Unit 5: The Legislative Branch 1. Purpose & Membership

Purpose The purpose of Congress is to make laws for the US that help it achieve the goals listed in the Preamble of the US Constitution. The powers of Congress include: Making laws To tax Borrow money Regulate trade Naturalization Print money Create a postal service and military Copyrights and patents Govern the military and declare war Anything they need to accomplish these things

Membership The United States Congress is a bicameral legislature. This means what? What are those two houses? This also means that Congress is representative of the states in two ways. So how are states represented in each house? Who came up with such an idea? There are currently 535 members of Congress. So how many people are in each house?

Today’s Congress Senate House of Representatives 100 members (2/state) Majority Republican (54) President of Senate: Mike Pence Pres. Pro Tem: Orrin Hatch 435 members (proportional to population) Majority Republican (245) Speaker: Paul Ryan

Membership Most members of Congress are lawyers. This only makes sense since Congress is responsible for making laws. Over time, Congressional membership has become more diverse to reflect the changes in the American population. 104 women, 50 African-Americans, 39 Hispanic American, 15 Asian American/Pacific Islander, and 2 Native American Average 10+ years service Average age…60

Membership How does one get to be a member of the Senate? The answer appears in Article ______, section _______ of the US Constitution. Min. Age: 30 Citizenship: 9 years Resident of state representing Elected to office

Membership How does one get to be a member of the House? The answer appears in Article _________, section ________ of the US Constitution. Min. Age: 25 Citizenship: 7 years Resident of state representing Elected to office

Purpose Congress is entirely comprised of representatives from the states. This is because the writers of the Constitution wanted to create a stronger central government, but also include the states in the legislative process. This also allows for a representative democracy where the people are represented but still able to participate in politics.

Terms Representatives have two year terms, while Senators have six year terms. Because Senators have a longer term, they provide the Congress with a sense of continuity. This is especially true since most win re-election. An official in office seeking re-election is known as an incumbent. The number of Representatives a state has is decided by the Census, which occurs every ten years. The people that are represented are known as constituents. About 90% of Representatives are also re-elected.

Terms Congressional sessions are mandated to start on January 3 by the 20th Amendment. Most sessions last until November or December. While Congress only needs to meet once a year, their meetings last most of the year. Each house of the Congress must ask the other’s permission before adjourning for more than three days.

Terms Congressional salaries are set by Congress. However the 27th Amendment (originally proposed in 1789) prevents a sitting Congress from giving themselves a raise. On average, members of Congress are paid about $200,000 a year, and receive several tax credits, allowances, and privileges. Retirees can also receive a $150,000 a year pension. Congress’ last pay raise was in 2009 (does not include cost-of-living increase).