The U.S. Congress How much do you know?

What kind of legislative branch do we have? (i.e., How many “houses”?) Bicameral = 2 houses

Bicameralism Was favored by our founding fathers because it promoted fair and equal representation of the states at the national level.

How many members of Congress are there? House of Representatives 435 Senate 100

Senate The constitution states that each state gets two senators.

The number of Senate seats held by each State is set by the Census Bureau. the same as the number of House seats. fixed by the Constitution. based on State populations. [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

How many seats are their in the House of Representatives? 100 435 645 102 [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

Why are there 435 members of the House of Representatives?

The number of seats in the house is determined by set by the Census Bureau. the same as the number of House seats. fixed by the Constitution. based on State populations. [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

What are the Constitutional requirements to be elected to Congress?

How long are the terms of office for members of Congress?

How are members of the House of Representatives elected? Party nomination (fight within party) General election (contest against other parties)

Senators are elected to serve two-year terms four-year terms three-year term six-year term [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

Which of the following is not a requirement to serve as a Senator Must be at least 30 years old Must have been born in the U.S. Must be a legal resident of the state that elected you. Must be a citizen for at least 9 years. [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

110th Congress - districts by party

What does reapportionment mean?

How often does reapportionment occur? Every 10 years as result of the census.

What is gerrymandering?

How are members of the Senate elected? The original Constitution = elected by state legislatures. Changed by 17th Amendment (1913) to election by the people of each state. Today: Party nomination (fight within party) General election (contest against other parties)

Before the 17th Amendment was adopted, senators were chosen by the people of each State. the State legislatures. select House committees. [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

Gerrymandering is illegal in the U.S. True False

What is the salary for members of Congress?

What are the “benefits” for members of Congress?

Average Race Racial Composition of the 112th Congress (including Delegates in the House)   U.S. House U.S. Senate White 361 96 Black 44 Hispanic 25 2 Asian 7 American Indian 1

On the average, which group of people occupies the majority of seats in Congress? African American Males Hispanic Females Asian Females White Males [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

Congressmen are sworn in On the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year.

Terms & Sessions Sessions – period of time in which congress assembles and conducts business 2 Sessions for every term Adjourning a session can be done by both houses or the president Special Sessions: called in case of an emergency

Definitions Constituencies-a person a political figure represents. Term- period of time in which a congress member serves. Continuous body-all of the seats are never up for election at the same time.

Definitions Speaker of the House-The presiding officer of the House or Representatives, chosen by the majority party of the house. President of the Senate-The presiding officer of a senate; in Congress, the Vice President of the United States. In state Senates it is the lieutenant governor President pro tempore- The person that presides when the president is gone. Floor leader-Members of the House or the Senate picked by their parties to carry out party decisions and steer legislative action to meet party goals. Whip –assistants to the floor leaders in the House and Senate. Seniority rule –Unwritten rule in both houses that the person who has been a member the longest belongs in leadership.

The regular period of time during which Congress conducts its business is called a Session Gerrymandering Meetings Allotted time [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]

In the Vice President's absence, the presiding officer of the Senate is the Speaker of the House President of the Senate President pro tempore No one the session is cancelled [Default] [MC Any] [MC All]