Chair: Sho Shetty
Vice Chair: Jasmine Omeke
Topic 1: Targeted Killing and Drone Strikes
Update and Summary: Targeted Killing and Drone Strikes
Topic 2: Employment and Discrimination
Employment and Discrimination Update and Summary
Guide to Congress
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The House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower of the two bicameral legislatures that make up the United States Congress. In contrast to the Senate, which represents each state equally regardless of size, every state is allotted a certain number of Representatives based on population and size. Currently, California has the most of the 435 members of the House with 52 Representatives, while seven different states are tied for the fewest members with just a single Representative. The House possesses several distinct powers from the Senate, such as the ability to select the President in the event of an Electoral College tie, impeach government officials, and introduce financial bills. As part of a system of checks and balances, any bill or resolution passed in the House must also be passed in the Senate before becoming law, and vice-versa. Representatives are elected to two-year terms, and represent a district within a state. This inherently makes politics within the House much more local, which stands in stark contrast to the Senate, in which a Senator represents the interests of an entire state. In order to have any hope of re-election, a Representative must put the needs and desires of his or her district above all else. Much like the Senate, the House has dozens of specialized committees and subcommittees that are fundamental to the body’s legislative process. It is here that pressing issues are discussed, bills are written, and strategies are formed to get bills passed or rejected. The House is generally a much more partisan house, and so caucuses are vital to both parties as a means of establishing party platforms and forming strategies to get certain bills voted through or down. As one of the most powerful deliberative bodies in the entire world and with the ability to draft legislation, the House has a very strong and direct effect on the lives of all Americans.
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The House at HMCE The House is composed of two sub-committees at HMCE. Selection of the issues to be debated is the responsibility of the committee Chairs, and delegates are expected to research the Representative they are serving as to understand his or her political leanings, voting history, constituent concerns, and anything else which may influence their decision on a given vote. During committee, delegates will be responsible for debating issues at hand, debating bills, making their state’s voice heard, and finally voting on proposed bills. Once a bill is passed, it will be debated in a full session of the House, in which the authors and supporters must defend it against the questions and concerns of other Senators. When a bill is passed in full session, it moves on to the Senate full session, where the bill’s authors must advocate for its passage, and if this occurs, the bill continues to President Obama for a final decision on whether or not it will become law.
