If select committees are to be created in either House to conduct special investigations this is achieved through an authorizing resolution adopted by the respective chamber. In a few instances joint committees have been created by the Congress to investigate or watch over specific matters. Current examples are the Joint Committee on Defense Production and the Joint Committee on Immigration and Nationality Policy. A decision by a committee to investigate can be made by a majority of the members but the chairman usually plays a very influential role in such a determination. Such decisions are significant because committees are the arms of Congress in assuring executive responsibility to obey the intent of the law and they have a profound influence on the exercise of administrative power.
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Immigration