1. Unit 7: The Legislative Branch & Congress
Learning Goals: After this Unit you will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the two houses of Congress, to include qualifications, rules of conduct, and apportionment
2. Explain the structure of how each hose of Congress is organized.
3. Differentiate between delegated and implied powers.
4. Explain the process of impeachment.

2. REVIEW B. NO SINGLE “BRANCH” IS MORE POWERFUL AS POWERS ARE SEPARATE!
A. The 3 “branches” of government are: (LEJ)
Legislative Branch – make the laws
Executive Branch – enforce the laws
Judicial Branch – interpret the laws.
B. NO SINGLE “BRANCH” IS MORE POWERFUL AS POWERS ARE SEPARATE!
C. Separation of Powers limits the power of the government.

3. D. Checks and Balances = Each “branch” can check (or restrain) the powers of the others.
E. Checks & Balances limits the power of the government.

4. I. The Legislative Branch
A. Outlined in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution
B. Article 1 explains the responsibilities of the L- Branch
C. LB = Congress

5. II. Congress A. Two house system: 1. The House of Representatives
2. The Senate
B. 535 total members:
1. THOR = 435
2. Senate = 100
C. #1 responsibility = MAKE the laws

6. F. Currently, we are in the “114th Congress, 1st Session”.
D. Congressional Term: 2 years long, begins on January 3rd
E. A Congressional Term is made of two sessions (each a year long)
F. Currently, we are in the “114th Congress, 1st Session”.

7. III. Why TWO Houses?
A. Congress = bicameral legislature = a lawmaking body divided into two houses
B. THOR = based on population = the bigger the population the more representatives it gets
VIRGINIA PLAN
C. Senate = two representatives per state
NJ PLAN

8. IV. The House of Representatives
A. “The Lower House” = Closer to the people
B. 435 members with 2 year long terms
C. Each state receives a specific number of members based on the state population

9. D. State population is counted every ten years by the “census”
E. Leader of THOR = Speaker of the House (2nd in line for presidency)
Paul Ryan

10. The House of Representatives

11. F. Each state is divided into Congressional Districts, each district is designed to have an equal population
G. Each district is assigned ONE person from THOR to represent their local area
Florida = 27 members in THOR
So…that means Florida is broken up into 27 districts of equal population. Each district gets one person

12. H. Gerrymandering: the process of creating oddly shaped districts to increase the voting strength of a particular group.
EX: Creating a district that more registered democrats live. This ensures during election time the Democrat candidate will win and be that districts representative in THOR

16. I. Tallahassee & Leon County are in the 2nd Congressional District of Florida
J. Our district representative in THOR = Neal Dunn (R)

17. V. Senate A. “The Upper House” = smaller and more elite
B. 100 members with 6 year long terms
C. Only 1/3 of the senate is up for re-election at a time
D. Leader = Vice President
Leader #2 = President Pro Tempore
(3rd in line for presidency)
Orrin Hatch

18. E. In the U.S. Senate, Florida is represented by Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R)

19. VI. Congressional Leadership
A. In Congress Political Parties control each house
B. The political party with more than ½ is called the majority party
C. The political party with fewest number of representatives is called the minority party
D. The current majority party of both houses is the Republican Party

20. E. Each majority party has a majority leader
F. Each majority leader has an assistant known as the “majority whip” : helps enforce rules, prepares everyone for voting
G. The minority party also has a minority leader and a “minority whip”

21. Majority and Minority Leaders in THOR
Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Leader
Minority Whip
Kevin McCarthy (R)
Steve Scalise (R)
Nancy Pelosi
(D)
Steny Hoyer
(D)

22. Majority and Minority Leaders in The Senate
Majority Leader
Majority Whip
Minority Leader
Minority Whip
Mitch McConnell (R)
John Cornyn
(R)
Chuck Schumer
(D)
Richard Durbin
(D)