Chapter 11 The Legislative Branch Section 1 2

Chapter 11 The Legislative Branch

Section 1 & 2 Legislators and their constituents, Organization of Congress

• A. Constituents: residents of an electoral district, represented by an elected official • B. Legislators • 1. House: 25 yrs, 7 yrs citizen, 2 yr term • 2. Senate: 30 yrs, 9 yrs citizen, 6 yr term • 3. Who: college degree, bkgrnd in business or law; lately more minorities & women & less white men

• 4. Apportionment • a. Census every 10 yrs triggers reapportionment of House seats (435) • b. Senate is always 100 (2 Senators from each state, # determined by Constitution)

• C. How they see their jobs • 1. delegates: represent wishes of constituents • 2. trustees: use independent judgement • D. Bringing federal $ to their districts (pork: publicly funded projects secured by legislators to benefit home districts)

E. Bicameral (2 house: House & Senate) Legislature • 1. Leadership in House • a. Speaker: determines which bills will be debated • b. Majority & minority leaders • c. Majority & minority whips: assistant floor ldrs who keep ldrship informed & persuade party members to vote along party lines

• 2. Leadership in Senate • A. President: Vice Pres of US, shows up to break ties only • B. President of the Senate Pro Tempore • C. Majority & minority leaders • D. Majority & minority whips

F. The committee system • 1. standing committees (permanent) • 2. subcommittees: hold hearings to gather info about a bill • 3. joint committees: contain members of both the House & the Senate • 4. conference committee: a temporary joint committee, works out differences between the House & Senate before bill is sent to Pres.

A representative or senator who votes to reflect the interests and opinions of their constituents likely views their job as Delegate

The Speaker of the House determines this What bills will be debated

Voters in an elected officials home state are called this Constituents

When a committee or sub committee gathers information about a bill Hearings

In the US, we have one of these every 10 years which triggers apportionment in the House A census

This determines the number of seats in the Senate The Constitution

Publicly funded projects legislators secure to benefit their home districts Pork

A conference committee has members from these two places House and Senate

These House members encourage other members to vote along party lines Majority and minority whips

This person casts the tiebreaking vote in the Senate The Vice President

Section 3 & 4 The Work of Congress & State Legislators

A. Checking other branches • 1. Oversight of executive agencies • 2. Confirmation (ex. Senate confirms all federal judges) • 3. Impeachment of federal officials • 4. Ratification of treaties (Senate only) • 5. Override presidential vetoes • 6. May propose an amendment to the Constitution

• C. Levying taxes (tax & revenue bills must originate in the House) • D. appropriation of funds • E. Declaring war: Constitution says President & Congress share war making powers; Congress declares war, president in Commander in Chief • F. Casework: Helping constituents solve problems that involve the federal government

B. Enacting laws

• G. All states except Nebraska have bicameral (2 house) legislatures • H. Low pay, shorter sessions, smaller staff • I. Types: citizen, professional, hybrid • J. Term limits can apply to state legislators, not to Congress (unconstitutional)

Legislators from these are paid much less than members of Congress States

The power to wage war is shared by these two branches of government Executive and Legislative

This is the only state with a unicameral (one house) legislature Nebraska

Congress can check the power of the judicial branch by proposing this An amendment to the Constitution

The Senate checks the president with the power to ratify these Treaties

All bills that tax you or spend your tax dollars start in this house The House of Representatives