1. A Quick Overview

2. National Legislature Bicameralism--made up of two houses Congress made up of the House of Representatives & Senate Historically from the British Parliament

3. Bicameral 2 houses--Why Practical — makes sense b/c of the conflict b/n the Virginia And N.J. plans Theoretical — 2 houses to “check” each other

4. Terms and Sessions Term--length of time between elections 2 sessions for each term– almost all year (one house cannot dismiss w/o the consent of the other) Special Session--called by the President to deal with a pressing issue

5. House of Representatives 435 members for 435 Districts Apportioned by population (distributed) State guaranteed at least one Single Member Districts – each district elects it’s own rep. Michigan has 15 Gerrymandering--drawn to the benefit of the Political Party

6. Gerrymandering District lines drawn to the political advantage of the party that controls the Legislature Concentrates certain groups of society that will be an advantage to a political party Spreads thinly the population of the opposing party voters so they lose their voting power

7. Reapportionment Act Sets House of Reps size to 435 members Census bureau decides # of seats each state has based on population (done every 10 years) President sends plan to Congress 60 days after receiving it…it is made effective

8. Senate 2 from each state At large - (voted by all voters in the state) 6 year Terms Continuous body--all seats never up at the same time (every 2 years 1/3 of Senate is up for reelection) More focused on big picture

9. Qualifications House of Reps.House of Reps. At least 25 citizen for 7 years live in the state district they represent 2 years Young SenateSenate at least 30 citizen for 9 years live in state 6 years Older

10. Who are these people? (2010) Average--White male in their mid 50s Women and minorities numbers are growing Married, 2 kids, religious, lawyers, lots of political experience While about 1% of Americans are considered millionaires, 44% members of Congress are. Average net worth of a Representative is $645,503. Average net worth of a Senator is $1.79 million

11. Duties of a Congressperson Legislators--law makers committee members—more than one representatives To their constituents- voting servants to their constituents-extras (speaking engagements) Politicians—elected officials Oversight function--check the executive branch Salary $174,000— over 200,000 (through other fringe benefits) Retirement—150,000 a year

12. 4 C’s to voting Conscience/Trustee—their personal belief Constituents/Delegates -- “How would my constituents want me to vote?” Caucus/Partisans -- vote based on party platform Common Good – What is best for overall country Politicos--combine all