Legislative Branch MHS Mr. Clause Government

1. The Legislative Branch
Chapter Five

2. Key Words
• bicameral legislature
• session
• census
• Reapportionment
• Redistrict
• Gerrymander
• at-large
• censure
• incumbent
• constituents
• caucus
• majority leader
• whips
• bill
• calendars
• Quorum
• president pro tempore
• filibuster
• cloture

3. Key Words
• standing committee
• subcommittee
• select committee
• joint committee
• conference committee
• seniority system
• personal staff
• committee staff
• administrative assistant
• legislative assistant
• caseworker
• expressed powers
• necessary and proper
clause
• implied powers
• revenue bill
• appropriations bill
• interstate commerce
• impeachment
• subpoena
• perjury
• contempt
• immunity
• legislative veto

4. Key Words
• national budget
• Impoundment
• private bill
• public bill
• simple resolution
• rider
• hearing
• veto
• pocket veto
• tax
• closed rule
• Appropriation
• authorization bill
• Entitlement
• Lobbyist
• Lobbying
• Casework
• Pork-Barrel legislation
• logrolling

5. Objective
• Members of Congress
• Organization of Congress
• Powers of Congress
• Passing a Bill

6. Structure of Congress
Bicameralism is the practice
of having two legislative or
parliamentary chambers,
Thus, a bicameral
parliament or bicameral
legislature is a legislature
which consists of two
chambers or houses.
Senate and House of
Representatives

7. Members: House of Representatives
• 435 members
– Limit on members
• 1789 = 65 Representatives
• Each member represents a
Congressional District
– Area of a state that includes
about 600,000 people
– Number of districts depend on a
state’s population

8. Members: House of Representatives
• Congressional elections
are held on even years
– 2010, 2012…
• Each term is two years
• If a representative dies,
the state governor calls
a special election

9. Members: House of Representatives
• Qualifications according to Article I of
Constitution:
• Must be at least 25 years old
• United States citizen for at least 7 years
• Resident of the state represented

10. Members: House of Representatives
• Every 10 years, Congress
decides how districts will be
apportioned or distributed
by using the Census.
• If a state’s population
increases
– State will gain seats
• If a state’s population
decreases
– State will lose seats

11. Members: House of Representatives
• If a state loses or
gains seats, district
lines need to be
redrawn
– Gerrymandering is
the practice
redrawing district
lines to favor a person
or political group.

12. Members: Senate
• 100 members
– 2 per state
• 1789 = 26 Senators
• Senators represent
whole state

13. Members: Senate
• Elections are held on
even numbered years
– 2010, 2012…
• Each term is 6 years
• If a Senator dies, the
governor appoints a
replacement until the
next election

14. Members: Senate
• Qualifications according to Article I of the
Constitution:
• Must be at least 30 years old
• United States citizen for at least 9 years
• Resident of the state represented

15. Members: Salary and Benefits
• Annual salary of $165,200.
• Members have offices in the Capitol building
and receive an allowance to pay staff
• Member perks:
– Free trips of their home state
– Mail official letters and packages for free
(Franking Privilege)

16. Members: Rules of Conduct
• Rules of Conduct
– Each house has its own written rules for
conducting business
– Constitution – Article I
– The House Rules and Manual and The Senate
Manual
• Example: In the Senate Manual, it talks about a
filibuster, or a method of delaying action on a bill by
making long speeches

17. Members: Rules of Conduct
• Expulsion
– If a member commits a serious
offense, the member could be
expelled from office.
–Expulsion means that a person must
give up their seat.

18. Members: Rules of Conduct
• Censure
– Less serious offenses
may bring a vote of
censure, or formal
disapproval of a
member’s actions.
– A censured member
must stand alone at
the front of the House
or Senate and listen as
their charges are read.

19. Organization: House of
Representatives
• The highest officer in the
House of Representatives
is called the Speaker of
the House
• Elected by members of
the House to make sure
that everything runs
smoothly
• Member of the majority
party
John Boehner (R)

20. Organization: House of
Representatives
• Duties of the Speaker of the House
– Assign legislation to committees for discussion
and preparation
– Decide the legislative agenda for a session of the
House
– Decide when and who can speak on an issue

21. Organization: Senate
• Constitution states that the
Vice President is the
presiding officer over the
Senate.
• When the Vice President
cannot make it, the
President Pro Tempore
presides.
• Members of the Senate
vote for the President Pro
Tempore.

22. Organization: Party Leaders and Whips
• In each house, members
of the majority and
minority parties have a
floor leader and a whip.
• Floor leaders act as
spokespersons for their
parties.
• Work to persuade
members of both parties
to vote for specific laws.
House of Representatives – Party Leaders
Senate – Party Leaders
Eric Cantor (R) Nancy Pelosi (D)
Mitch McConnell (R) Harry Reid (D)

23. Organization: Party Leaders and Whips
• Whips assist the floor
leaders in
communicating with
party members.
• “Whip” members into
shape.
House of Representatives – Whips
Kevin McCarthy (R) Steny Hoyer (D)
Senate – Whips
Jon Kyl (R) Richard Durbin (D)

24. Organization: Committees
• Congress divides itself into
different committees that
focus on specific subject
areas.
– Examples: Education,
Agriculture, Science, etc.
– Led by a chairperson who
guides and sets priorities
for their committees.
– Members are chosen by
their political parties and
seniority

25. Organization: Committees
• Committees have 3 main roles
– Research specific subjects – holding hearings to
get advice from experts
– Write legislation – write laws that are related to
their specific subject areas
– Decide whether to send legislation to the floor –
important enough for a vote

26. Organization: Committees
• There are four
types of
committees:
1. Standing
2. Joint
3. Select
4. Conference

27. Organization: Committees
• Standing Committee
– Permanent groups set
up that are responsible
for specific subject
areas.
– Divided into sub-
committees
– Examples
• Veterans Affairs
• Homeland Security
• Agriculture
• Education

28. Organization: Committees
• Joint Committee
– Permanent
committees made up
of members of both
houses
– They investigate issues
and make
recommendations but
don’t write bills.

