Committees and Lobbyists

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

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

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?

• 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