1. ARTICLE I THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
THE CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

2. CONGRESS House Senate Term 2 6 - staggered Age 25 30 Citizenship 7 9
Residency Yes (district) Yes (State)
Members
(“Congress” = 535)
Leader Speaker President (VP)
[Pres. Pro Tempore]

3. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Speaker of the House – selected by …? Who is it now?
Membership based on population; seat apportionment changes every 10 years after census
435 members; FL – has 27 members
Tax laws can only be introduced in the House
Only House can “impeach” public officials

4. SENATE
Staggered terms - 1/3 of Senate up for reelection every 2 years)
President of Senate is VP of U.S. – Who is it now?
President Pro Tempore serves in his absence – Who is it now?
2 Senators from each state – 100 total
Only Senate has power to ratify treaties & confirm presidential appointments
Senate holds the trials for all impeachments
Chief Justice is Judge/Senate is “jury”
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), now 85 years old and a 47 and a half year Senate warhorse replaced Byrd as Pro Tempore

5. BENEFITS: 1) Salary $$174,000 + per year
2) Generous retirement benefits
3) Two offices; DC + Home district
4) staff members
5) Travel allowances; “political junkets”
6) Franking privileges
7) Immunities: no petty misdemeanors
During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered proposing that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise.
From 1789 to 1855, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session, except for a period from December 1815 to March 1817, when they received $1,500 a year. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1855, when they were paid $3,000 per year.
Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2010) Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership Majority Party Leader - $193,400 Minority Party Leader - $193,400
House Leadership Speaker of the House - $223,500 Majority Leader - $193,400 Minority Leader - $193,400

6. POWERS Art. I, Sec. 8
17 ENUMERATED POWERS which include power to make laws, tax, draft, regulate commerce, declare war, print $, grant copyrights & patents, etc.
ELASTIC CLAUSE:
Also known as the “Necessary and Proper Clause” – why?
Also known as the “Implied Powers Clause”
Would a strict or a loose constructionist be a supporter of the elastic clause?

7. IMPLIED POWERS are created from expressed powers & work like this:
Expressed power to borrow money:
Implies power to establish Fed. Reserve System of banks
Expressed power to establish naturalization laws:
Implies power to regulate & limit immigration
Expressed power to regulate commerce:
Implies power to est. minimum wage, ban discrimination in workplace, pass laws protecting disabled …

8. How many bills become laws?

10. Click bill pic to get to schoolhouse rocks “I’m just a bill”
Family guy on bottom right bill