 History  Established by the Constitution as the law making branch  1789 – 91 representatives total  26 senators and 65 representatives  1 st congress meets at Federal Hall in NYC  Bicameral – congress is the House and the Senate  Today  540 representatives  Meet in the Capital Building in Washington D.C.

 Representation based on population  Each member represents a congressional district  Area in each state with about 600,000 people, redrawn every 10 years  Some state legislatures will draw congressional districts in ways that favor a particular party (gerrymandering)  In addition to the 435 elected state representatives there are 5 additional representatives:  From D.C., Puerto Rico, and the 3 American territories (Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands)  Originally the number of representatives was supposed to grow along with the new nation but in 1929 Congress limited the number of representatives in the House to 435 to prevent it from getting too big

 Requirements  At least 25 years old  U.S. citizen for at least 7 years  Resident of the state you want to represent  Terms  Representatives serve a 2 year term  The 2 year term was originally intended to keep the reps in touch with the wants of the people  The entire house is elected every 2 years

 Each state has 2 senators  Requirements  At least 30 years old  U.S. citizen for at least 9 years  A resident of the state you want to represent  Terms  Senators serve a 6 year term  The 6 year terms was meant to give senators more freedom  1/3 of the senators are elected every 2 years  There are no term limits on Representatives or Senators  Should there be? Why? Why not?

The Art Of Rigging Elections Article Answer questions and be prepared to discuss 1.Explain what gerrymandering is. 2.What is the point of gerrymandering? 3.How do districts that are a result of gerrymandering confuse voters? 4.Come up with 1 question you have about the article.

 Political Parties in Congress  Major party – party with the greatest number of members in congress  Minority party – party with the second greatest number of members in congress  There is a “new” Congress every 2 years  Called this because all of the representatives and 1/3 of the Senate are elected  The next new congress will be elected this year and their sessions will be in 2011 and 2012

 Floor Leader  Member of the House or Senate that is elected by the members to be in charge of some of the party’s activities  Each party has a floor leader  They act as the spokes person for their party  Work to get members of both parties to vote on specific legislation  Proposed or enacted law/group of laws

 Speaker of the House  Member of the majority party who is elected to lead the House - current speaker is Nancy Pelosi  Highest officer in the House  Speaker of the House is the person who takes over if both the president and vice are unable to serve  President Pro Tempore  Leader of the Senate when the VP is absent  Members vote to elect  Position is mostly symbolic

Declare War Tax Regulate Trade Raise and Maintain an Army Grant Patents Print and Coin Money Borrow Money Govern D.C and U.S. Territories Admit New States Establish Federal Court System Elastic Clause Establish Uniform Laws

SPECIAL POWERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SPECIAL POWERS OF THE SENATE  House can begin impeachment proceedings  All bills that have to do with money begin in the House  If no candidate for president receives the required number of votes the members of the House choose the president  All impeachment trials are held in the Senate  If no candidates for VP receives the number votes required the members of the Senate choose the VP  All treaties with foreign nations must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate  Specific high officials that are appointed by the president must be approved by the Senate

EXECUTIVEJUDICIARY  Impeachment  Override presidential vetoes  Senate approves appointments, treaties, & ambassadors  State of the Union  Senate approves federal Judges  Amendments  Creation of courts and court jurisdiction  Can change the size of the Supreme Court

 Because Congress is Bicameral it checks its own power in some ways:  All legislation must be passed by both houses  Neither house can recess for more than 3 days with out consent from the other

 There are 5 things Congress has to overcome in order to “fix” a problem 1. Pork Barreling 2. Riders 3. Empty Legislation 4. Filibusters 5. Interest Groups

 Legislations that have special funding for projects that will benefit just a few members of Congress  Pork Barrel projects include  Dams  Military bases  Highways  Job training  Bridges  Examples  $500,000 to build a replica Great Pyramid  $2 million to construct an ancient Hawaiian Canoe

 Amendment attached to a bill  Usually has noting to do with the original bill  Idea is to use that original bill to “ride” easily into passage  Can also be used in an attempt to stop a bill  Example  Civil Rights Act 1964  Originally didn’t include women

 Legislation that is passed with little or no intention of enforcing it  Passed to appease people  Ex. There is a law on the books that every factory that is caught with illegal workers has to pay a fine for every worker

 Talking a bill to death  All a Senator has to do is keep talking, this prevents a vote.  They can talk about anything (read the phone book)  Only happens in the Senate  In the House the Speaker can determine who talks and for how long  A filibuster can only be stopped if 60 senators agree and vote to stop it

 Public or private organizations that try to influence public opinion to support its own interests  Types  Economic, Political/Ideological, Professional, Governmental, Civil Rights, Single Issue  Problems  Promote their own interests  Not much control over them  Advantages  Make issues known  Help members (only an advantage if you believe the way they do)

 Interest groups use Lobbyists to try to influence the way a Congress member votes  A good lobbyist  Knows about the process  Familiar with the goals of the group they represent  Is truthful  Try to show how supporting their group will help the Congress member

 When a Bill is introduced into Congress it is sent to a committee  Bill – a draft of a proposed law  There are 4 types of committees  Standing Committees  Joint Committees  Select Committees  Conference Committees

 Permanent groups that are responsible for laws in specific areas  Most are divided into sub-committees  Study even more in depth areas within original committee  Examples:  House Committee on foreign relations  Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

 Permanent committees that contain members of both House and Senate  Investigate issues and make recommendations  DO NOT write Legislation  Examples:  The Joint Committee on Taxation

 Temporary or permanent committee that is created to study an issue or particular event  Issues that a standing committee doesn’t already address  Example:  House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

 Formed when the House and Senate pass different versions of a bill this committee works out the differences and produces the final version  Final draft goes back to House and Senate for a final vote  Example:  No Child Left Behind Act (2001)