 Bicameral Legislative Body  Lower House – The U.S. House of Representatives  Representation based on population  Upper House - The U.S. Senate  Equal representation  All members of Congress are chosen by direct election.

 There are 435 members of the House  Each member serves for a 2 year term  Each state has representation in the House  The Number of Representatives per state is determined by the U.S. Census every 10 years (apportionment)

 Qualifications 25 years of age 7 years of U.S. citizenship 1 year of residency in the district you are running for prior to the election

 Officers Speaker of the House Speaker Pro Tempore Majority Floor Leader Majority Whip Minority Floor Leader Minority Whip

Make–Up of Congress

 There are 100 members of the Senate  2 per state – equal representation  Senators serve a 6 year term  1/3 of the Senate is up for re-election every 2 years  Continuous body

 Qualifications 30 years of age 9 years of U.S. citizenship Resident of the state for 1 year prior to the election

 Officers President of the Senate President Pro Tempore Majority Floor Leader Majority Whip Minority Floor Leader Minority Whip

 Types of Powers Expressed – Clearly defined in the Constitution (the power to declare war) Implied – Hinted at in the Constitution (the Necessary and Proper Clause) Denied – Forbidden in the Constitution (the power to grant titles of nobility)  All of the powers of Congress are in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution

 Power to lay and collect taxes  To borrow money  To regulate commerce  To establish a uniform laws on naturalization  To establish uniform laws on bankruptcies  To coin money  To fix the standard of weights and measures  To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting  To establish Post Offices  To promote the Arts and Sciences  To punish piracy on the high seas  To declare war  To maintain the military and militias

 To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper  (necessary and proper clause, elastic clause)

 May not violate the Bill of Rights  May not impose export taxes among states  May not use money from the Treasury without the passage and approval of an appropriations bill  May not change state boundaries  May not choose a port of preference  Grant titles of nobility  Permit slavery (13th Amendment)  Deny citizens the right to vote due to race, color, or previous servitude (15th Amendment)  Deny citizens the right to vote because of gender (19th Amendment)

 The Legislative Branch is given the powers to make the laws. It has the following checks over the Executive Branch:  May override presidential vetoes with a two-thirds vote  Has the power over the purse strings to actually fund any executive actions  May remove the president through impeachment  Senate approves treaties  Senate approves presidential appointments

Checks and Balances  The Legislative Branch has the following checks over the Judicial Branch:  Creates lower courts  May remove judges through impeachment  Senate approves appointments of judges

 Types of Committees Standing - ongoing Select/Special – short term Joint (Conference) – both House and Senate Subcommittee – committee within a committee

Committee System  Examples of Senate Standing Committees  Committees of the Senate  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Armed Services  Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs  Budget  Commerce, Science, and Transportation  Energy and Natural Resources  Environment and Public Works Foreign Relations  Labor and Pensions  Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs  Rules and Administration  Business Veterans' Affairs

 A term of Congress is divided into two "sessions", one for each year.  The Current Congress is the 111th Congress in its 2nd Session.

 also know as pressure groups, lobby groups  groups of people who share a singular common purpose  N.O.W., F.O.P., N.R.A., Oil Companies  try to influence the government

 The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States.  It is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books.

Library of Congress  It was established by Congress in  Much of the original collection had been destroyed during the War of  In 1815, Thomas Jefferson sold 6487 books, his entire personal collection, to the library.

 The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress.  It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session.

 Determined by Congress itself.  Currently - $174,000 per year  The 27th Amendment prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of the Congress from taking effect until the start of the next set of terms of office for Representatives.  It is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution, having been ratified in 1992, more than 202 years after its initial submission in 1789.

 White  Male  40 – 60 years old  Married  Christian

 The average age is 58.2 years.  95 women serve in the 111th Congress: 78 in the House of Representatives and 17 in the Senate.  41 African American members of the House and none in the Senate.  31 Latino members serving: 28 in the House and three in the Senate.  11 members (seven Representatives, two Delegates, and two Senators) are Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander.  1 Native American serves in Congress (in the House).

Congressional Terminology Some Vocabulary to Know