Structure of Congress Lesson 1 How Congress is

Legislative Branch = Lawmaking Body = Congress • Congressional term = two years. •

Congressional Sessions Each Congress is divided into two sessions, or meetings. A typical session

Members of the House • Number of representatives for each state is based on

Members of the Senate • • Each state would have 2 senators (100 in

Majority Party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party

Minority Party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party

Joint, Standing and Select Committees Standing committees are permanent, meaning they are used each

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Structure of Congress Lesson 1 – How Congress is Organized

Legislative Branch = Lawmaking Body = Congress • Congressional term = two years. • Each Congress usually starts on January 3 of odd-numbered years and lasts for two years. • Each “new” Congress is numbered to identify its two-year term. For example, the first Congress met in 1789, and the 112 th Congress is in session from January 2011 to January 2013.

Congressional Sessions Each Congress is divided into two sessions, or meetings. A typical session of Congress today lasts from January until November or December. • special sessions or in times of crisis. • joint session occurs when the House and Senate meet together. • Usually to hear a presidential speech.

Members of the House • Number of representatives for each state is based on the state’s population • census every 10 years to determine the population change and calculate how many representatives each state should have. • Larger of the 2 houses • 2 year terms. • congressional districts. • One representative, or House member, is elected by the voters of each district. • State legislatures must draw the boundaries of these districts to include equal constituents(people represented) • Gerrymander - an oddly shaped election district designed to increase the voting strength of a particular group *The House of Representatives also has six nonvoting members. One represents the people of the District of Columbia. The other five represent the people of Puerto Rico and four island territories in the Pacific Ocean. These six members do not vote on bills being considered in the House.

Members of the Senate • • Each state would have 2 senators (100 in total) Each senator represents his or her entire state rather than a particular district. 6 year terms , staggered elections. 1/3 reelected every 2 years. Leader of the Senate is the Vice President who ONLY VOTES IF THERE IS A TIE in the Senate!

Majority Party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which more than half the members belong Majority Party gets to choose the leader of the House of Representatives = The Speaker of the House • The Speaker guides legislation through the House and leads floor debates. • If anything happens to the president and vice president, the Speaker is next in line to become president, provided he or she is legally qualified.

Minority Party in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the political party to which fewer than half the members belong

Joint, Standing and Select Committees Standing committees are permanent, meaning they are used each term. • focus on specific areas of government work. • For example, both the Senate and the House have standing committees to deal with agriculture, commerce, and veterans’ affairs. Select Committees - temporary committees to deal with special issues. • meet for a limited time until they complete their assigned task. joint committees - include members of both houses.