The Bicameral Congress GOVT 2305, Module 12

Congress has two chambers. What is that called? U.S. Congress Feature House Senate Total # of members # from Texas Elected from what geographical area? # you help elect Length of term Congress has two chambers. What is that called? Bicameral

U.S. Congress Total # of members 435 100 # from Texas 36 2 Feature House Senate Total # of members 435 100 # from Texas 36 2 Elected from Districts Statewide (at-large) # you help elect 1 Length of term 2 years 6 years

This will be on the test . . . What are the names of the people who represent Texas in the U.S. Senate? What is the name of the person who represents your address in the U.S. House? www.house.gov/representatives/find/ www.senate.gov

What Congress Does Action Done by Senate Done by House Pass legislation Yes, by majority vote Propose constitutional amendments Yes, by two-thirds vote Ratify treaties No Confirm appointments No, with the exception of the nominee to fill a vice presidential vacancy Conduct investigations Yes Spend money Raise taxes

States, Congress, & Representation Wyoming California 532,000 people 1 seat in the U.S. House 2 seats in the U.S. Senate 36,500,000 people 53 seats in the U.S. House 2 seats in the U.S. Senate Why is representation in Congress based this way? The framers adopted a compromise (the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise) to satisfy the small states.

Is this fair? A result of the system is that small states, which are typically rural and mostly white, have disproportionate influence on public policy. Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Delaware, New Mexico, and Maine are all smaller than the city of Houston (2.2 million people), but have more seats in the Senate than California, Texas, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania combined.

House or Senate? Why? More responsive to public opinion Less responsive to public opinion The House is more responsive to public opinion than the Senate because its members are elected from relatively small districts (smaller than states in most cases) and serve two-year terms.

Who was the last sitting senator to be elected president? House or Senate? Why? More prestigious body. Members sometimes regarded as potential presidential candidates. Less prestigious body. Members quit to run for the other chamber, but members of the other chamber never quit to run for this body. This is the Senate. Because senators are fewer in number and they serve longer terms, they are more likely to become nationally recognized figures. Who was the last sitting senator to be elected president? Barack Obama. Duh.

The House is larger, enabling members to specialize. House or Senate? Why? Members develop expertise in particular policy areas. Members focus on the details of policy. Members are generalists. Members focus on the big picture. Senators are too few for any one senator to have the time to become much of a specialist. Instead, senators focus on the big picture. Longer terms facilitate a longer view of things as well. The House is larger, enabling members to specialize.

The smaller Senate gives more power to individual senators. House or Senate? Why? Body has developed a reputation as a great debating society. Individual members have considerable influence. Body has developed highly structured rules for debate and voting. Individual members have limited influence. This is the House. It has a large membership and has adopted tightly structured procedures to enable it to get things done. The smaller Senate gives more power to individual senators.

Membership

Gender More women serve in Congress today than ever before. Most women in Congress are Democrats.

What is notable about Sen. Scott? Race and Ethnicity Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina What is notable about Sen. Scott? He is Republican.

Religion Would you vote for (or against) someone because of his or her religious affiliation?

What is notable about Sen. Baldwin? Other facts The 2015-2016 Congress includes 4 House members and 1 senator who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The average age in the House is 57; it is 62 in the Senate. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin What is notable about Sen. Baldwin?

What You Have Learned What are the basic structures of the House and Senate? What does Congress do? How do structural differences affect the House and Senate? How does the membership of Congress compare with the national population?