1. Article 1: Legislative Branch
U.S. Capitol

2. Article 1: Legislative Branch
U.S. Capitol

3. Article 1: Legislative Branch
U.S. Capitol

4. Article 1: Legislative Branch
U.S. Capitol

5. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Congress is bicameral - it has two houses or two groups that work to make laws

6. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Powers of Congress
1. The power to tax
2. The power to regulate trade
(for states and with foreign countries)
3. The power to borrow money
(sell savings bonds or from banks)
4. The power to coin (print) money

7. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Powers of Congress
5. The power to create (and eliminate)
lower courts
6. The power to create and maintain an
army and navy
7. The power to declare war on another
country
8. The power to regulate commerce
(make business regulations)

8. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Powers of Congress
9. The power to run the post office
10. The power to give out copyrights and
patents
11. The power to regulate weights and
measures

9. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Limits on Congress
1. Cannot pass a trade law that helps one
state more than another
2. Cannot pass a law that takes away any of
the people’s natural rights
3. Cannot give any citizen special titles (like
king, prince, or princess)

10. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Proportional Representation - the number of representatives each state gets depends on its population.

11. Article 1: Legislative Branch
Michigan’s population = 9,883,640
So each representative represents about 658,000 people.
Congressional Districts - A congressional district is drawn so that each representative, represents about the same number of citizens.

12. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The House of Representatives

13. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The House of Representatives
Total number of members: 435
Number of representatives per state:
proportional representation- the number from each state depends on the population of the state
Term in office (how long): 2 years
Name of the leader in this house:
Speaker of the House
Current Speaker of the House:
John Boehner

14. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The House of Representatives
Special Powers of the House of Representatives:
 the power to impeach government officials
 all appropriations bills (about taxes or spending
tax money) must start in the House of Representatives
 if the Electoral College fails to elect a president,
the House of Representatives chooses the president.

15. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The House of Representatives
Requirements:
- at least 25 years old
- must be a citizen for at least 7 years
- must live in the district that you are
representing

16. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The Senate

17. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The Senate
Total number of members: 100
Number of representatives per state: 2
Term in office (how long): 6 years

18. Who leads this house (when not busy)?
The Senate
Who leads this house (when not busy)?
The Vice President
of the United States
Who leads this house when the V.P. is busy?
The President Pro Tempore
Current President Pro Tempore:
Patrick Leahy
(Senator from Vermont)
Vice President
Joseph (Joe) Biden

19. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The Senate
Special Powers of the Senate:
 approves presidential appointments for jobs,
cabinet members, judges, ambassadors
 approves or rejects any treaty made by the
president
 serves as the jury for impeachment trials - votes
whether or not to convict of impeachment

20. Article 1: Legislative Branch
The Senate
Requirements:
- at least 30 years old
- must be a citizen for a least 9 years
- must live in the state you represent