Legislative Branch Politics California Law making Government

1. The Legislative Branch
Article I

2. Standards
 SSCG8: Demonstrate knowledge of the
legislative branch of government.
 SSCG8a: Cite the formal qualifications for
representatives and senators listed in the
Constitution.
 SSCG8b: Describe the election process for
representatives and senators and how the 17th
amendment impacted the election of senators.

3. Opening Bell Ringer
 What are the primary jobs of the
Legislative Branch?

4. Why Congress Matters
(Facts of Congress)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F
kPMldX6JLI&feature=relmfu
 http://www.senate.gov/civics/constit
ution_item/constitution.htm
 http://www.house.gov/content/learn/

5. The U.S. Congress
 Bicameral
 Senate
 100 members
 Six years
 House
 435
 2 years
 Reapportioned after each census

6. Congressional Duties
 Make the Laws
 Representatives of their constituents

7. Powers of Congress – Article 1
 Raise and collect taxes
 Borrow money
 Regulate commerce
 Set laws for
Naturalization and
Bankruptcy
 Coin Money
 Punish counterfeiting
 Post office
 Copyrights and patents
 Set up courts
 Declare war
 Establish the military
and National guard
 Make rules and allot
funds for the military
and National guard
 Punish pirates
 Run Washington D.C.
and all federal
property
 Elastic clause- implied
power

8. Beyond Legislation
 Oversight
 Congress is expected to oversee the
activities of the Executive Branch in
order to ensure funding is spent
properly and laws are enforced.

9. Beyond Legislation
 Advice and Consent
 Senate must confirm top-level executive
appointments, ambassadors, and federal
judges
 Must also approve all treaties

10. Beyond Legislation
 Impeachment
 If high officials are thought to have
committed “Treason, Bribery or other
High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” they
can be impeached.
 The House acts as a grand jury.
 The Senate conducts the actual trial.

11. ELASTIC CLAUSE
 The necessary and proper clause
gives Congress the power to make
laws “necessary and proper” to carry
out the delegated duties
 Also known as the ‘elastic clause’ it
stretches the power given Congress

12. Powers denied Congress
 Cannot suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus-
must show cause for holding a suspect except
in wartime (pg#158)
 No ex post facto laws: cannot punish a person
for an act committed before there was a law
against it. (158)
 No bills of attainder: laws that punish people
without a trial (158)

13. Powers denied Congress
 No tax on exports
 No titles of nobility
 All states must be treated equally
 Congress must approve all
expenditures of POTUS through laws

14. Congressional Elections
 Elections are held in November of
even numbered years.
 Off-Year (mid-term) elections occur
during nonpresidential years.
 All of the House and 1/3 of the Senate
are up for re-election every 2 years

15. House of Representatives
 Term: 2 years
 Qualifications
 25 years old
 7 years as a U.S. citizen
 Resident of represented state

16. House of Representatives
 Number of representatives: 435
 Speaker of the House – Nancy Pelosi
 3rd in line of succession
 Decides the committees each member
will serve on
 Decides the order in which bills will be
heard

17. House of Representatives
 Special Powers of the House of
Representatives
 All money (appropriations) bills start
here
 Select the President in an Electoral
College tie
 Write the article of impeachment against
high ranking officials

18. Speaker of the House
 Head of House of Representatives
-Presides over the full House.
-Decides on which committees each
member of his/her party will serve.
-Assigns bills to committees
-Decides the order in which bills will be
heard and time limits for debate on
House Floor.

19. Senate
 Term of office: 6 years
 Qualifications:
 30 years old
 9 years a citizen of the U.S.
 Resident of the represented state

20. Senate
 Number of Senators: 100
 Head of the Senate: The current leaders
are Senators - Mitch McConnell (R) from
Kentucky and Chuck Schumer (D) from New
York.
 Power: Decides committee members and order
bill are debated.
Majority Leader
Minority Leader

21. Senate
 Special Powers
 Approves all treaties
 Approves all appointments
 Chooses the Vice President in an
Electoral College tie
 Acts as the jury in all trials of
impeachment

