Steve Kuykendall

STEVEN KUYKENDALL:

REPUBLICAN MEMBER OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (9)

A.The U. S. House of Representatives

Steven Kuykendall is the incumbent in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 36^th Congressional District (CD). Each state, no matter the population, is guaranteed one member in the U.S. House of Representatives. California has 52 members, more than any other state. The U .S House of Representatives has a total of 435 members. They each serve a two-year term and each serve a congressional district .The U .S. House of Representatives has the power to begin tax bills, spending bills, and impeach the President, federal judges and justices. The U. S. House of Representatives shares with the U. S. Senate the powers to pass bills and send them to the President, declare war, propose Constitutional amendments, and provide services to constituents who request them. The House of Representatives is in the legislative branch of government at the federal level.

Questions A

1. In which part of Congress does Steven Kuykendall serve?

2. What kind of district does each member of the House of Representatives serve?

3. How many Representatives are guaranteed to each state no matter the population?

4. How many Representatives does California have?

5. How many people vote in the House of Representatives?

6. Which congressional district does Steve Kuykendall serve?

7. How many years are House members elected to?

8. What powers are given only to the House of Representatives?

9. What powers does the House share with the Senate?

10. In what branch of government are the U.S. House of Representatives?

11. At what level of government are the U.S. House of Representatives?

B1. Republicans

Steven Kuykendall is perfect example of a stereotypical Republican. He is a white male who owns a house in a suburban area, Rancho Palos Verdes. He made a good living as a businessman in the commercial and mortgage banking fields, and became wealthy. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Business Administration degree from San Diego State University. He is not a member of a labor union. Remember, however, that there are many exceptions .One important exception is the African American Republican on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas. There are many Republicans who are exceptions to the typical Republican.

Questions B1:

1. What race are most Republicans?

2. Are most Republicans members of labor unions?

3. What type of area are most Republicans from?

4. Do most Republicans have an extensive education?

5. Are most Republicans reasonably poor?

6. What gender are most Republicans?

7. Who is the African American Justice on the Supreme Court?

8. Are there exceptions in the Republican Party to the typical Republican?

9. What national background are most Republicans?

B2. Democrats

Most Democrats have lower income than Republicans do. Democrats are also usually from an urban area. It is likely that they have a less extensive education as well. Most Democrats will rent their homes rather than own them. Democrats are often of African American, Asian, Latino, and Native American backgrounds even though people with white European backgrounds have the most prominent positions in both major parties. The typical genders are female and are members of labor unions. As with the Republican Party, the Democratic Party includes many exceptions. President Clinton, is wealthy and so were other Democratic presidents

Questions B2:

1. Are most Democrats financially wealthy?

2. What type of area do most Democrats live in?

3. Do Democrats usually have an extensive education?

4. What gender are most Democrats?

5. Are Democrats usually members of labor unions?

6. What nationalities are many Democrats?

7. Do Democrats usually rent their homes?

8. Are their exceptions to the typical Democrat in the Democratic Party?

9. Give one exception to the typical Democrat.

10. Why is he an exception?

C1. History of the Republican Party

The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (G.O.P.), was started shortly before the Civil War. From 1865 (until the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and led to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal) the Republican Party was the majority party. In 1865 Republican Abraham Lincoln and the north won the Civil War and began to receive the votes of former slaves and abolitionists. John C. Fremont was the first Republican presidential candidate, and Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President. The Republican Party has been the majority party in Congress since 1994, but it has been the minority party in registered voters since the New Deal. More registered Republicans than Democrats turn out on voting day and vote loyally for their party. The Republican Party is one of two major parties. A member of one of the two major parties holds almost every elected and appointed government position.

Questions C1:

1. Today is the Republican Party the majority in congress?

2. Today is the Republican Party the majority in registered voters?

3. What is another name for the Republican Party?

4. From when until when was the Republican Party the majority?

5. Who was the first Republican presidential candidate?

6. Who was the first Republican President?

7. Is the Republican Party one of the two major parties?

8. From what is almost every member of government?

9. What ended in 1865?

10. Who began to vote Republican in 1865?

C2. History of the Democratic Party

The Democratic Party originated with the Anti-Federalists and Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans. In Thomas Jefferson’s time, they were usually referred to by their nickname, Republicans. Prior to the Civil War, under the leadership of Andrew Jackson, the party changed its name to Democrats. Following 1929 and the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt with his New Deal made the Democratic Party the majority party in the numbered of registered voters. Today it remains the majority party in registered voters, but in the most recent three elections, it became the minority party in Congress, where the Republican Party (G. O. P.) founded by Abraham Lincoln is the majority party.

Questions C2:

1. What was the Democratic Party formerly known as?

2. Which President made the Democratic party the majority in registered voters?

3. What year did the Democrats become the majority in registered voters?

4. Are Democrats the majority in Congress today?

5. Are Democrats the majority in registered voters?

D. Committees and Seniority

There are four kinds of committees: Standing/permanent, Select/ad hoc, Joint, and Conference.

Standing/permanent committees are responsible for governing tasks on a continuing basis; there are many of them. The most powerful standing committees are those concerned with money matters: appropriations, budget and taxation. The House committee concerned with taxation is Ways and Means. The Senate committee concerned with taxation is called Finance. Steven Kuykendall serves on the Armed Services, Science, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees of the House, which are also standing/permanent committees. Members of each standing committee in the House of Representatives are members of the House; members of each standing committee in the Senate must be Senators

Select committees are established to investigate specific problems, and only exist until their reports are issued. Joint committees have an equal number of Senators and Representatives. They are often used to resolve an important national problem.

