#84: CIVICS 101: The Legislative Branch
Q&A #84: How are members of the standing committees elected?
Our American Government
Our American Government is a small book published by the House of Representatives for citizens and those who seek a greater understanding of the American interpretation of democracy. It follows a question-and-answer format and covers a broad range of topics dealing with the three branches of our Government, the electoral process, and the role of political parties.
The Savvy Citizen is reproducing the 169 questions-and-answers through a series of posts called Civics 101. Each post will contain the Q&A as well as some additional commentary to add historical context, fun facts, or anything we believe will add to our collective understanding of these topics.
Think of it as your adult Civics class but without the test!
Let’s keep at it.
SECTION: The Legislative Branch: The Congress
The Committee System
Q&A #84: How are members of the standing committees elected?
Before Members are assigned to committees, each committee’s size and the proportion of Democrats to Republicans must be decided by each Chamber’s party leaders. The total number of committee slots allotted to each party is approximately the same as the ratio between majority-party and minority-party Members in the full Chamber. Members are then assigned to committees in a threestep process, where the first is the most critical and decisive.
Step 1
Each of the two principal parties in the House and Senate is responsible for assigning its Members to committees, and, at the first stage, each party uses a committee on committees to make the initial recommendations for assignments. At the beginning of a new Congress, Members express preferences for assignment to the appropriate committee on committees; most incumbents prefer to remain on the same committees so as not to forfeit expertise and committee seniority.
Step 2
These committees on committees then match preferences with committee slots, following certain guidelines designed in part to distribute assignments fairly. They then prepare and approve an assignment slate for each committee, and submit all slates to the appropriate full-party conference for approval. Approval at this second stage often is granted easily, but the conferences have procedures for disapproving recommended Members and nominating others in their stead.
Step 3
Finally, at the third stage, each committee submits its slate to the pertinent full Chamber for approval, which is generally granted readily.
My Thoughts
I always find it interesting to learn how things work “behind-the-scenes” … some of it’s a bit tedious, but important to understand nonetheless.
Back next time with a new section Q&A #85: What constitutes a quorum of a standing committee of the House and of the Senate?
Meanwhile, don’t forget that we’re organizing the post links on a single page available here.
xo,
Kelley for the Savvy Citizen Team
April 21, 2025