The Members of Congress Ch. 8 Sec. 1 Pp. 212-217

The Responsibilities of Lawmaking They represent constituents of their districts They also have a responsibility to the whole nation They have a responsibility to their political party They have to balance the needs of these groups Senator Heflin

The Responsibilities of Lawmaking Their most important job is making laws Interest groups and lobbyists provide campaign money They vote on hundreds of bills a year

Members of Congress at Work Learn about issues on which they must vote Go to meetings, discuss bills, study reports, read letters from constituents Rely heavily on their staffs Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House

Representatives and Senators Census every ten years to determine how many representatives each state gets States draw boundaries for congressional districts Serve for two years Rep. Arthur Davis

Representatives and Senators Two senators from each state Serve six-year terms One-third are elected every two years Salary is $154,700 Sen. Richard Shelby

Questions What do members of Congress have to balance? The needs of lobbyists and special interest groups The needs of senators and representatives The needs of constituents and the nation The needs of the President and a political party

Questions A member of Congress is primarily responsible to the people he or she represents special interest groups lobbyists his or her governor

Questions The most important job of Congress is leading our military forces making laws governing cities helping lobbyists

Questions The job of a member of Congress includes discussing bills helping constituents attending meetings all of above