Conference committees usually consist of a few members from both the House and Senate, and serve to resolve differences in measures passed by the House and Senate. The compromises reached in them often determine the provisions of bills that become laws.

The majority party is given a majority of the positions on each committee. The powerful position of committee chair is usually guided by the seniority rule which is based on length of service on the committee among members of the majority party.

Questions D:

1. What type of committee is has continuing responsibility for governing tasks?

2. What type of committee has an equal number of Senators and House members?

3. What type of committee resolves differences in measures passed by the House and the

Senate?

4. What type of committee investigates particular problems and is temporary?

5. Name one committee that Congressman Steve Kuykendall serves on.

6. What type of committee may be created to solve a specific national problem?

7. What type of committees does Congressman Steve Kuykendall serve on?

E. Congress: Steps for a Bill to Become Law

For the expenditure of funds, both authorization and appropriation bills must follow each of the steps shown below. Both houses of Congress may propose legislation, which requires approval from both houses in order to become law

A bill is introduced by a member of a Senate and the House of Representatives, often at the request of the President, the bureaucracy of an interest group.
It is referred to different committees in the chamber for study, revision and approval.
Then it is sent to the floor for debate and amendment.
Once that chamber approves the bill, is sent to the other chamber where it will undergo study in committees and floor vote.
When both houses have passed the bill, a conference committee, consisting of members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate works out differences between the Senate version and the House of Representative version.
The conference committee returns the bill to the Senate and the House of Representatives for final approval.
When a bill is approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it is sent to the President, who can let the bill become law without signature, allow it to become a law by signing it, or veto it by returning it to Congress.
Congress may override a veto by 2/3 majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representative, but this cannot happen if the President has pocket-vetoed the bill by refusing to sign it during the last 10 days Congress is in session.

Question E.

1. Where may a bill be introduced?

2. A bill is referred to different committees in the house for?

3. It is the ability of the local or federal executive to return a bill to the legislature without a sign.

4. Who has the power to make a bill become a law?

5. How many votes in the Senate and the House of Representatives are needed to override a veto?

6. A bill is sent back from which committee to the Senate and the House of Representatives for final approval?

F. Bills Introduced by Kuykendall

· H.RES 241- Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with regard to the United States Women’s Soccer Team and it’s winning performance in the 1999 Women’s World Cup (referred to the Committee on the Reform)

· H.CON.RES 112 -Expressing the sense of the Congress that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the

SS Lane Victory (referred to the Committee on Government Reform).

· H.R. 3162 – To amend the Internal Code of 1986 to allow merchant mariners to be treated as citizens or residents of the United States while they are living abroad (referred to the Committee of Ways and Means).

· H.R. 3264 – To amend the Investment Company Act of 1940 to promote the establishment of small business investment companies (referred to the Committee on Commerce).

Questions F.

1. Which of the bill introduced by Kuykendall was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means?

2. Which of the bills introduced by Kuykendall was referred to the Committee on Reform?

3. Which of the bill introduced by Kuykendall was referred to the Committee on Commerce?

G. Interest Groups

There are at least nine types interest groups which include Agriculture (AFBF, NFA, NFO, NFU, National Grange), Business (ABA, NAM, Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber of Commerce), Education (AFT, CFT, CTA, NEA, UTLA), Environment (Sierra Club), Labor Unions (AFL-CIO, AFSCME, IBEW, UAW, UFCW, UFW), Professions (ABA, AMA, AICPA, ANA), Race, Ethnicity, National Origin and Religion (ADL, AIM, JACL, MALDEF, MEChA, NOI, NAACP, Rainbow/Push Coalition, SCLC), Single Issue Groups (ACLU, MADD, NRA, PIRGS, SADD, Operation Rescue), and Women (NOW).

Votesmart.com issued a performance evaluation of Kuykendall by some interest groups. In 1997 AFL-CIO rated him as adopting their preferred position. The same was true with NOW in 1998 and Gun Owners of America in 1999

Question G.

1. AFL-CIO, AFSCME, IBEW, UAW, UFCW, UFW are what type of interest group?

2. What are examples of organizations joined by people in professions?

3. NOW is what type of interest group?

4. AFBF, NFA, NFO, NFU and National Grange are what type of interest group?

5. Name some education interest groups

6. Sierra Club is what type of interest group?

7. ABA, AMA, AICPA, ANA are what type of interest group?

8. Mocha is what type of interest group?

9. What interest groups provide an evaluation of Kuykendall available at votesmart.com?

10. In 1997 what interest group rated Kuykendall as taking its preferred position?

H. Leaders of Congress

Speaker of the House of Representatives -- J. Dennis Hastert (R) Illinois, becomes President if the President and the Vice-President are unable to serve. The powers of the Speaker make that position the most powerful one in the House of Representatives. The majority party selects the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Majority leaders and whips --The majority leader is the most influential member of the Senate. Having access to information, control over communications and agendas, and knowledge of institutions, the majority leader holds considerable influence over the workings of the Senate. The whip assists the leader. The majority leader and whip also occupy positions of power in the House of Representatives

· Minority leaders and whips -- the minority party in the Senate and the House of Representatives also chooses its leaders.

Questions H.

1. What is the title of the person who will take over if the President and the Vice-President cannot serve?

2. What is the title of the person who assists the majority leader?

3. How many women are in the House of Representatives?

4. In the House of Representatives and the Senate, the majority leader is chosen by the?

5. Who is the present Speaker of the House of Representatives?