Leadership and Organization of Congress

Presiding Officers

Speaker of the House

Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House. They're also the acknowledged leader of its majority party. The Speaker is in place to keep order and help organize the party's agenda. Their most important power is directing bills to committee.

President of the Senate

The Vice President is president of the Senate. He's not an official member of the Senate and only votes in cases of a tie.

Floor Leaders

Floor leaders are legislative strategists. They try to carry out the decisions of their party members and control floor action.

Whips

Whips are the line of communication between the floor leaders and other members of Congress.

Committees

Standing Committees

Similar bills are sent to committee and receive most thorough consideration in these bodies.

Select Committees

These are most often investigative in nature and used to ensure federal agencies are following the laws set in place.

Joint Committees

Composed of members of both houses. They have oversight or policy roles, but no legislative duties.

Conference Committees

Conference committees are used to iron out differences in a bill. 

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