Committees are tasked with resolving conflicts and building consensus among members of the legislative body on various issues. They do this by holding hearings, gathering information, and facilitating discussions.

Conference committees are not typically considered a type of committee in a legislative body. They are temporary committees formed to resolve differences between the two chambers of a legislature on a specific piece of legislation.

The committee chair plays a crucial role in conflict resolution and consensus building by leading the committee's discussions, ensuring that all members have an opportunity to speak, and facilitating negotiations between members.

Majority vote is the most common method used by committees to resolve conflicts and build consensus. A majority vote means that more than half of the committee members agree on a particular issue.

Committee hearings serve multiple purposes in the context of conflict resolution and consensus building. They allow committees to gather information on a particular issue, provide a forum for public input, and allow members to debate and discuss an issue.

Strong leadership from the committee chair can help to resolve conflicts and build consensus, rather than contribute to them. The other factors, such as differences in ideology or political beliefs, lack of information, and personal animosity, can all hinder consensus building.

A minority report serves multiple purposes in the context of conflict resolution and consensus building. It allows the minority party to express its views on an issue, provides an alternative proposal to the majority report, and can delay or obstruct the passage of legislation.

Compromise, conciliation, and mediation are all common strategies used by committees to overcome gridlock and reach a consensus. Compromise involves finding a middle ground between different positions, conciliation involves bringing parties together to find common ground, and mediation involves a neutral third party facilitating negotiations between parties.

Public input plays a crucial role in the committee's conflict resolution and consensus-building process by providing information and perspectives on the issue, holding committee members accountable, and pressuring them to reach a consensus.

Increased polarization and gridlock is not a benefit of using committees for conflict resolution and consensus building. In fact, committees can help to reduce polarization and gridlock by providing a forum for members to discuss and resolve their differences.