Recommended
More Related Content
Similar to American congress.pptx
Similar to American congress.pptx (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
American congress.pptx
- 2. Overview The U.S Congress Senate or Upper House House of Representatives or Lower House Power comparison of both houses
- 3. Congress
- 4. The U.S Congress • The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate
- 5. Composition of both houses Senate House of Representatives 100 Members 435 Members Tenure- 6 Years Tenure- 2 Years Directly elected by people Powerful House Less powerful house
- 6. The Social Composition of the U.S. Congress
- 7. Qualification required for both houses Senate House of Representatives At least 30 Years of Age At least 25 Years of age Citizen of USA from at least 9 years standing Citizen of USA from at least 7 years standing At the time of elections, he/she must be an inhabitant of the state from where he/she is contesting elections Must not be in any office of profit
- 8. Sessions Sessions are conducting every year President has the power to arrange special session of congress during emergency
- 9. Functions and Powers Legislative Financial Constituent or Amendment Executive Judicial
- 11. Financial Powers
- 12. Cont… • Money Bills are initially passed by HOR than goes to Senate • Senate has power to Change or amend • Senate can determine final shape of any money bill
- 13. Amendment or Constituent Powers Two third Majority of both houses
- 14. Executive functions HOR has a minor role in appointing investigation committee for working government departments Both houses have the power to declare a war
Editor's Notes
- In addition to its law-making powers, Congress plays a critical role in American democracy as a representative institution. The members of Congress—100 senators and 435 representatives—represent the voices of the people across America. Yet, some observers worry that Congress does not represent all voices equally.
- This is a good time to remind students why this system was established: the small states wanted equal representation and the large states wanted representation proportional to population. The idea of two equal chambers had never been tried before. Consider discussing the range of representation this system captures: ideological, partisan, geographic, etc. This is particularly salient in states with strong partisan leanings (e.g., California or Texas) at the state level.
- Five nonvoting delegates: American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam, U.W. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Note states will always have the same number of senators. Preview the apportionment discussion here by noting the fact that the number of House seats allocated to the states has varied widely over time, reflecting geographic expansion and population shifts across the states.
- The increase in the number of Latino and nonwhite members in Congress is shown by the membership of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus, and Asian Pacific American Caucus. Here, members of those three groups hold a press conference on the federal budget and debt.
- This slide ties into interest groups, as discussed in the previous chapter. Interest groups are expected to reach out to members of Congress, and those members are expected to actively reach out to constituents. However, this is not easy when a representative can have over 600,000 constituents and a senator can have millions.
- Good potential candidates are scared off by the incumbency advantages, understanding their chances of winning are slim. This means incumbents frequently face weak opposition, further enhancing their odds of re-election.
- FIGURE 9.2 The Power of Incumbency Members of Congress who run for re-election have a very good chance of winning. Senators have at times found it difficult to use the power of incumbency to protect their seats, as the sharp decline in Senate incumbency rates between 1974 and 1980 indicates. Has the incumbency advantage generally been greater in the House or in the Senate? SOURCES: Norman J. Ornstein et al., eds., Vital Statistics on Congress, 1999–2000 (Washington, DC: AEI Press, 2000), 57–58; and authors’ update. *estimate
- FIGURE 9.3 Results of Congressional Reapportionment, 2010 States in the West and parts of the South were the big winners in the reapportionment of House seats following the 2010 census. The old manufacturing states in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions were the biggest losers. Which states have the greatest number of House seats?
- This is also one reason why it is so hard for Congress to cut spending: members will work to prevent cuts to their districts. Ask whether they think of these examples as markers of good representation by their member of Congress. If other MCs are doing these things for their districts, would they be unhappy if their MC was not?