill?

• Other member of Congress

• Members of executive departments or agencies

• Representatives of affected interest groups

• Ordinary members of the public

How is the House Rules Committee unusual among standing committees?

• It prioritises legislation onto the House floor for debate and votes

• It is the only one chaired by different parties on a rotating basis

• It's membership is smaller (just 13 members)

• It's membership is more skewed towards the majority (R-9, D-4)

Which of the below are true about conference committees?

• They are ad hoc - set up to consider a particular bill

• Their members are drawn from both houses

• Their only function is to reconcile the differences between House and Senate versions of the same bill

• Conferences committees are used much less frequently nowadays

• Conference committees can only put forward one reconciled version of a bill before disbanding

Which of the following is NOT true of select committees?

• They are almost always ad hoc, set up to investigate a particular issue.

• Members must be drawn from only one chamber.

• There are permanent select committees including the Senate and House Intelligence committees.

• Select committees investigate issues either outside of or too time consuming for the normal work of standing committees.

Which of these are powers of committee chairs?

• Influence the membership, meetings and hearings of sub-committees

• Control the committees budget

• Control the committees agenda

• Serve as a spokesperson on the committees policy area in Congress and with the White House

• Can veto amendments to legislation in the committee stage

Which of these are NOT current Senate committee chairs?

• Bob Corker (R-TN) - Foreign Relations

• Chuck Grassley (R-IA) - Judiciary

• Richard Burr (R-NC) - Intelligence

• Claire McCaskill (D-MO) - Homeland Security

• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - Energy & Natural Resources

Which of theses committees are investigating Russian interference/collusion into the 2016 election?

• House Intelligence Committee

• Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Cybersecurity

• House Oversight Committee

• Senate Intelligence Committee

• Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism