Bell Ringer  FRQ 2008 #1 – Congressional reapportionment

LEGISLATIVE 4

Today we will …  Compare/contrast Congress & Parliament  Trace the evolution of Congress.  Recognize benefits of bicameral Congress. 1. Venn diagram – congress & parliament 2. Slide/notes review: set #4 3. Congress Vocab CW 4. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington HW: Study Guide & Vocab ObjectivesAgenda

Compare/contrast Congress & Parliament congress-was-more-like-uk-parliament Legislatures Venn Diagram

28. Differences in Legislatures  Candidates selected by party  Voters choose between national parties not candidates within  Members of parliament select their own prime minister--Party members vote together  Re-nomination depends on loyalty to party  Principal work is debate over national issues  Members: little actual power= little resources  Candidate choose to run in primary election, little party control  Voters choose candidate not party--- Independent representatives of districts or states  Voters choose chief executive not legislatures  Reelection depends on constituency  Principal work is representation and action, power is decentralized and members are independent  Members have a great deal of power, high pay and significant staff resources ParliamentCongress

29. Why a Bicameral Legislature?  Compromise at Constitutional Convention  Representation of lg. & small states  Competing interests - protect the minority  Slow the process – deliberation  Federalism  Checks w/in the branch to prevent tyranny of majority

29. What is unique to House? Why?  Initiate revenue bills (taxes)  Choose president when electoral college is tied  Impeachment  Closer to the people  More representative of people  More responsive (2 year term) PowerWhy?

29. What is unique to Senate? Why?  Ratify treaties  Confirm judicial & exec. Appointments  Try impeachments  More mature & prestigious  Longer terms  Reflect state interests  Used to be indirectly elected PowerWhy? Filibuster is not a power!

Evolution of Congress  Six phases of the House of Representatives  Phase 1: Powerful House  Phase 2: Divided House  Phase 3: Rise of a powerful speaker  Phase 4: Revolt against the speaker  Phase 5: Empowerment of individual members  Phase 6: Return of leadership  General movement towards decentralization, phases are all in reaction to each other

Why is congress a decentralized institution  AND why is Congress inevitably unpopular with voters? AND  Intent of Framers:  Oppose the concentration of power in a single institution  Balance large and small states: bicameralism  Congress dominate institution  Cautious and deliberative  Distribution of Power in Congress  Centralize for quick and decisive action  Decentralize if congressional members and constituency interests are to be dominant  Thus compromise and sometimes grid lock cause constituents to feel let down, dislike institution but not representative.

31 & 32. The Senate  17 th Amendment: Previous to 1913 Senators elected by state legislatures which caused them to focus on jobs and contributions for their states.  Fillibuster: prolonged speech or series of speeches made to delay action in a legislative assembly. “Talk to death”  Rule 22(1917): Restricts filibuster: debate can be cut off if 2/3 of the Senators present and voting agreed to a “cloture” motion  60 senators currently  Cloture: to end or limit debate  Ex: used to stop 55 Days of debate over the Treaty of Versailles

Check for understanding  How does the House stop debate?

 Vocab Review Cross word

CLOSURE  3 differences between Congress & Parliament  2 reasons the founders designed a bicameral legislature  1 power the is unique to house & why OR 1 power that is unique to Senate & why