The Legislative Branch Congress Bicameral Legislature l l
The Legislative Branch: Congress
Bicameral Legislature l l l Bicameral – two houses, Congress is made up of two parts – Senate & House of Representatives Legislature – law making part of government Our Legislature is the Congress is the most powerful branch of govt. Each meeting of Congress is a term – lasts 2 years Each year of the term is called a session
House of Representatives l l l “The Lower House” – Represents the People 435 Representatives Amount of Reps from each state is based on the state population North Carolina has 13 Reps in the HOR Term of office is 2 years – Every 2 years there is a whole reelection of all 435 seats
House of Representatives l l l Census – Official count of the people The population of each state is determined every 10 years by a census Every 10 years, Congress adjusts the number of Reps given to each state
House of Representatives l Districts l l Each state is broken up into districts, areas of roughly the same number of constituents Each district is represented by 1 person On election day, different Reps will be on the ballot in different districts Sometimes political parties try to adjust the shape of a district to give their party an advantage – This is called gerrymandering
Speaker of the House l l l Leading member of the HOR Runs the meetings of the HOR Member of the majority political party Directs which bills will be discussed 3 rd in line of presidential succession behind the VP (2) and President (1) Current Speaker of the House – John Boehner (Republican – Ohio)
The Senate l l l The Upper House – Represents the States 100 total senators 2 senators per state Term of office is 6 years 1/3 of the Senators are up for reelection every 2 years – rotating elections
The Senate – Vice President l l l The VP is the President of the Senate The only constitutional duty of the VP is to preside over the meetings of the Senate VP runs the meeting and decides who can speak Helps direct which bills get discussed Doesn’t vote unless there is a tie Current President of the Senate – Joe Biden
The Senate – President Pro Tempore l l l The President pro tempore runs the senate when the VP is doing work for the President Is a member of the majority political party Helps direct which bills get discussed Does Vote Current President Pro Tempore is Patrick Leahy (Democrat – Vermont)
Other Congressional Leaders l l l Floor leaders – Chief spokesperson for each party in the Senate Work hard to convince the members of their party to pass bills that will benefit them Speaks for their party on the issues Majority leader – spokesperson from the majority party in the Senate Minority leader – spokesperson from the minority party in the Senate
Other Congressional Leaders l Party Whip - assists the Floor leader, keeps track of which members of their party vote for and against the bills the party desires
Committee Work l l l Once bills are introduced, they are referred to a committee that handles the topic of the bill It is up to the committee to read over, revise, rewrite, or reject the bill Committees sometimes investigate legal actions dealing with their topic – called oversight
Types of Committees l l Standing Committees – committees that continually exist because there is always some issue or bill for the members to deal with Ex: Armed Forces, Budget, Select Committees – when a bill or issue arises that is not covered by a standing committee, a special (select) committee is created temporarily Ex: Ethics, Indian Affairs
Types of Committees l Joint Committees – Committees that are made up of members from the Senate and HOR l l l Usually have investigative duties to find out info about important topics of national concern to help guide policy and law-making Ex: Joint committee on Taxation Conference Committees – Consists of members from the Senate and the HOR – they try to work out differences between House and Senate versions of bills
Committee Assignments l l Senators and Representatives try to get on committees that will have impact on the people that voted them in For example, military is very important in NC so members try to get on the Armed Services Committee The head of each committee is a member of the majority party Seniority System – members who have been in the longest get first choice of committee, new members get last pick
The Powers of Congress – Legislative Powers l l Expressed Powers – powers specifically given to Congress in Article I, section 8. – also called “delegated powers” or “enumerated powers” Implied Powers – powers the government exercises but aren’t specifically mentioned in the Constitution l l Known as the “elastic clause” Gives Congress the ability to stretch its powers to meet the new needs of the nation while carrying out it’s duties
The Powers of Congress – Non -Legislative Powers l Checks and Balances – powers of a branch of govt that allow it to monitor and limit the powers of others l l Examples: propose amendments to the Constitution approves or rejects Presidential appointments (ex: Supreme Court Justices, cabinet members) Impeach – investigate and possibly remove - elected officials
Non-Legislative Powers l Power Limitations on Congress l l The Bill of Rights and Article I of the Constitution specifically limits and denies the federal government of certain powers Congress cannot suspend the writ of habeas corpus – removing the right to a court order to bring someone into court Congress may not pass a bill of attainder – laws that sentence people to prison without a trial Congress cannot pass an ex post facto law – laws that apply to actions that occurred before the laws were passed
Power Limitations l Checks and Balances l l l The Supreme Court may declare laws established by Congress as “unconstitutional” President may veto bills passed by Congress before they become laws However, Congress can override with a 2/3 vote of the Senate and HOR, the bill can still become a law
The Work of Congress
Qualifications
Privileges l l Salary - $165, 000/year Other Privileges: l l Professional immunity in certain situations to exercise speech and expression in order to make clear their point without outside interference Free parking, trips to their home states, low-cost life insurance, etc. .
Congressional Helpers l Personal Staff l l Committee Staff l l Gather information on bills and issues, handle requests from voters, deal with news reporters and lobbyists Handle the day-to-day lawmaking duties such as; draft bills, gather information, organize committee hearings, negotiate with lobbyists Support Services – Library of Congress l l Holds copies of every book published in the U. S. Valuable source of info for lawmakers while drafting bills and learning about the issues
Congressional Helpers – Finance and Budget l General Accounting Office (GAO) l l l Investigate arm of Congress in financial issues Reviews spending of federal agencies, studies federal programs, recommends ways to improve financial performance of government Congressional Budget Office (CBO) l l Source of financial and economic information to Congress members for making budgetary decisions Helps Congress stick to a budget plan
Congress at Work l l The basic job of Congress members is to get action done on constituents’ interests and concerns What are constituents? l The people that elected the Senator or Representative
Congress at Work - Lawmaking l l Write and Introduce bills Take part in committee work Listen to input from people about the bill Vote on the bill
Congress at Work – Casework l l Help individual constituents deal with the federal government Why deal with casework? l l l Help get reelected Can better keep an eye on the executive branch’s ability to carry out laws and programs Help average citizens
Congress at Work – Helping the District or State l l Members of Congress try to bring money and jobs to their district or state Public Works: l l l Building projects paid for by the government Create a new service to the area Building projects bring new jobs to the area
Congress at Work – Helping the District or State l Grants – money given to a district or state for a specific purpose, it does not have to be paid back l l Grants bring federal money into the state which is used to benefit the people – money usually goes towards things that will also benefit the nation Contracts – an agreement by govt with a company for the production of some good or service l l Contracts ensure money to a company for a period of time thus producing jobs The goods or services usually produce for the nation
Congress at Work – Helping the District or State l l l “Pork-Barrel” Projects – a grant or contract that primarily benefits the home district or state Members of Congress try to add pork-barrel projects to bills in order to bring more money into their state and please their constituents When you gain favor with your constituents, this means more votes will come your way on election day
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