1. US Government: Legislative Branch

2. National Government Legislative branch (Congress)
Executive Branch (President, Cabinet, Cabinet departments)
Judicial branch (Supreme Court)
Checks & balances: ability of each branch to keep the others “in check”
Separation of powers: so no one branch gets too powerful

3. Legislative Structure
Bicameral (2 houses): House of Representatives & Senate, mostly white men, middle-aged, lawyers, businessmen, bankers
House: 435 members, represents the common man, based on population based on census every 10 yrs, represent “districts”, elected every 2 years in even # yrs
Must be 25 years old, naturalized citizen for 7 years, legal resident of state you represent

4. Representation Constituents: the people they represent
Reapportionment: chg in # of reps based on change in census #s
Redistricting: setting up new district lines after reapportionment
Gerrymandering: one party draws the district boundaries to benefit their party (illegal)
113th Congress: 232 Reps, 200 Dems, 3 vacant seats (Republicans hold majority)

5. House Leadership: Speaker of the House: John Boehner [R]--Ohio
Pelosi
Speaker of the House: John Boehner [R]--Ohio
Majority Leader: Eric Cantor [R]--Virginia
Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy [R]—California
Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi [D]--California
Minority Whip: Steny Hoyer [D]—Maryland
Hoyer
Cantor
McCarthy

6. Law-making in the House
Bill is dropped in the “hopper”—gets HR#
Goes to committee—only about 10-20% come out of committee
Goes on calendar
Rules Committee decides which bill go to the floor for debate & voting
Must have a quorum (majority) present to vote (218 members)
If passed, goes to Senate

7. Senate 2 per state (100 today)
Must be at least 30 yrs old, naturalized citizen for 9 yrs, legal resident of state represented “at-large”
1/3 elected every 6 yrs, even # years
27th amendment: can’t vote pay raise during current session
Can exclude or censure a member

8. Senate More informal than the House Usually debate is unlimited
Vice-Pres. Breaks tie: Joe Biden
President pro tempore: presides—usually majority party’s most senior member
Current pres pro tem: Patrick Leahy [D]--Vermont

9. Other Senate Leadership
Democrats have current majority: 53 Dems, 45 Republicans, 4 independents
Majority Leader: Harry Reid
Majority Whip: Dick Durbin
Minority Leader: Mitch McConnell
Minority Whip: John Comyn

10. Bills in the Senate Calendar of General Orders lists the bills
Vote to bring bills to the floor—given S #
Goes to committee
Unlimited debate on floor
Can filibuster (speak to stall the voting process)—longest ever was Strom Thurmond [SC]—24 hours, 18 mins
Can stop a filibuster by voting for cloture—limits speaking to one hour
If passes, goes to House

11. Committees Standing: permanent
Subcommittees: subcategories of other committees
Select: temporary, usually to study one issue
Joint: members from both Houses
Conference: temporary, set up when different versions of a bill have been passed by both houses
Extremely important to be on committees—MUCH power! Usually done by seniority
Chair is very powerful: decides everything (when they meet, bills to be considered, who speaks, etc.)
Most important committees: Rules, Ways & Means, Appropriations (controls the $$$)

12. Congressional Support
Staffers & secretaries do much of the research, answer calls, make calls & write legislation for members of Congress
Personal & committee staffers, adminstrative & legislative assistants, caseworkers
Library of Congress
Congressional Budget Office
General Accounting Office
Government Printing Office

13. Legislative Powers Expressed (enumerated): 18 powers
Implied: uses “necessary & proper clause”—can make any laws necessary to carry out expressed powers
Denied powers: can’t suspend writ of habeas corpus, no bills of attainder (conviction w/out trials), no ex post facto laws (making something illegal that you did when it was legal)

14. Powers Tax, borrow, coin $, punish counterfeiters
Regulate commerce/trade
Declare war
Raise/support an army/navy/national guard
Punish acts committed on international waters & against other nations
Naturalization laws, post office, copyrights/patents, create courts, govern DC, necessary & proper laws as needed

15. Other powers
Power to choose a President if there is no majority in the electoral college (only twice: 1800 & 1824)
Settle Presidential succession issues (Nixon’s resignation, Kennedy’s assassination)
Impeachment
Confirmation power (Senate): appointments
Ratification power: treaties
Amendment power: 2/3rds vote

16. Still other powers!
Investigative: investigations, hold hearings, subpoena witnesses
Oversees executive agencies
Can limit those agencies—cut purse strings!
Can limit President’s power to declare national emergency
Controls the budget
Override Presidential veto

17. Law-making
Bills that pass both the House & Senate but are different go to Conference Committee
If passed, goes back to both for final vote
Then goes to President
Sign, veto, pocket veto
Can override, but hard to do—rare
Any bill that doesn’t passdies
“pigeonholing”: bill dies in committee
Line-item veto: ruled unconstitutional

18. How can you influence Congress?
Write, call or your Senator or Representative—they all have websites!
Reps. for 30252: Paul Broun [R], Hank Johnson [D], Lynn Westmoreland [R], David Scott [D]
GA Senators: Saxby Chambliss [R] & Johnny Isakson [R]
Join a political party
Join an interest group (lobbying)
Join a Political Action Committee: raise $

19. How can they help you?
Call, write or their caseworker with your problem, question or request
They try to get bills passed that bring $/jobs to your state/district (sometimes “pork”)
Try to get grants & contracts (especially Defense contracts) for their states…Ga has LOTS of military bases thanks to former Senator Sam Nunn!