2. House + Senate =
Congress

3. What does the Constitution say?

4. “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and the House of Representatives”
Vocab word: BICAMERAL – 2 Houses/Congress (House and Senate)

5. What does that mean? Congress is a LAWMAKING body – makes the laws
Review: The executive branch (president) enforces the laws and the Judicial Branch (courts) interprets the laws – make sure you have that correct in your final.

6. Requirements for Representatives:
25 years old
7 years a citizen
Resident of the state they are representing
Our representative is Erik Paulsen
435 Representatives (number is based on population)

7. Requirements for Senate
30 years old
9 years a citizen
A resident of the state for which they represent
Our senators are Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken
100 Senators (2 from each state)

8. What are Congress’ Powers? Article I Section 8
Taxes – pay for debt, and to provide for the general welfare
Borrow Money
Make laws for Naturalization (immigration)
To Coin Money
To establish standards for weights and measurements
To establish post offices

9. Congressional Powers Cont.
Laws for patents and copyrights
To declare war (remember – President is commander-in-chief, but Congress gets to declare war)
Necessary and Proper Clause – make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying out the duties of Congress

10. Power to Impeach
Review – IMPEACHMENT – to formally accuse an official of wrong doing
House has the power to impeach (majority vote)
Senate has the power to convict (2/3 vote)

11. Vocab Words to Remember:
Constituents:
People our elected representatives represent (you and I are the constituents of Erik Paulsen – our U.S. Representative and of Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken – our U.S. Senators

12. Eminent Domain
Congress has the power to take private land and use it for public use
Example – your house was sitting in the way of the 610 project. They can take your house and make you move.
They have to pay you for it, however.

13. Franking Privilege
Members of Congress can send their CONSTITUENTS mail for free to keep them updated about what is happening in Congress

14. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Most powerful person in the House of Representatives

15. How a Bill Becomes a Law

16. Bill A proposed Law – an idea for a law
While in Congress it is a BILL. When/if the President signs it, it becomes a LAW.

17. Who can propose a bill? Congress (has to have an author)
You and I by way of writing to Congress
President – has an agenda he wants Congress to follow

18. How does a bill become a law Simple version
HR1 – Health Care Bill
Congress decides to hear the bill
It gets sent to committee
It gets sent to subcommittee – in committee the bill can be revised, kept, or chucked. ***Most bills die in committee
If it makes it out of committee, the whole floor votes on it

19. Then it gets sent to Senate
The same procedure happens in the Senate
Rules are more lax in the Senate
FILIBUSTER – talking a bill to death, a way to prevent a bill from being voted on
YouTube - Facts of Congress - Filibuster
***The bill must look EXACTLY the same from House to Senate or it gets sent to CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

20. When the bill makes it through conference committee, it goes back to the House and Senate to be voted on
If it passes, then it goes to the President to be signed into law
YouTube - Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law