22. Privileges and Compensation of Congress members:
Salary $193,000 per year
Medical and dental benefits
Free office, parking, and trips to home
state
Franking privilege- free postage on all
mail to constituents

23. Privileges and Compensation of Congress members:
Immunity or legal protection:
Cannot be sued of anything they say or write
while carrying out their duties
Cannot be arrested for minor offenses while
Congress is in session
May not hold other political office at the same
time

24. Demographics of the 113th Congress
(2013-14)
 The Congress is becoming more diverse, but it
still doesn’t look much like the voters who pick
its members. Of 535 members of the House
and Senate, 83% are white and 17% are
nonwhite, compared to a 2012 electorate
(block of people who vote) that was 72% white
and 28% nonwhite according to exit polls.
 Women made up 53% of the 2012
electorate, but make up only 18% of the
members of Congress.

25. Who are your Senators?
(Georgia)
Isakson is the senior senator from Georgia and is a
Republican. He has served since Jan 4, 2005. Isakson is
next up for reelection in 2022.
He was previously the representative for Georgia’s
6th congressional district as a Republican from 1999 to
2004.
Perdue is the junior senator from Georgia and is
a Republican. He has served since Jan 6, 2015.
Perdue is next up for reelection in 2020.

26. U.S. House of
Representatives (Georgia)
 The United States House of Representatives is apportioned based on
population. Georgia has 14 Members serving in
1. 5th District (Atlanta) - Rep. John Lewis (D)
2. 1st District (Southeast Georgia) - Rep. Buddy Carter (R)
3. 2nd District (Southwest Georgia) - Rep. Sanford Bishop (D)
4. 3rd District (West Georgia) - Rep. Drew Ferguson (R)
5. 4th District (East Metro Atlanta) - Rep. Hank Johnson (D)
6. 6th District (North Metro Atlanta) - Rep. Lucy McBath (D)
7. 7th District (Northeast Metro Atlanta) - Rep. Rob Woodall (R)
8. 8th District (South Central Georgia) - Rep. Austin Scott (R)
9. 9th District (Northeast Georgia) - Rep. Doug Collins (R)
10. 10th District (East Georgia) - Rep. Jody Hice (R)
11. 11th District (Northwest Metro Atlanta) - Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R)
12. 12th District (East & Central Georgia) - Rep. Rick Allen (R)
13. 13th District (Southwest Metro Atlanta) - Rep. David Scott (D)
14. 14th District (Northwest Georgia) - Rep. Tom Graves (R)

27. Leadership and Impact of
Congress
 http://www.house.gov/leadership/
 http://www.senate.gov/

28. How Does a bill becomes a law?
http://youtu.be/tyeJ55o3El0

29. Steps of a Bill
1) A Member of Congress
introduces the Bill
2) The Bill goes to a Committee
3) The Bill is debated by either the
Senate or the House
4) If Bill is passed it goes to the
other Chamber – if not it DIES!
5) After Bill has been voted on in
BOTH Chambers if it’s
approved…
6) The Bill is sent to the President
who can either approve – it
becomes LAW – or he can VETO
it, which then goes back and
starts all over again… Or 2/3 of
Congress can override the Pres!

30. Public Opinion Poll
Do you think it is important that the
demographics of Congress represent
the social, racial and economic
demographics of the country?
a) Yes
b) No

31. Public Opinion Poll
When members of Congress cast a vote,
which of the following factors should
typically most influence their decision?
a) The interests of the country as a whole
b) The interests of their district or state

32. Public Opinion Poll
Which of the following do you believe
should be the most influential factor in
the voting decisions of members of
congress?
a) The preferences of their constituents
b) The preferences of the President
c) The preferences of the Members’ Party
Leadership
d) The members’ own ideology

33. Chapter 9: Congress
Quizzes
Flashcards
Outlines
Exercises
wwnorton.com/we-the-
people

34. Following this slide, you will find
additional images, figures, and tables
from the textbook.

35. Differences between the House
and the Senate

36. The Social Composition of the
U.S. Congress

37. Party Discipline

38. Get Your Representatives in
Congress Working for You

39. Debate