Legislative Branch of the Federal Government

 Please answer the following questions: Yes, write the question!!!!  1. How many voting members are there in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate?  2. What is the length of term for a representative and senator?  3. What is a majority? Minority ?  4. Who is the leader in the House of Representatives? Senate? Who are these positions held by in 2009?  5. What is the job of a floor leader?  6. What is the job of a party whip?  7. What is the difference between a standing and select committee?

 535 is the magic number (This is the total membership in the U.S. Congress.)  The framers intended to make the Legislative branch more powerful than any other branch.  Each term of congress begins on Janurary1st of odd numbered years. For example, the 112 th term started in January of  Each term is given a number to identify it  The Congress currently in session is the 112 th

 Typical session  Typical sessions are from January until November or December.  Congress may also meet in times of crisis  A joint session is when both houses of Congress meet; this usually occurs when the President gives his yearly State of the Union address.

 House of Representatives  435 voting members  allotted to the states according to population  every 10 years a census, or population count taken by the Census Bureau, adjusts the number of representatives given to each state  each state is divided into congressional districts

 What congressional district do we live in? The 3 rd district  the boundaries are drawn by the state legislatures and must be roughly equal in the number of people, or constituents, in each district  Sometimes gerrymandering may occur, which is when a district is drawn or shaped for political reasons.  For example, is most a of a state’s representatives are Democratic, they might draw the lines so that as many districts as possible have more Republican voters than Democratic voters.  The members of the House of Representatives are closer to their district constituents than the Senate

 Each senator represents his or her state’s interests  Senators serve six- year terms but elections are staggered so that no more than one-third of the senators are up for reelection at any one time.

 Majority and Minority  The party that has more than half of the members is know as the majority party  The remaining party is the minority party  The House of Rep. is lead by the Republican Party and the US Senate is lead by the Democratic Party

 The Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi D-CA)  The members of the majority party meet in a caucus, or closed meeting to choose the speaker.  The entire membership of the House then approves the choice  The Speaker is the most powerful person within the H.O.R.  The Speaker steers legislation, is in charge of house debates, and is third in line in the presidential succession 

 the presiding officer is the Vice President of the United States and is called the President of the senate  The president pro tempore, which means “for the time being” is the ceremonial leader  The floor leaders are the most powerful leaders in the senate  

 The floor leaders make sure that the laws Congress passes are in the best interest of their party.  they speak for their parties  push bills along  try to sway votes  Party whips help the floor leaders round up votes and report to the floor leader where things stand

 Types of Committees  Permanent committees are called standing committees.  the senate has 17 standing committees  the house has 19 standing committees  the standing committees cover things like education, veteran affairs, and commerce

 select committees are created to do a special job  for example in 1976 the House formed the Select committee on Assassinations to investigate the assassinations of J.F.K. and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  when the work is done in select committees they are disbanded

 joint committees  include members from both houses  deal with taxation, printing, economics, and the library of Congress  Conference committee  a conference committee helps both houses of Congress agree on details of a proposed law

 Representatives and Senators want to be on committees that affect their districts and states  For example, a representative from a district that is a farm area might want to serve on a agriculture committee  Seniority  the leaders of political parties make committee assignments  they look at expertise, seniority, and members’ preferences, and loyalty to the party

 the chairperson of the committee is normally the person who has the most seniority  the chairperson is one of the most powerful positions in Congress because he or she will  decides when and if a bill will be studied  when a committee will meet and who will serve on a subcommittee