Seperation of powers

In 1993, Kay Bailey Hutchison was elected as the first woman to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Seven years later, more than four million Texans re-elected her to a second full term – the largest number of votes ever garnered in the state. In 2001, she was elected Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, becoming one of the top five leaders of Senate Republicans, and the only woman (“Kay Bailey Hutchison”).

As the country industrialized during the late 19th century, the public pressured Congress to enact laws to protect workers and consumers. Congress created many new agencies, primarily to regulate private business. Congress produced the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887 to regulate railroads, and the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890 to regulate trusts, huge businesses that dominated specific markets.

The main responsibility of the two chambers is to draft and pass laws. Proposed laws come from many sources, the president, executive agencies, interest groups, citizens, and congressional members themselves. These pressures combine to make a complex legislature. Legislative tasks are divided among a large number of wok groups such as, committees, subcommittees, task forces, party committees, and informal groups of lawmakers. The House has about nineteen full committees and about ninety subcommittees; the Senate has seventeen committees and about seventy subcommittees. There are also four joint House-Senate committees. Altogether Congress has about 250 formal work groups, containing more than 3,000 seats overall. Outside the committee systems, scores of task forces, part committees, and informal caucuses allow members to involve themselves in policies that interest them or affect their constituents (Encarta).

Despite the realative dominance of the president, Congress has retained an important role in proposing and drafting legislation. In addition, members of Congress have proved willing to challenge presidential authority when they feel the president has exceeded the appropriate powers of the office. Congress also retains a key investigative role that is distinct from the FBI and other executive agencies. Because Congress conducts almost all of its proceedings in public, it has served as an important site for investigations into sensitive subjects such as organized crime, political assassinations, and government corruption.

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