Chapter 10: Congress Section 1: The National Legislature

The National Legislature Objectives: * Analyze the bicameral legislature of Congress. * Describe a term of Congress. * Summarize how sessions of Congress have changed over time.

The National Legislature *We live in a Democracy and in a democracy, the people rule. *What does that mean??? *You are one the “the people” but you do not rule *At least not in the hands-on sense. *You do not make the laws, collect taxes, arrest criminals, or decide court cases. *We don’t do these things because we live in a representative democracy

The National Legislature *Congress stands as a leading example of that fact. *It is the legislative branch of the National Government with the most basic government function in a democratic society. *They translate the public will into public policy in the form of law. *James Madison called Congress “the first branch” of the National Government.

The National Legislature A Bicameral Congress * The Constitution immediately establishes a bicameral legislature – that is one that is made up of two houses. * It is for historical, practical, and theoretical reasons 1. Historical > The British Parliament had consisted of two houses since the 1300s. >The Framers knew the British system well – so they kept it in the United States.

The National Legislature 2. Practical > The Framers had to create a two-chambered body to settle the conflict between the Virginia and the New Jersey Plans >Each State is equally represented in the Senate and by population of each State in the House of Representatives 3. Theoretical > The Framers favored a bicameral Congress in order that one house might act as a check on the other house.

The National Legislature *The Framers saw bicameralism as a way to diffuse the power of Congress and so prevent it from overthrowing the other two branches of government. *For more than 200+ years, some people have argued that the Senate should be abolished. *They say that because the States, not the people, are equally represented in the Senate, that body is undemocratic. *The Smallest State – Wyoming, has as many representatives as the largest State – California- 2 Senators.

The National Legislature

Terms * Some people think that Congress (all 535 of them) do some really stupid things – laws. * One woman, who was incensed at something the Senate had just done, made a comment to her Senator…:You know 535 of you people in Congress meet every two years. There are some of us who think it would be much wiser if just two of you met every 535 years”.

The National Legislature *Since 1789, Congress has met for two-year terms. *Each term of Congress last for two years, each term is numbered consecutively *Congress began its first term on March 04, 1789 and the term ended two years later, on March 04, *The 20 th Amendment in 1933 changed the start of each new term… to the 3 rd day of January of every odd-numbered year. Actual time is 12:00 noon.

The National Legislature *In the United States, our House of Representatives have 435 members divided up among the 50 States. *The Senate has 100 members divided up among the 50 States. *They are elected by the direct popular vote. *The House of Representatives serve a 2 year term in office and the Senate serve a 6 year term in office.

The National Legislature Sessions *A session of Congress is that period of time during which, each year, Congress assembles and conducts business. *There are two sessions to each term of Congress – one session each year. * Congress does “appoint a different day” for the second session of each two-year term. *Usually this may be 2-3 weeks after the January 03 rd date.

The National Legislature

*Congress Adjourns or suspends until the next session, each regular session as it sees fit. *Before World War II, each session lasted around 4-5 months. *Today, the many pressing issues facing Congress force it to remain in session through most of the year. *There are short periods of recess during each session. *Neither house may adjourn without the consent of the other house.

The National Legislature *Article II, Section 3 gives the President the power to prorogue or adjourn a session, but only when the two houses cannot agree on a date for adjournment. *No President has ever had to use this power. Special Sessions *Only the President may call Congress into special session – a meeting to deal with some emergency situation. * Only 26 special sessions of Congress have been called.

The National Legislature *President Harry Truman was the last President to call Congress into a special session. *That was to consider ant-inflation and welfare measures in the aftermath of World War II. *The Senate has been called into special session (alone) on 46 occasions to consider treaties or presidential appointments. *None called since *The House has never been called alone.

The National Legislature *The fact that Congress now meets nearly year- round reduces the likely of special sessions. *That fact also lessens the importance of the President’s power to call one. *As Congress nears the end of a session, the President sometimes finds it useful to threaten a special session if the two chambers do not act on some measure of high on his legislative agenda.