 Congress makes up the Legislative Branch of the U.S. government.  The powers of Congress are located in Article I of the Constitution.  Congress “makes laws”  Congress has a BICAMERAL legislature  2 houses  The Senate (Upper House)  The House of Representatives (Lower House)

 Called the “Upper” house  100 members – equal representation from each state – 2 members per state.  Term of Office  One term for a Senator is 6 years  Elected in rotating shifts every 2 years – meaning 1/3 of the 100 is up for election every two years.  If Mike is elected in 2002 he will run again in 2008, but Anna wasn’t elected until 2004 so she will run again in 2010.

 Must be at least 30 years old  Must be a resident of the state you want to represent  Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years  Each state holds popular elections for Senate – usually both Senate seats for the state are not up for election at the same time.

 Called the “Lower” house  435 – representation based on population of the state. The higher the population the more members the state has in Congress.  Term of Offices  One term in the H.O.R. is 2 years **much shorter than the Senate**

 Since membership is based on population, how do we determine this?  Apportionment – dividing the seats in the H.O.R. among the 50 states. Each state gets “a portion” of the 435 members.  To determine population we conduct a “Census” every 10 years – we just had one in  If the population changes we must “reapportion” the 435 seats.  The Constitution says that each state must have at least 1 seat in the H.O.R.

 Must be at least 25 years old  Must be a citizen of the state you want to represent  Must be a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years

 What is the total number of members in Congress?  535  Each member in Congress receives one vote.  Meet at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  Each new session begins on January 3rd

 $151,000 yearly salary  Vote on their own salary – but what does the Constitution say about this???  Free from arrest (for misdemeanors) during sessions of Congress  Retirement benefits  Free healthcare, gym membership, cell phone, computers, transportation, etc.

 Male  Over the age of 50  White  Has a law degree

 Found in Article I Section 8  Expressed Powers – directly stated in the Constitution  Usually called “enumerated” powers  Levy and collect taxes  Coin money  Raise a military

 Implied Powers – powers not directly stated in the Constitution.  Necessary & Proper Clause – The power to make all laws “necessary & proper” for carrying out the Constitution.  Sometimes called the “Elastic Clause” because it allows Congress to STRETCH their power.  Examples – Creating highways; building dams; passing laws that prohibit discrimination; etc. etc. etc.

 Inherent Powers: Powers the govt has possessed throughout history.  The government has these powers just because they are the government.  Very few inherent powers, but some examples are:  Regulating immigration  Deporting illegal immigrants  Acquiring more territory  Protecting against rebellion in the country

 Create an illustration from the notes on Congress.  Your illustration should be in the form of some type of house.  Spongebob’s pineapple.  A tree house  A double wide  ANY type of house  It must be in color and fill the whole page (see my example).