29. Organization: Committees
Select Committee
Committees
created to study
an issue or event
Examples:
Energy
Independence and
Global Warming

30. Organization: Committees
• Conference
Committee
–Committees
formed when
the two houses
can’t agree on
the details of a
bill

31. Powers of Congress: Expressed Powers
• Expressed Powers
– Powers specifically stated in Article I of the
Constitution
– Examples
• Decide how to raise money by setting taxes and borrowing
funds
• Decide how to spend money for the benefit of the nation
• Regulate commerce among states and foreign nations
• Declare war
• Coin money
• Regulate process of becoming a citizen
• Create post offices
• Create an army/navy

32. Powers of Congress: Implied Powers
• Implied Powers
– Powers the Constitution
gives Congress that are
not listed in detail.
– The Constitution gives
Congress the power to
“make all laws which
shall be necessary and
proper”.
– This is known as the
Elastic Clause.
• Collect taxes – members
don’t go collect taxes
directly. Created the IRS.

33. Powers of Congress: Special Powers
• Unique Powers of the
House of
Representatives
– Impeach, or formally
accuse of wrong-doing,
government officials –
most importantly, the
President.
– Choose the President if
there is no majority in
the Electoral College

34. Powers of Congress: Special Powers
• Unique Powers of
the Senate
– Approve treaties
– Approve presidential
appointments
– Conduct the trial
when the House
impeaches an official

35. Passing a Bill: Introduction
• Introduction of a Bill
– Any member of
either house can
introduce a bill
– Ideas for bills come
from the President,
businessmen,
farmers, and ordinary
citizens.

36. Passing a Bill: Introduction
• Bills can be introduced in
both houses.
– The only exception to this
rule is an Appropriations
Bill, or one approving the
spending of money,
which must begin in the
House of
Representatives.

37. Passing a Bill: Committees
• Bill is sent to Committee
– The Bill is sent to a standing
committee. The subject of
the bill determines which
committee will receive the
bill.
– The committee can decide to:
• Make no changes to the
bill
• Rewrite the bill
• Ignore the bill which
“kills” the chance of it
becoming a law
• Send it to a
subcommittee for more
study and investigation

38. Passing a Bill: Committees
• If a bill is sent to a subcommittee:
– The subcommittee then reports back to the larger
committee and decides what to do with the bill.
– The larger committee then votes to send it to the
floor to be debated
– If the floor votes “no”, the bill is sent back to the
committees. If it votes “yes”, it is sent to the
other house of Congress.

39. Passing a Bill
• Once it is in the other house of Congress, it
goes through the committee process again.
• After the committee approves the bill, it will
be debated and voted on.
– If the vote is “no”, the bill is sent back to the
committees. If the vote is “yes”, the bill is sent to
a Conference Committee.

40. Passing a Bill
• The Conference
Committee resolves
any differences
between the House
and Senate versions of
the bill
• The Bill is sent back to
both houses for a final
vote

41. Types of Voting
• The Senate has three methods of voting: a
voice vote, a standing vote, and a roll.
• Standing-You must stand to vote
• Voice Vote-You must speak.
• Roll Call Vote- All Senators are called
alphabetically and say “Yye or No” Their vote
is kept on record.

42. Passing a Bill
• Approved bills are sent to
the President who can
sign the bill into law or
veto it.
– If the President vetoes
the bill, it is sent back to
the House and Senate
where they can vote to
override the veto with a
2/3 vote.
• Finally the bill becomes a
law

43. Passing a Bill

44. • Representatives listen to:
– Visits home / face-to-face meetings
– Letters, faxes, e-mails, form letters
– Surveys
– Polls
– Key supporters
• Why? Reelection!
• Constituents expect politicians to defer
to the district’s needs more than the
“good of the nation”
Constituents

45. • President
• Special interest groups / lobbyists
• PAC’s (Political Action Committees)
• Lobbyists or PAC’s may represent:
– Businesses
– Labor unions
– Professions (doctors, educators, etc.)
– Non-profits (environmental groups, etc.)
Other Influences

46. Personal Staff
 Work directly for
individual senators ad
representatives.
 Many work back in
the home state, well
some work in D.C.
 The bigger the state
the more people and
money you get.

47. Administrative Assistant (Chief of
State)
 Runs the
lawmaker’s office,
supervises the
lawmaker’s
schedule, and gives
advice on a political
matters.
 Average Salary
$120,051.55

48. Legislative Assistants
 Makes certain that
the lawmaker is well
informed about the
many bills, does
research, and
attends committee
meetings when the
lawmaker can not.
 Salary: $43,189.28

49. Library of Congress
One of the largest
libraries in the world.
Contains more than
100 million items.
Receives two copies
of any copyrighted
material.