The Legislative Branch Article I of the Constitution

Concept 2: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions o Topics will include: n Breakdown of the US Congress n Qualifications/ Terms/ Compensation & Privileges of Congress n The Election Process/ The Impact of the 17 th Amendment n The Legislative Process (Bill Law) n Functions of leadership positions and committees n Influence of lobbyists and interest groups

The U. S. Congress o Bicameral o Senate n 100 members n 6 years o House n 435 n 2 years n Reapportioned after each census

House of Representatives o Term: 2 years o Qualifications n 25 years old n 7 years as a U. S. citizen n Resident of represented state

House of Representatives o There are 435 representatives n Speaker of the House – Paul Ryan n 3 rd in line of succession

Senate o Term of office: 6 years n Every 2 years 1/3 of the Senate is up for re-election n Ensures 2/3 have prior experience o Qualifications: n 30 years old n 9 years a citizen of the U. S. n Resident of the represented state

Senate o There are 100 senators n Head of the Senate: U. S. Vice President – Mike Pence n 2 nd in line of succession

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Salaries q Vice President (is over the Senate) receives $230, 700 q Speaker of the House receives $223, 500 q Majority/ Minority Party Leaders receive $193, 400 q Base Congressional Members receive $174, 000 per year

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Allowances q House members can spend more than $900, 000 to maintain a staff of 18 permanent positions q $250, 000 for office expenses and travel (administrative costs for the office)

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Allowances q Senate member get a minimum of $500, 000 for three office assistants q The average spent in 2010 was $3. 3 million

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Office Space q Congress members get a free office at Capitol Hill & free parking q Home district office can be as large as 8, 200 square feet in their home district q Can have additional offices throughout the state in federal buildings

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Office Space q There is no restriction on the # of offices they can open in federal buildings in their home states q Minimum $40, 000 for office furniture

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Bonus Tax Deduction q Can deduct up to $3000 for expenses while outside their home district or state q Franking privilege- free postage on all mail to constituents

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Insurance/ Retirement q Same life insurance and health/ dental plan as other federal workers q Receive both a pension & 401(k) q Also can receive Social Security

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Downtime (Plenty of time off) q Congress only works about 3 days per week when in session q They get Presidents’ Day, spring break, Memorial Day break, Independence Day break, summer break, Thanksgiving break, and Christmas break

Compensation & Privileges of Congress members: q Immunity or legal protection: q Cannot be sued for anything they say or write while carrying out their duties q Cannot be arrested while Congress is in session unless a felony or treason q May not hold other political office at the same time

Who are your Senators? o Johnny Isakson q David Purdue