ARTICLE I THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH THE CONSTITUTION ARTICLE I THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

CONGRESS House Senate Term 2 6 - staggered Age 25 30 Citizenship 7 9 Residency Yes (district) Yes (State) Members 435 100 (“Congress” = 535) Leader Speaker President (VP) [Pres. Pro Tempore]

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Speaker of the House – selected by …? Who is it now? Membership based on population; seat apportionment changes every 10 years after census 435 members; FL – has 27 members Tax laws can only be introduced in the House Only House can “impeach” public officials

SENATE Staggered terms - 1/3 of Senate up for reelection every 2 years) President of Senate is VP of U.S. – Who is it now? President Pro Tempore serves in his absence – Who is it now? 2 Senators from each state – 100 total Only Senate has power to ratify treaties & confirm presidential appointments Senate holds the trials for all impeachments Chief Justice is Judge/Senate is “jury” Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), now 85 years old and a 47 and a half year Senate warhorse replaced Byrd as Pro Tempore

BENEFITS: 1) Salary $$174,000 + per year 2) Generous retirement benefits 3) Two offices; DC + Home district 4) staff members 5) Travel allowances; “political junkets” 6) Franking privileges 7) Immunities: no petty misdemeanors During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered proposing that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise. From 1789 to 1855, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session, except for a period from December 1815 to March 1817, when they received $1,500 a year. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1855, when they were paid $3,000 per year. Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2010) Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members. Senate Leadership Majority Party Leader - $193,400 Minority Party Leader - $193,400 House Leadership Speaker of the House - $223,500 Majority Leader - $193,400 Minority Leader - $193,400

POWERS Art. I, Sec. 8 17 ENUMERATED POWERS which include power to make laws, tax, draft, regulate commerce, declare war, print $, grant copyrights & patents, etc. ELASTIC CLAUSE: Also known as the “Necessary and Proper Clause” – why? Also known as the “Implied Powers Clause” Would a strict or a loose constructionist be a supporter of the elastic clause?

IMPLIED POWERS are created from expressed powers & work like this: Expressed power to borrow money: Implies power to establish Fed. Reserve System of banks Expressed power to establish naturalization laws: Implies power to regulate & limit immigration Expressed power to regulate commerce: Implies power to est. minimum wage, ban discrimination in workplace, pass laws protecting disabled …

How many bills become laws?

Click bill pic to get to schoolhouse rocks “I’m just a bill” Family guy on bottom right bill