Powers of Congress Houses and Members of Congress

The Constitution and the Legislative Branch of the Government  Article I describes structure of Congress Bicameral legislature  Divided into two houses Each state sends two Senators regardless of population. Number of Representatives each state sends to the House is determined by state population.

The Constitution Congress  Constitution sets out requirements for membership in the House and Senate House of Representatives  25 years of age  Reside in U.S. at least 7 years  Serve 2 year terms Senate  30 years of age  Reside in U.S. at least 9 years  Serve 6 year terms ALL members of Congress must be legal residents of their states.

The Representatives and Senators  The Job Salary of $168,000 (2007) with retirement benefits. Office space in D.C. and at home  Plus free staff to fill it! Travel allowances and franking privileges.  Free mail sent if it is official business. Immunity  Legal protection that keeps them from being sued for anything they say while in office! Often requires 10 to 14 hour days and lots of time away from the family

Congressional Demographics  Members tend to be Better educated than the population in general  Over 2/3’s have advanced degrees. Richer  Nearly 200 are millionaires 21 Senators are worth at least 3.1 million Male White Average age is 60 for Senators; 54 for House members.

Blacks, Hispanics, and Women in Congress,

Apportionment and Redistricting  Apportionment  Proportional process of allotting congressional seats to each state following the ten year census Census = official count of our population  Redistricting (AKA gerrymandering)  Redrawing of congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states as well as population shifts within a state

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 Gerrymandering: good or bad?

Congressional Elections  Who Wins Elections? Incumbent: Officials already holding office.

Congressional Elections, cont.  The Advantages of Incumbents Name recognition:  Once the public knows you, they vote for you! Advertising:  The goal is to be visible to your voters.  Frequent trips home & newsletters are used. Credit Claiming:  Service to individuals in their district.

Congressional Elections, cont.  The Advantages of Incumbents Weak Opponents:  Most opponents are inexperienced in politics.  Most opponents are unorganized and underfunded. Campaign Spending :  PACs give most of their money to incumbents. Why?  Does PAC money “buy” votes in Congress?