Who or what determines the committee assignments for members of the Senate and House of Representatives?
A)The President pro tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House.
B)A group of people who constitute the party leadership within a legislator's respective congressional body.
C)The Constitution dictates a randomized assignment process.
D)The President of the United States.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A group of people (the Republican conference or the Democratic caucus) who constitute the party leadership within a legislator's respective congressional body determine legislators' committee assignments. Assignments are made prior to the start of each two-year congressional session. Though the Senate and House operate by slightly different rules, their appointment processes are mostly similar. The party leadership in each part of the legislature convenes and chooses a select group of leadership members to handle the appointments. Republican and Democratic committee assignment officials determine the ratio of GOP seats to the Democrats' seats on each based on the ratio of seats held by each party in the Senate or House overall. For example, if 60 percent of the Senators are Republicans, then 60 percent of each committee will be composed of Republicans. From there, the Senate begins assigning seats based on seniority while the House assignment officials assign seats based the Representatives' preferences, previous committee experience and overall standing in the party (committee assignments may be used to keep representatives "in line").

Who or What Determines the Committee Assignments for Members of the Senate