1. Congress: The Legislative Branch
Chapter 5
Congress: The Legislative Branch
Congress, consisting of the House of Representatives & the Senate, exercises its powers by passing legislation, representing the people, & checking the power of the other branches of gov’t.

2. Sec. 1: Congress
The voters elect members of Congress to represent them and to enact laws in their name. Congress plays a vital role in our gov’ts system of checks and balances.

3. DO NOW
How is the number of Senators and Representatives awarded to each state? Explain how this system came about.

4. What powers does the Constitution give to Congress?
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn)
Essential Question
How Congress represents the people.
Why the structure of Congress is important.
What the role of Congress is in the system of checks & balances.
What powers does the Constitution give to Congress?

6. I.Congress & The People Representing the people Members of Congress
Constituents: People who live within a specific geographic area
Members of Congress
Mid-50s, Wealthy, white, male
The House of Representatives
Apportionment: Distribution of House seats among states based on population.
The Senate
Originally elected by state legislatures, now by the state’s people.

7. II. Congress & Checks & Balances
Power of the Purse
Power to approve all spending by fed. gov’t.
Appropriation: Bill that sets aside funds for a specific purpose.
Power of Advice & Consent
Senate must agree to treaties and appointments of ambassadors, federal judges, and Supreme Court justices.
Impeachment Power
Impeachment: Charge officials in the executive or judicial branches with wrongdoing & bring them to trial

8. III. Other Checks & Balances
Check the Supreme Court by starting amendment process.
Check the executive by overriding a presidential veto w/ supermajority.
4% of vetoes have been overridden
Oversight: Review how the executive branch is operating and make sure it is following the law.

9. Exit Slip What do a Congress member’s constituents share?
How many senators does the Constitution allow each state?
How did the Great Compromise create a bicameral legislature?
What term refers to a special type of act that Congress uses to set aside funds for specific purposes?
The power of impeachment is important to our system of checks and balances because it allows Congress to do what?

10. Section 2
The Constitution gives Congress many expressed powers, and it implies some others. The Constitution also places limits on the powers of Congress.

11. Do Now
What are some areas of American life that Congress is involved in today that it was not at the time of the writing of the Constitution?

12. Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn…)
Essential Question
What types of power Congress has.
What are the expressed powers of Congress.
What are the implied powers of Congress
What are some of the limits on the powers of Congress
Why did the founders of the nation want to limit the powers of Congress?

14. I. Expressed Powers of Congress
Financing Powers
Indirect tax: Tax levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the gov’t.
Direct tax: Tax an individual pays directly to the gov’t.
Deficit: Spend more than take in
Commerce Power
Commerce Clause: Right to regulate interstate commerce.
Defense Related Powers
Power to declare war.
Other Expressed Powers
Coinage, copyrights, weights & measures, naturalization, bankruptcy

15. II. Implied Powers of Congress
Loose & Strict Constructionists
Loose Constructionists say the Constitution is open to interpretation.
Strict Constructionists say the Constitution must be read literally w/out interpretation.
Necessary & Proper Clause Today
Laws essential for carrying into execution the powers of Congress.
Nonlegislative Powers
Subpoenas: Documents that require people to testify.
House of Reps vote for President if no one gains a majority of the electoral college.

16. III. Limits on the Powers of Congress
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Court order forcing police to present a person to face charges.
Bill of Attainder
Law that punishes a person w/out trial
Ex post facto laws
Criminalizes action that took place in the past when it was legal.
The Changing Powers of Congress
The Great Depression
World War II
Creating new agencies in the Executive

17. Exit Slip
1. Tax levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the government 2. Tax that individuals pay directly to the government 3. Amount by which the government’s expenses exceed its revenue 4. Clause of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce 5. Legal document that requires a person to testify in a certain matter 6. Court order that forces the police to present a person in court to face charges 7. Type of law, explicitly forbidden by the Constitution, which punishes a person without a trial

18. Sec. 3: House of Representatives
The House of Representatives, with its frequent elections and regular reapportionment, is the more representative chamber of Congress. Its members carry out much of their work in committees.

19. Which chamber of Congress do you think is the most powerful and why?
Do Now
Which chamber of Congress do you think is the most powerful and why?

20. Learning Goals Essential Question
Objectives (Students will learn…)
Essential Question
The key features of the House of Representatives & its membership.
Some of the challenges that reapportionment & redistricting raise.
How the leadership of the House is organized.
The role of committees in the operation of the House.
How does reapportionment effect who has political power?

