Article 1: Legislative Branch U.S. Capitol

Article 1: Legislative Branch U.S. Capitol

Article 1: Legislative Branch U.S. Capitol

Article 1: Legislative Branch U.S. Capitol

Article 1: Legislative Branch Congress is bicameral - it has two houses or two groups that work to make laws

Article 1: Legislative Branch Powers of Congress 1. The power to tax 2. The power to regulate trade (for states and with foreign countries) 3. The power to borrow money (sell savings bonds or from banks) 4. The power to coin (print) money

Article 1: Legislative Branch Powers of Congress 5. The power to create (and eliminate) lower courts 6. The power to create and maintain an army and navy 7. The power to declare war on another country 8. The power to regulate commerce (make business regulations)

Article 1: Legislative Branch Powers of Congress 9. The power to run the post office 10. The power to give out copyrights and patents 11. The power to regulate weights and measures

Article 1: Legislative Branch Limits on Congress 1. Cannot pass a trade law that helps one state more than another 2. Cannot pass a law that takes away any of the people’s natural rights 3. Cannot give any citizen special titles (like king, prince, or princess)

Article 1: Legislative Branch Proportional Representation - the number of representatives each state gets depends on its population.

Article 1: Legislative Branch Michigan’s population = 9,883,640 So each representative represents about 658,000 people. Congressional Districts - A congressional district is drawn so that each representative, represents about the same number of citizens.

Article 1: Legislative Branch The House of Representatives

Article 1: Legislative Branch The House of Representatives Total number of members: 435 Number of representatives per state: proportional representation- the number from each state depends on the population of the state Term in office (how long): 2 years Name of the leader in this house: Speaker of the House Current Speaker of the House: John Boehner

Article 1: Legislative Branch The House of Representatives Special Powers of the House of Representatives:  the power to impeach government officials  all appropriations bills (about taxes or spending tax money) must start in the House of Representatives  if the Electoral College fails to elect a president, the House of Representatives chooses the president.

Article 1: Legislative Branch The House of Representatives Requirements: - at least 25 years old - must be a citizen for at least 7 years - must live in the district that you are representing

Article 1: Legislative Branch The Senate

Article 1: Legislative Branch The Senate Total number of members: 100 Number of representatives per state: 2 Term in office (how long): 6 years

Who leads this house (when not busy)? The Senate Who leads this house (when not busy)? The Vice President of the United States Who leads this house when the V.P. is busy? The President Pro Tempore Current President Pro Tempore: Patrick Leahy (Senator from Vermont) Vice President Joseph (Joe) Biden

Article 1: Legislative Branch The Senate Special Powers of the Senate:  approves presidential appointments for jobs, cabinet members, judges, ambassadors  approves or rejects any treaty made by the president  serves as the jury for impeachment trials - votes whether or not to convict of impeachment

Article 1: Legislative Branch The Senate Requirements: - at least 30 years old - must be a citizen for a least 9 years - must live in the state you represent