Rep. John Kasich (R-OH), Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget. Click on picture for larger image

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. Click on picture for larger image

Chairmen aren't nearly as powerful as they used to be in the 1950's and 1960's, but they still have more political influence than the rank-and-file Member. Chairmanships belong to the majority party, so in the 106th Congress all chairmen are Republican. However, Republicans have placed a "term limit" on their chairmen, holding them to 6 years in the top committee slot. This limit is a function of Republican Party conference rules, and not chamber rules. If Democrats were to assume the majority, for example, the term limitation on chairmanships would not apply. The House majority began limiting its chairmen's terms with the 104th Congress, and the Senate with the 105th.

Over the history of the Congress, power has ebbed and flowed from and to chairmen, depending on other political trends going on at the time. For example, during the 104th Congress (1995-1996), the new Republican Majority leadership in the House greatly centralized control over the legislative agenda, promoting and aggressively scheduling the bills that comprised the "Contract with America." This was a major change from earlier Congresses, when the floor agenda became whatever measures the various committees chose to report to the House. For subsequent Congresses, observers of the legislative scene have noted a less centralized party agenda at work. This gives House chairmen more discretion over the legislative agenda. Their choices, in consultation with their committee colleagues, of which bills to process through their committees once again help define the legislative agenda for the House floor.

Any discussion of leadership also has to address the question of "followership." Committee chairmen are as powerful as their colleagues on the committee permit. Although not always the case, most chairmen these days consult often and closely with the other members on the committee to assure themselves of a consensus before they take action. Besides agenda-setting, other sources of influence which chairmen enjoy are:

• The authority to schedule hearings and other committee meetings, therefore speeding up or slowing down the legislative agenda, if they wish.
• Authority to decide how the committee's budget will be allocated.
• The advantage of extra staff and office space which come with a chairmanship. Extra staff means an expanded ability to initiate projects and respond to events.
• The authority to name conferees, drawn from the committee's membership. These appointments become rewards; their withholding becomes punishment. A conference is the last stage of the legislative process and all Members value the opportunity to be at the table as the important final decisions are being made about a bill's provisions.
• The ability to garner press attention as the primary spokesman for the committee on a variety of issues under the committee's jurisdiction. Most reporters will seek a response on those issues from the committee's chairman before they turn to other Members.
• The collegial leverage of cosponsoring bills introduced by fellow Members, especially those that fall under the committee's jurisdiction. The chairman's endorsement is a type of political blessing that the sponsor of the bill can use to promote his/her measure.