Understanding Our Constitution - Part 7 - Congressional Committees

Our Constitution clearly states the duties and power of the Legislative Branch but no mention is given as to how to accomplish it. The procedures are left to both houses to determine.

Today there are 435 members in the House & 100 in the Senate. With so many issues to consider, how do you get legislation written & come to a consensus of opinion? The solution: Break members up into smaller committees.

When a bill is introduced, the House or Senate Parliamentarian determines its jurisdiction and refers it to the appropriate committee. A subcommittee may hold hearings to collect testimony and other evidence. It then reports the bill to the full committee for further debate and amendment.

If the committee approves, it reports the bill to the House or Senate. A designated person from the committee will attempt to defend the bill and win its passage. Once a bill becomes law, the same committee exercises oversight over the law.

Legislation is shaped more in committee than on the floor of either house. Bills tend to pass in a form so close to what is sent to the floor that the committees have been called “little legislatures.” Members, therefore, have the most influence over bills considered in their own committees.

There are 21 permanent committees in the House Of Representatives and 20 in the US Senate. Four joint committees operate with members from both houses. Senate rules fix the maximum size for many of its committees, while the House determines the size and makeup of each committee every new Congress.

The members of each committee are officially approved by a full vote of its house. These decisions (including who will serve as chair of each committee) are actually made by the party leadership.

Each member's areas of expertise, the interests of their constituents (a Representative in a rural state may want to be on the Agriculture Committee), and seniority are all considered. As certain committees are considered more desirable, political favors often come into play.

There are three main types of committees:

Standing committees are permanent panels. They consider bills and issues and recommend measures for consideration.

A Select or Special committee is appointed to perform a special function. It is usually created by a resolution that outlines its duties and powers and the procedures for appointing members. These issues often don’t fit within standing committee jurisdictions, or cut across jurisdictional boundaries.

Joint committees are permanent panels that include members from both chambers. They generally conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks rather than consider measures.


A Conference committee is a temporary joint committee formed to resolve differences between competing House and Senate versions of a bill. Conference committees draft compromises between the positions of the two chambers, which are then submitted to the full House and Senate for approval.

If the Health Care Reform bill is passed in the Senate, a conference committee will probably be formed to find a compromise between the two bills.

The website http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd is a good site for getting information about the various committees. All committees are listed with a link showing the chairperson, its members, and legislation that is being considered in that committee.