The Legislative Branch Chapter 12 Unit 4

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3 branches of Government

Article I Where did the idea of a legislative branch come from? Most powerful branch according to the founders. Read, annotate and analyze Article I of the Constitution

Legislative Branch- The Facts Congress is Bicameral Two Separate Houses Senate and House of Representatives Law-making branch of government Currently in 112 th Congress January 3, January 3, 2013 Session of Congress Period in which Congress conducts businesses tory/washington-week-44 tory/washington-week-44 numbers.html numbers.html

The Job Salary of $174,000 with retirement benefits Office space in D.C. and at home with staff Travel allowances (low fares, free flights to foreign nations)- junkets franking privileges Other perks- free flowers, Library of Congress, exercise facilities etc. Requires long hours, a lot of time away from family, and pressure from others to support their policies

Demographics l

House of Representatives

Qualifications- written in constitution 25 Years of Age Must live in State 7 Year US Citizen Unwritten Qualification Must live within district

House of Representatives Size Current size of House of Representatives is 435 members Each state is guaranteed at least 1 Representative Only 1 Representative Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming Territories are also given 1 representative Washington D.C., Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana (makes size of Congress 541 with senate)

House of Representatives Terms Representatives are elected every 2 years No constitutional limit on the number of terms

House of Representatives Elections Every 2 years Single Member Districts Off year elections Party in power usually loses seats srv/special/politics/2010-race- maps/house/ srv/special/politics/2010-race- maps/house/ srv/special/politics/2010-race- maps/house/ srv/special/politics/2010-race- maps/house/ ess/112/house/members/ ess/112/house/members/ ess/112/house/members/ ess/112/house/members/

Incumbency Advantage

Incumbency Chart Election / Re-Election Higher Committee Position LegislatingCampaign in seniority PACs/ Interest groups “Hey remember me?” Favorable legislation, pork barrel, dist/state projects PAC and Interest Group contributions

House of Representatives Elections Connections to interest groups, corporations, PACs Pork-barrel politics More campaign $ Name Recognition Franking Privileges

Redistricting 1.One person one vote/ Equal population -each district must be the same size for the House of Representatives -Can be up to 1% difference according to state laws 2.Voting Rights Act 1982 (VRA) - can split minority/racial background -vote dilution 3.Strategy- Protect incumbents, change district lines to protect incumbents 4.Courts often look at redistricting lines and look for compact and contiguity (just needs to connect) srv/special/politics/2010-race-maps/house/ srv/special/politics/2010-race-maps/house/

House of Representatives Reapportionment Redistribute seats every 10 years based on population Reappointment Act of Permanent Size = Following each census, Census Bureau sets number of seats for each state 3.President sends Bureau’s plan to Congress 4.Congress approves and send to state legislatures to draw new lines if necessary

As of the 2000 census: Average population per district: 646,946 people State with the most districts: California (53) District with the greatest area: Alaska At-large District with the smallest area: New York's 15th District with the most people: Montana At-large (905,316) District with the fewest people: Wyoming At-large (495,304) Oldest district: Delaware At-large (Same geographical borders since 1789)

2010 Census What will happen? 09/27/winners-and-losers-in- reapportionment-are-predicted/ 09/27/winners-and-losers-in- reapportionment-are-predicted/

Chicagoland

7_10th_congressional_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%2 7_10th_congressional_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%2 7_10th_congressional_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois%2 7_10th_congressional_district ourreps.xpd?state=ILhttp:// ourreps.xpd?state=ILhttp:// ourreps.xpd?state=ILhttp:// ourreps.xpd?state=IL

House of Representatives Districts Redistricting Contiguous Territory Equal number of inhabitants Compact Territory Techniques can concentrate opposition votes into one district or divide and conquer Has significant impact on membership

House of Representatives Gerrymandering District lines redrawn in favor of a political party or racial group Elbridge Gerry MA w/ /fs/0//entry/ / w/ /fs/0//entry/ /

The Senate

Senate Size Constitution Sets number at 2 per state (100 Senators) Represent a larger, more diverse population (constituents) Illinois Senators: nformation/senators_cfm.cfm?State=IL nformation/senators_cfm.cfm?State=IL

Senate Election: 17th Amendment- voters decide senator, prior to this senators were chosen by state legislators Only one Senator is elected per election Term: 6 year term No term limit Terms are staggered Continuous Body All seats are never given up for election at the same time Only 1/3 expire (33 or 34)

Senate Leadership erence/e_one_section_no_teasers/org _chart.htmhttp:// erence/e_one_section_no_teasers/org _chart.htmhttp:// erence/e_one_section_no_teasers/org _chart.htmhttp:// erence/e_one_section_no_teasers/org _chart.htm

Senate Qualifications: Higher requirements then House At least 30 years of age Must have been citizen of US for 9 years Must be inhabitant of the State from which they are elected

Does Congress affect your life?? -learning-moduleshttp://congress.indiana.edu/interactive -learning-moduleshttp://congress.indiana.edu/interactive -learning-moduleshttp://congress.indiana.edu/interactive -learning-modules

District 10 Election Dan Seals Robert Dold mmary.php?cycle=2010&id=IL10 mmary.php?cycle=2010&id=IL10 m/race/10th-congressional- district/