The Bicameral Congress

First Part: 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?

Congress has two chambers. What is that called? U.S. Congress Feature House Senate Total # of members # from Texas Age Residency Mode of election until and after 1914 Length of term Congress has two chambers. What is that called? Bicameral

Senators from Congress ?

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 582,658 people 1 seat in the U.S. House 2 seats in the U.S. Senate 38,332,521 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.

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.

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 Congress includes 4 House members and 1 senator who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual. She is the first woman elected to represent Wisconsin in the Senate and the first openly gay U.S. Senator in history Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin What is notable about Sen. Baldwin?