1. Chapter 10

2. The National Legislature Section 1

3. Why a bicameral Congress? Three reasons: – Based on British Parliament and state legislatures – Settled a conflict at the Constitutional Convention – Check each other (both houses must pass a bill before it is sent to the President)

4. Terms & Sessions Sessions (the time each year when Congress meets) begin in January and continue until Congress votes to adjourn (end the session) A Congressional term has two sessions If Congress needs to meet after they have adjourned, the President may ask for a special session

5. How many representatives? Each state has two senators Representatives for each state are determined by population – California has the most representatives, 53 – Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming have only one representative each – The average representative represents about 647,000 people

7. The Members of Congress Section 4

8. Their Backgrounds Most have college degrees Many were born in the states they represent Most have been to college 1/2 of senators and 1/3 of representatives have studied law

9. Their Jobs Vote on bills Voting options: – Vote as delegates – Vote as trustees – Vote as partisans – Vote as politicos Also serve on committees – Committees decide if bills receive floor consideration

10. Their Benefits $174,000 Speaker of the House and floor leaders receive additional payment Allowances for travel Medical insurance Offices and money to pay staff Franking privileges Restaurants, gyms, pools, parking

11. The House of Representatives Section 2

12. Size & Terms 435 elected officials Two-year terms – Elections held between presidential elections are called off-year elections or midterm elections Each state is divided into districts – Each district elects its own representative The Speaker of the House is the leader – Elected by the majority party – Serves two years

13. Reapportionment Every 10 years, the U.S. takes a census As the population of the country grew, Congress added seats In 1920, the number of representatives reached 435, and Congress decided that was big enough 1929: Reapportionment Act – representatives are redistributed

14. Districts Most states are divided up into districts The seven states that have only one district elect their representatives at- large, i.e., to represent the whole state

15. What is gerrymandering? States must draw district boundaries to include a similar population in each district – In Wesberry v. Sanders, the Supreme Court said that each person’s vote should be worth the same Gerrymandering in the term for unfair districting, which can be done in a number of ways

16. Requirements At least 25 years of age Citizen of the United States for 7 years Resident of the state from which they are elected The House is empowered to judge the qualifications of its own members, and may dismiss members for a number of reasons

17. The Senate Section 3

18. How many members are in the Senate? 2 senators per state – Math: How many senators are there now? – Math: How many senators were there in the first Congress? Six-year terms Represent the entire state More concerned with national issues

19. What are the qualifications for senators? 30 years old Citizen for nine years Resident of the state they represent Continuous body: – 1/3 of Senators are elected every two years – Only one senator from a state is elected at a time Can judge members qualifications and expel members