1. Legislative Branch Law Makers and Legislatures Ch.11
Objective: What Makes An Effective Legislator?

2. The Legislator or Law Maker

3. What Does it Take to Be a Legislator (lawmaker)?
1. You must be an “electable person”
2. Must be able to raise money for your election
3. Skilled at political games
4. Must be able to show constituents the good you have done when reelections come
Constituents – people in a legislators home district or state

4. Legislatures and their Constituents 11.2

5. Formal Qualifications
Must be of the state that elected you
Must be min. 25 yrs old to serve in the House
Must be a min. 30 yrs old to serve in the Senate
Local Level: 18 years old to serve on school boards and city councils

6. Informal Qualifications
Majority have a background in business or law
Majority have college degrees or masters degrees

7. Apportionment: Achieving Equal Representation
U.S. Senate –
100 seats – 2 from each state

8. Apportionment: Achieving Equal Representation
House of Representatives-
435 seats – 1 for each district
Seats vary for each state depending on its population

9. The Organization of Congress (11.3)

10. Bicameral Legislature: The House of Representatives and the Senate
Bicameral – made up of two houses

11. The House and Senate Compared
435 members
2 year terms
Elected in districts
Quick to act
Less prestige
Less press coverage
Small staffs
Tight rules
Limited debate time
Focus more on budget issues and peoples concerns
100 members
6 year terms
Elected by state
Slow to act
More prestige
More press coverage
Large staffs
Loose rules
Extended debate time
Focus more on foreign affairs and more worldly problems

12. Leadership Roles in the House of Representatives
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House– decides what bills will be debated by the house and when
Most powerful person in congress

13. Leadership Roles in the House of Representatives
Majority and Minority Leaders – manage the debates on the bills on the house floor

14. Leadership Roles in the Senate
President of the Senate – The Vice president – breaks a tie vote

15. Leadership Roles in the Senate
President of the Senate Pro tempore – presides over the senate floor in the absence of the Vice President

16. The Work of Congress (11.4)

17. The Powers of Congress Levy and collect taxes Borrow money
Regulate interstate and foreign commerce
Coin money
Declare war

18. The Powers of Congress Enacting Laws
Both houses of Congress must agree to the bill before it becomes a law
Turning bills into laws requires hard work, patience and compromise

19. The Powers of Congress Levying Taxes
The federal government relies heavily on taxes to fund government programs
No taxes?
No Highway system
No Law Enforcement
No Public Education
No Military to protect us

20. The Powers of Congress Declaring War
Shared by Congress and the president
Presidents have sent troops abroad over 200 times, while congress only approved war five times

21. Congress Must Check other Branches
Oversight – make sure laws are carried out
Confirmation- approve the presidents key officials
Impeachment- Vote to remove an official or president for wrongs
Ratification- Senate must approve all treaties made by president before they are made law
Override-Congress can vote to reverse a presidents veto of a law
Amendment- Can vote to add to or change the constitution
Congress Must Check other Branches

22. How State Legislatures Compare with Congress 11.5

23. How State Legislatures Compare with Congress
Same
Make laws
Represent voters
All are bicameral legislatures (except Nebraska)
Committees do most of the bill revising
Different
Have smaller staffs
Congress: assistants
State: 9 assistants
Receive lower salaries
Congress: 165,000 a year
State: 100,000 a year
Less time to meet
Congress: 300+ days
State: 180+ days

24. Term Limits for State Legislators: Is 2 Years Good or Bad?
Bring fresh ideas and energy to government
Tend to care more for the people
BAD
Undemocratic – limiting choices of voters
Loss of experience can devastate a legislature

25. Legislative Branch Congressional Law Making Ch.12
How Do Laws Really Get Made?

26. The Process of a Bill ~A Quick Version~
A proposed law first goes to a committee
If approved, it goes to the chamber (House or Senate) in which it was introduced for vote
If approved, it goes to the other chamber (House or Senate) for a second vote
If approved, it goes to the president to be signed or vetoed

