Institutions of American Government Module 4.1: Congress Section 1: Roles of Congress

Lesson Objectives Identify the primary and secondary roles of the US Congress Describe the secondary roles of Congress in terms of the primary roles Identify the constitutional qualifications for representatives and senators in Congress and the Texas legislature Develop normative characteristics of representation

Primary Roles of Congress Legislation –Drafting bills & resolutions –Debating legislative proposals –Enacting bills & resolutions through floor votes Representation –Speaking & acting on behalf of citizens In states In districts

Question #1 Which of the following qualifies a person to serve in the US House of Representatives? a)age, citizenship, and residency b)age, registration to vote, and residency c)citizenship, residency, and education d)age, education, and registration to vote

Question #2 How many members of the US House of Representatives are from Texas? a)two b)thirty-two c)thirty-four d)fifty-three

Question #3 How many terms may a member of the US Senate serve? a)Two terms b)Three terms c)Six terms d)There are no term limits in the US Senate

Secondary Roles of Congress Constituent Services: Casework Oversight of the executive branch, especially the bureaucracy Public education: Conflict resolution among competing interests All secondary roles may be derived from the primary roles

Activity Break out into groups of four Choose one secondary role of Congress Develop an explanation of this role in terms of the primary roles Choose one member of the group to represent the group and report to the class as a whole

Question #5 Which are the principal purposes of legislative bodies in a representative republic? a)Lawmaking and balancing interests b)Providing services to constituents and resolving conflicts c)Lawmaking and representation d)Oversight of the bureaucracy and resolving conflicts

Question #6 In order to become a law, a bill must be a)Approved by both houses b)Signed by the President. c)Approved by the Supreme Court d)Both a and b

Question #7 Which of the following is not a part of the legislative function? a)drafting bills & resolutions b)providing services to constituents c)debating legislative proposals d)deliberating over constitutional amendments

Question #8 Which of the following objectives have we not yet covered? a)The primary and secondary roles of the US Congress b)Secondary roles of Congress in terms of the primary roles c)The constitutional qualifications for representatives and senators in Congress and the Texas legislature d)Normative characteristics of representation

Activity Name three qualities you would like your representative to have. Does your own representative possess these qualities? Why or why not? Have your answers ready by the next class session.