1. The Legislative Branch
Chapter 8

2. Essential Questions To whom are members of Congress responsible?
What is Congress’ role in the separation of powers?
How do committees allow Congress to work more efficiently?
How does a bill become a law?

3. Making Laws Laws DO NOT simply state what you can and cannot do.
What laws can make/do:
National Policy (plan to reach a certain goal)
Spell out how government raises and spends the people’s money.

4. Vocabulary Constituents – the people he or she represents
Sometimes the needs of constituents are in conflict with the needs of Americans in general
Political Party – an organization of people who share certain ideas about what government should do.
Parties expect you to vote to support their position and issues.
Bill – proposed law

5. Vocabulary
Interest groups – groups of people who work together for similar interests or goals.
These groups supply both votes and money
Lobbyists – people who represent interest groups.
Try to convince Congress to support bills that help them, or oppose ones that hurt them

6. Representatives
Number of representatives are determined by the census (an official count of the population every 10 yrs)
435 Seats in the House
Each state must have at least 1 seat
Congressional District - the area that a member of the House represents
2 Year Terms ending on Jan 3rd
No limit on number of terms

7. Representatives Each state is represented by 2 Senators
Senators are elected for 6 year terms
1/3 of Senators are elected every 2 years…this means there will always be experienced Senators in office
Senators must represent an entire state, not only a small district

8. Representative Requirements
Senators and Representatives (House) must live in the state they represent
Representatives must be at least 25 and have been a citizen for 7 years
Senators must be at least 30 and have been a citizen for 9 years
Members of Congress earn $154,700/yr

9. Powers of Congress Legislative: Collect Taxes Borrow Money
Regulate Trade w/foreign nations and states
Make laws about naturalization
Coin money
Establish post offices and highways
Issue patents and copyrights
Declare war
Create, maintain, and make rules for armed forces
Make laws for the District of Columbia

10. Powers of Congress Non-legislative:
Elect a President (House) and Vice President (Senate) if a majority is not reached in the electoral college
Confirm appointments and treaties made by the President
Propose amendments to the Constitution
Call conventions to propose amendments if demanded by the states
Admit new states to the Union
Bring impeachment charges (House)
Try impeachment cases (Senate)

11. Limits to the Powers of Congress
Checks and Balances
Executive Branch can veto proposed laws
Judicial Branch can declare laws unconstitutional
Congress May Not Pass
Bill of Attainder - a law that convicts a person of a crime without a trial
Ex Post Facto Laws - laws that make an act a crime then punish those who committed the act before the law was passed

12. Organization of Congress
Leadership:
Speaker of the House – House of Representatives must choose a presiding officer.
Most important and powerful position
Vice President – President of the Senate
When VP is not there, the Senate chooses an officer called president pro tempore

13. Organization of Congress
Floor Leaders – the chief officers of the majority and minority in each house.
Responsible for guiding bills through Congress
Persuade committees and party members to accept compromises and trade-offs
Whip - the assistant floor leader, serves the same persuasive purpose as the floor leader
Committees – necessary because there are too many bills to introduce for all of Congress to hear

14. Committees Introducing Bills: Standing Committees:
Anyone can draw up a bill
A member of Congress must introduce it
A Representative (House) introduces a bill by dropping it in a special box – hopper
A senator introduces a bill by reading it aloud on the Senate Floor
Standing Committees:
The committee studies the bill, holds public hearings, proposes necessary changes, then it is recommended to the House and Senate.
If it is not recommended, the bill dies

15. Committees Conference Committees:
Temporarily formed when a bill passes in one house, but is changed in the other.
Members of the House and Senate try to settle the differences
The committee’s version must then go back and pass through both houses

16. Role of the President
After a bill has passed both the House and Senate with a majority vote, it is sent to the President
The President may sign the bill, leave it sit for 10 days (during session), or veto the bill
If the President sends it back to Congress (veto) unsigned, a 2/3 majority in both houses can override the veto
Pocket Veto - if the President pockets, or keeps the bill for 10 days, during which Congress ends its session, the bill will not become law

17. Stopping a Bill
Filibuster - the use of long speeches to prevent a vote on a bill
Filibusters cannot occur in the House due to the time limit set on debates
Cloture - an agreement to end the debate on a bill
Requires a 3/5 vote