Topic 1: Pollution and the Environmental Protection Agency
The House of Representatives is the larger of the two chambers comprising the United States Congress, and as part of its role in the legislative branch, its members are largely responsible for drafting and passing federal laws. The Framers of the Constitution expected the House to serve as the most direct connection between individual citizens and the newly created national government, and its proportional representation based on state population was designed to balance the equal representation found in the Senate. The 435 members of the House draft, debate, and pass legislation, monitor the operations of the federal government, and represent the interests of their constituents at the national level. The House’s large size and its preference for control by the majority party typically causes its proceedings to be more partisan than those in the Senate, but its members nevertheless provide voters with the most direct form of representation within the federal government.
As the birthplace of legislation, standing committees are essential to the effective operation of the House. Representatives currently serve on twenty standing committees, one select committee, and four joint committees, each being responsible for addressing and debating policy matters related to specific facets of the federal government’s purview. During committee sessions, Representatives have the opportunity to oversee government operations, craft bills or resolutions, collect and evaluate information related to their particular committee, and provide recommended courses of action for the House as a whole.
The House at HMCA
————————————————————————————–
The House at HMCA is composed of two committees, each of which is responsible for the policy areas proposed by their respective chairs. Students will play the role of elected representatives, and they are encouraged to research the background, political ideologies, party affiliation, and constituent interests of the congressman or congresswoman they are assigned to represent in order to create an immersive and intellectually stimulating simulation of legislative proceedings at the federal level. During committee sessions, students draft bills, debate pressing policy issues, participate in informal caucuses and more structured discussions, and pass legislation that will eventually be introduced and voted on by the House as a whole during full congressional sessions.
Committee sessions allow delegates to personally experience the thrill and excitement of the legislative process, and students receive multiple opportunities to improve their public speaking skills, analyze and discuss complex policy issues with their peers, practice parliamentary procedure, and enhance their understanding of the structure and operations of the United States government. Each House committee is coordinated and directed by two Harvard undergraduates who fill the roles of Chair and Vice-Chair. These students write and prepare policy briefings and updates in the months leading up to the conference, and during committee sessions, they facilitate proceedings in addition to serving as substantive experts on the policy issues that are debated by delegates. Staffers encourage delegates serving in House committees to formulate insightful and effective solutions to important matters of public policy.
On the second and third days of the conference, the two House committees convene into full legislative sessions. Here, members of Congress have the opportunity to present their bills and the bills of their fellow committee members to the full legislative chamber, and to serve as experts on the topics with which their committee has been struggling. In addition to taking on this leadership role, students also have the chance in full session to debate bills that have passed in committees besides their own. Debate on this broader range of issues requires all delegates to think deeply about their stance on any given issue. Each bill passed by both the House and the Senate is submitted to and considered by the President, who either signs it into law or vetoes it at closing ceremonies. This therefore provides an enriching opportunity to hone one’s interpersonal skills and the art of compromise as passing legislation in full session often requires the bipartisan support of both chambers of Congress.
