Structure & Power

 Bicameral Legislature ◦ Bicameral=2 Part  House of Representatives ◦ 435 members (Representatives)  Senate ◦ 100 members (Senators)  Why is there such a difference in the #’s?

RepresentativesSenators Age: Citizenship (years): State of Residence (years): Term length: How many representatives much each state have? What is each state’s # of seats based on? Age: Citizenship (years): State of Residence (years): Term length: How many senators much each state have? What is each state’s # of seats based on? Turn to pg. 5 in Interactive Notebook, Complete - Use MD General Assembly article on back to complete page

 Why bicameral? ◦ H.of R.= Representation based on population  Ex- New York vs. Delaware ◦ Senate= Equal representation  Everyone gets 2  Enumerated Powers ◦ War Powers, Levy Taxes, etc  Implied Powers

 Elastic Clause ◦ Necessary & Proper clause  Effects on functioning of government ◦ Increase in size & scope ◦ Regulation of finance, health care

 Create a foldable that explains the powers of the legislative branch  Cover: Create a title & picture  Green= Expressed Powers ◦ Inside Left  2 Examples from each  Yellow= Implied Powers ◦ Inside Middle  2 Examples from each  Red= Denied Powers  Inside Right  2 examples from each  Effects of Necessary & Proper Clause ◦ 3 Effects (Outside left)  Bicameral: House & Senate Facts (5 qualifications each) ◦ EX- # of representatives; citizenship; age; basis of # of seats  Middle Outside *You may use books, notes, or Interactive notebook pgs. 2-3

 Filibuster (Senate) ◦ Historical method to delay vote or block debate ◦ Increase visibility of issue; lead to compromise ◦ 60 votes to stop it (longest ever 24+ hours)  Cloture  Video Clip  ◦ Should the filibuster be eliminated? ◦ Do you agree or disagree with the speaker  ? Why/why not?

 Conference Committees ◦ Set up by House & Senate to settle disagreement on a bill  Remember, a bill must pass thru House and Senate before becoming law!!!  Overriding a Presidential Veto ◦ 2/3 vote by Senate

Lawmaking Process

 Census is taken every 10 yrs  Reapportionment ◦ Change in the # of representatives each state has  Based on population size  # of House of Reps members  Pg in interactive notebook ◦ Complete pg. 10, 11 & 13 ◦ Discuss

 State Legislators draw boundaries for Congressional districts ◦ Power is sometimes abused  Unequal districts drawn ◦ Gerrymandering ◦ Should be base on pop. (1 person=1 vote)  Many times, increase in racial/ethnic representation ◦ No guidelines in Constitution

 Drawing state lines to give one party an electoral advantage  “Packing & Cracking” ◦ Funky shaped districts use to:  Pack one party/group into one district  Crack one party/ethnic group into many districts  Both reduce influence  Irregular shapes drawn for political reasons  Pg. 126 Gerrymandering map

 Recall ◦ Voters kick an elected official out of office  Referendum ◦ Special election used to recall official

 Citizens propose a constitutional amendment or law

External Factors

 Media  Lobbyists  Political Action Committees  Interest Groups  Citizens  Public Opinion

 The media can have a major influence on public policy ◦ Coverage of events on TV/News  Amount of time certain topics get in spotlight  More TV exposure means more people form opinions about a certain issue ◦ Social media  Citizens get instant news and info.

 Interest Groups ◦ A group with common goals who organize to influence government  Public Interest Groups ◦ A group that seeks policy goals that it believes will benefit the nation  Many interest groups have ties to business, labor, or agriculture  Interest Group Spending: ◦

 Many voices with the same message have a greater impact than 1 voice!

 What is the idea behind this political cartoon?

 Free Rider ◦ An individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.

 Turn to pg. 30 in Interactive Notebook ◦ Use graphic organizer to categorize interest groups ◦ Read Summaries of the different kinds of interest groups  Read pgs  Highlight key points and ideas  Answer questions at the end of each section

 Lobbyist: ◦ An interest group representative ◦ Lobbying:  Direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors  Political Action Committees ◦ Interest groups that raise & spend large sums of money to influence election campaigns  Free Rider ◦ An individual who does not join a group representing his or her interests yet receives the benefit of the group's influence.

 Turn to pg. 35 in Interactive Notebook  Read Study Guide 18.2 ◦ Mark text to pick out important points ◦ Answer the question at the end of each section

  Think about some social issues that are important to you  Brainstorm at least 5 issues that America faces  Select the one issue that you care about the most & come up with a name for your interest group ◦ You may either:  Create a 30 second commercial script  Write a newspaper article (2 paragraphs) to express your viewpoint  Write a rap/song/poem to express you viewpoints  Create a print ad (like from a newspaper or magazine)  You will share your work with class mates at the end of the period

 Public Opinion ◦ Polls/surveys are taken to find the opinions of a representative group of Americans on many issues  Government officials take poll numbers into account when making policy decisions ◦ Iraq War >

 You have the power to make changes! ◦ Contact local legislators  City Council  State Legislators  Representatives ◦ Testify at Congressional Hearings ◦ Join an interest group ◦ Organize a PAC ◦ Use the news media to your advantage  Call the local paper or TV station about your concerns

 As a class, read: ◦ The Public Choices of Senator Aspyer Tu More ◦ Volunteer for a role or read along ◦ Pg in Interactive Notebook ◦ Answer Bulleted Questions on pg. 47 of Interactive Notebeook  4 groups:  Chamber of Commerce  The Locals  The Fishermen  Retired People  Discuss Roles & Answer questions