27. Convening a New Congress 12.2

28. Congressional Elections
Every two years
Second Tuesday in November
Senate- 1/3 of seats are opened up
Creates a shift in party majority

29. Committee Assignments
Members of both the House and the Senate must sit in on committees to make sure they run smoothly
Minor – Post Office Comm.
Major – Finance Comm.
Congressional Page – A high school junior who works as a messenger in the House or Senate. Must be sponsored by a rep. from home state

30. Working in Committee 12.3

31. Ranking of Committee Power
High official spots go to people with seniority!
Seniority Rule- Committee Chair “highest” goes to the person with the most consecutive years of service on the committee

32. The Path of a Bill Through Subcommittee
Phase 1: Hearings
Legislative hearings- a meeting of law makers gather information on a proposed law. Also hear from citizens that support it
“When Hollywood speaks, the world listens. When Washington speaks, the world snoozes” – Sen. Arlen Specter

33. The Path of a Bill Through Subcommittee
Phase 2: Markup
Markup Session – members “markup” or amend a bill
Things that are changed must be approved by a majority

34. The Path of a Bill Through Subcommittee
Phase 3: Report
Bill is then sent to standing committee who either amends it or “marks it up” more

35. The House Rules Committee
House Rules Committee – decide when a bill should be debated
Bill supporters ask for ether a Closed Rule or an Open Rule
Closed Rule- limits debate and is quicker to be passed or thrown out
Open Rule- allows floor debate and changes. Process could be longer before passed or thrown out

36. Debating and Voting on the House and Senate Floors (12.4)

37. Majority Party Controls Floor Debate
Time is money!
Once bill is ready for discussion- only one who has the right to speak are the speaker and the majority leader
The process has three main parts:
1. General debate of bill
2. Debate and vote on amendments to the bill
3. Final vote on bill

38. 1. General Debate of the Bill
House – Debate is only 1 hr. 30 min.
Speakers must be quick and to the point
Senate – Debate is unlimited
Filibuster- tactic of giving endless speeches to delay a bill from being passed
Strom Thurmond's 24 hour 18 min. speech

39. 1. General Debate of the Bill
Senate – Debate is unlimited
Filibuster- tactic of giving endless speeches to delay a bill from being passed
Strom Thurmond's 24 hour 18 min. speech
Cloture Rule – process used to end a filibuster. 2/3 or 60 senators must support a cloture
Hold – A request by a senator to delay action on a bill

40. 2. Debate and Vote on Amendments to the Bill
House – senators can attach “relevant” amendments to the bill
Senate – senators can attach amendments that are unrelated
Riders – amendments to a bill that has no relation to the bill…but helps certain people or organizations
Christmas Tree Bill – A bill with so many riders attached, there is something for everyone

41. 3. Final Vote on Bill Voice Vote- “aye”-yes, “No” – no (loudest wins)
Standing Vote- stand for pass, stand for oppose (majority wins)
Role Call Vote- Senators electronically push a button: yes, no, present. Present means that you do not wish to cast a vote on the bill

42. 3. Final Vote on Bill
Interest groups, Party leaders and Colleagues pressure legislators that are undecided immensely
Logrolling – “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”

43. Final Steps in the Legislative Process 12.5

44. What Next?
Both chambers of congress must approve the bill before it goes to the president

45. The President takes Action – or Not
President has 10 days to act on a bill
Sign the bill into law
Veto the bill
Take no action on the bill. At the end of ten days the bill becomes law w/o the presidents signature

46. The Veto
Historically, a small percentage of bills have been vetoed by presidents
If a veto happens, congress needs 2/3 vote from both the House and the Senate to be passed into law w/o presidents signature
Pres. Johnson (Dem) vetoed 21 bills… Congress (Rep.) over rid 15
Pres. F. Roosevelt vetoed 372 bills… Congress over rid 9