22. I. Membership in the House
Formal Qualification
At least 25 yrs. Old
U.S. citizen for at least 7 years
Resident of state representing.
Informal Qualifications
Voter Appeal
Raise money
Military/Celebrity background

23. II. Reapportionment & Redistricting
Seats are redistributed among the states based on the census.
Gerrymandering
Drawing district boundaries for political advantage.

24. III. Leadership in the House
Speaker of the House
Most powerful member of the House & member of majority party.
Floor Leader
Manages the actions & strategy of the party, assistant to Speaker.
Whips
Encourage fellow party members to vote as the party leaders want.
Party Caucus
Meeting of all the House members from a particular political party.
House Rules
Create any rules to carry out business.

25. IV. The Role of Committees
Standing Committees
Permanent committees addressing the major areas of law proposals.
Select Committees
Carry out specific tasks to serve for a limited duration.
Joint Committees
Address broad issues affecting both chambers.
Committee Chairs: Selected by House majority party.
Committee Membership: Request assignments & party caucus votes.

26. 1. According to the formal qualifications listed in the Constitution, members of the House must be at least ____________________old. 2. Every 10 years, the House must undergo __________________, a process that uses the results of the census to redistribute House seats among the states. 3. Drawing congressional district boundaries for political advantage is called ___________________. 4. The ____________is the most powerful member and presiding officer of the House. 5. Proposed laws are called?

27. Sec. 4: The Senate
Senators represent entire states, have longer terms, and follow different rules of debate. These features help give the Senate its reputation as a more weighty and careful body than the House.

28. Do Now
Who elects members of the Senate? Who use to elect the members of the Senate? Who gained power when the election process changed?

29. The major features of the Senate and its membership.
Learning Goals
Objectives (Students will learn…)
Essential Question
The major features of the Senate and its membership.
The Senate’s leadership posts.
The role of committees in the Senate.
The distinctive rules & traditions of the Senate.
How is the Senate seen as being a more stable institution in Congress?

31. I. The Senate & its Membership
Formal Qualifications
At least 30 yrs. Old
U.S. citizen at least 9 years
Resident of the state representing
Election of Senators
State legislatures
1913: 17th Amendment
Direct popular election
Informal Qualifications
Older, wealthier, “millionaires’ club”
16 women, 1 A.A., 2 Asians, 2 Hispanics

32. II. Senate Leadership Constitutional Positions Party Leaders
President of the Senate: The Vice President of the U.S.
President pro tempore: Presides in absence of the president of the Senate
Party Leaders
Senate Majority Leader: Most powerful position held by member of majority.

33. III. Senate Committees & Tradition
Senate committees: Similar to the House
Seniority Rule
Chairs of committees go to the most senior majority senator on committee.
Filibuster
Opponents of a measure refuse to stop talking in order to prevent a vote.
Cloture
2/3 vote could end a filibuster.

34. Exit Slip president of the Senate Senate majority leader filibuster
DIRECTIONS: Choose five of the vocabulary terms from the word bank. Use these terms to write a summary of what you learned in the section.
president of the Senate
Senate majority leader
filibuster
president pro tempore
seniority rule
cloture

35. Sec: 5 The Legislative Process
The main job of Congress is to make laws. The process of making laws is well established and orderly.

36. Explain the process of how a bill becomes a law.
Do Now
Explain the process of how a bill becomes a law.

37. Why is it so hard for a bill to become a law?
Learning Goals
Objectives
Essential Question
How bills are introduced in Congress.
What happens to a bill in committee.
What happens to a bill on the floor of Congress.
The actions a president can take on a bill.
Why is it so hard for a bill to become a law?

39. I. Bills in Congress Introducing Bills Bills in Committee
Either chamber can propose a bill, except all tax bills start in the House.
Rider: Provision in bill that has nothing to do with main topic.
Joint Resolution: Used in special situations like war.
Concurrent Resolutions: Matters that effect both chambers of Congress
Bills in Committee
Referral → Subcommittee → Markups → Discharge petition → Rules Committee

40. II. Bill on the Floor & the President
Committee of the Whole
Entire House becomes a committee
Quorum
Number needed to legally conduct business.
Roll-Call Vote
Required to publicly state their vote.
Conference Committee
Members from each chamber meet to discuss why a bill didn’t pass in 1 of the 2 chambers.

41. Presidential Action on a Bill
Sign a bill into a law
Not sign for 10 days & becomes law.
Pocket Veto: President doesn’t sign a bill & session of Congress ends killing bill.
Veto a bill.

42. Exit Slip
number of House members needed present to legally conduct business
provision added to a bill, perhaps because it would be unlikely to pass on its own
a form of vote in which members of Congress must publicly state their vote
measure used in extraordinary circumstances that is signed by the president and has the force of law
measure endorsed by both houses of Congress that is not signed by the president and does not have the force of law