Mr. Rineberg

 The U.S. Congress is a bicameral legislature.  The reasons for bicameralism include:  The historical background of the two-house system in Great Britain.  The practicality of the Connecticut Compromise, which solved the dispute between the large and small states.  Madison believed that a two-house legislature would allow the houses to act as a check on one another.

 Term of Congress  Last for two (2) years and are numbered consecutively from the first meeting.  According to the 20 th Amendment each term begins at “ noon on the 3 rd day of January of every odd- numbered year. ”  Session of Congress  There are two (2) sessions in each term of Congress.  Adjournment  The ending of a session.  Neither house of Congress may adjourn without the consent of the other house.  Today ’ s Congress will usually not adjourn until the next session is ready to start.

 Recess  A break in a session.  Recesses are common today because Congress meets year-round.  Special Session  Only the President has the power to call a special session of Congress (or of a house of Congress).  There have only been 26 special sessions in history with the last occurring in 1948.

 Congressional elections are held on the same day in every state:  The Tuesday following the first Monday of November of each even numbered year.  (Alaska is allowed to hold their election in October – Why?)  Off-Year Elections are those elections held in the years when we do not elect the President.  The trend in off-year elections is the party that is out-of-power (the party without the President) will usually gain seats in both houses.

 Personal Beliefs  Constituents’ Interests  Interest Groups  Political Party Loyalty

 Personal beliefs and values heavily effect the law making process  Sometimes these personal beliefs can go against their voters’ wants

 People in the congressperson’s district or state effect the congressperson’s voting  How do the laws that are being proposed effect their constituents  A constituent is the resident of the voting district or state

 Interest groups are people acting together to achieve a shared political goal  Interest groups provide information on issues, suggest new laws, and promote laws and legislation that are beneficial to them  Political Action Committees are interest groups formed to give candidates money for campaigns

 Congress members need money for campaigns and supporting certain groups can gain them more money  If they vote favorably on certain issues they can rake in the money

 Most congress members tend to support their own party  This however can lead to gridlock

 Congress is also responsible for overseeing the performance of government agencies  Congressional oversight is the process of congress conducts investigations of government agency actions and programs  Congress investigates day to day activities

 In the past congress has put little effort into oversight  In recent years because of tight budgets congress has investigated ways to save money and reduce spending  The public normally supports these investigations

 Individual Requests  Detecting Patterns  Handling Requests

 Individuals may request multiple things from their representatives  You can reach your representatives through multiple mediums  Most requests are never addressed

 Congressional offices look for patterns in requests  If major patterns occur a problem may be addressed  The more constituents that raise similar concerns the more likely the problem will be addressed

 Requests are normally handled not by congress members, but their staff  Normally only important people to the congress person will have their requests taken directly by the congress person

 Size  Terms  Congressional Districts  One Person, One Vote  Gerrymandering  Qualifications  Salary and Benefits

 Each state gets representatives based on its population  The Reapportionment Act of 1929 would limit the size of the House to 435.  Every 10 years a census is taken and changes in representation take place according to the data collected  There are 435 representatives in the House  There are also 4 non voting members  Guam, D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico

 Representatives were originally chosen in one of the following manners:  Single-member District  A state is divided into districts equal to the number of Representatives they have.  The voters in each district elect a representative to serve in Congress.  At-large District  The Representative is elected from the state as a whole.

 Reps serve 2 year terms  If a rep dies or, resigns, or is removed from office before the term ends the state governor will call a special election to fill the seat  There are no limits on reelection

 After each census states may lose or gain reps  This causes districts to be redrawn  District lines are drawn by state officials  District boundaries are constantly debated

 Because of inequalities that can occur with the number of people a representative speaks for in the house, many complain that certain districts receive unfair advantages  The Supreme Court case Wesberry v. Sanders determined that states must make districts as evenly populated as possible to prevent unfair representation

 Gerrymandering is the process of drawing Congressional districts to specifically favor one political party over another  Gerrymandering can take place in 2 way  1 is drawing lines to strengthen a party by boosting its population in a district  The 2 nd way is by drawing borders that specifically weaken a parties strength within a district

 Representatives must be  25 years old or older  A U.S. citizen of at least 7 years  Must be a citizen of the state they are representing

 Party identification  Name recognition  Political experience  Race/Religion/Gender  “ Right Combinations ” of the above

 Representatives receive a salary of $145,100  Free office space near the Capital  Allowances to hire a staff in D.C. and support offices and staff members in their home district

 Free mailing of official mail  They also cannot be sued for anything they say while performing congressional business  They also cannot be arrested on their way to or from a congressional meeting except for a serious offense

 Size  Term  Qualifications  Salary and Benefits

 Each state receives 2 members in the Senate no matter the state’s population  Each senator represents the entire state

 Senators serve 6 year terms  Elections for senate are held every 2 years for 1/3 of the senate’s seats  If a senator dies, resigns, or is removed from office the states governor may appoint someone to fill the seat until a special election is held or the next election takes place

 Senators must be at least 30 years old  Senators must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years  Senators must be a citizen of the state they represent

 Same as reps

 Impeaching Officials  Approving treaties  Approving Appointments  Deciding Elections

 Congress has the power to formally accuse and bring federal officials to trial  The House controls the decision to put the official on trial or not  If the House decides to pursue a formal trial the official is impeached

 Once the official is impeached the trial is held in the Senate  Only 16 federal officials have been impeached  2 presidents Clinton, Johnson

 The Senate has the power to approve or deny any treaty with a foreign nation  If the Senate does not have a 2/3 vote in support of the treaty, it does not become law  Several treaties signed by presidents have not become law

 The Senate also approves or denies all major appointments made by the President  Supreme Court Justices  Ambassadors  Cabinet Members

 In Presidential elections if no candidate receives the majority of electoral votes the House has the power to elect the President  Each state’s Reps get to cast 1 vote for their state for a total of 50 votes  The Senate similarly selects the VP if they do not receive enough electoral votes  Each senator receives a vote for a total of 100

 Because of the Necessary and Proper Clause/ Elastic Clause Congress has been able to expand its power  Congress has the power to  Set up a national bank  Establish military academies  Some federal laws have been passed under the authority of the Elastic Clause

 Expressed Power = To lay and collect taxes  Implied Power = To punish tax evaders  Expressed Power = To establish naturalization laws  Implied Powers = To regulate and limit immigration  Expressed Power = To raise armies and a navy  Implied Powers = To draft Americans into military service  Expressed Power = To regulate commerce  Implied Powers = To establish a minimum wage  Implied Powers = To ban discrimination in workplaces and public facilities

 Appointments  All major appointments (such as cabinet/ambassadors/federal judges) by the President are made with the advice and consent of the Senate.  Treaties  Any treaty made by the President with a foreign power must be approved by a 2/3s majority of the Senate.