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CONGRESS
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
Determined By
Qualifications
Length of Term
Special Powers
Senate
Congress
The United States Congress
House
Senate
Total Members
435 Members
100 Members
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
Determined By
Qualifications
Length of Term
Special Powers
435 Members
Senate
100 Members
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Senate
The state’s population:
Two from each state, no
Determined By the more people living in matter what the size of the
the state, the more
state’s population
Representatives the state
will have.
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
435 Members
The state’s population: the more
Determined By people living in the state, the
more Representatives the state
will have.
Qualifications
Length of Term
Special Powers
Senate
100 Members
Two from each state, no matter
what the size of the state’s
population
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Senate
▪ Must be 25 years old
▪ Must be 30 years old
Qualifications ▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 7 ▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 9
years
years
▪ Must be resident of state ▪ Must be resident of state
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
435 Members
Senate
100 Members
The state’s population: the more Two from each state, no matter
Determined By people living in the state, the
what the size of the state’s
more Representative the state will population
have.
Qualifications
Length of Term
Special Powers
▪ Must be 25 years old
▪ Must be 30 years old
▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 7 years ▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 9 years
▪ Must be resident of state
▪ Must be resident of state
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Length of Term
2 years
Senate
6 years
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
435 Members
Senate
100 Members
The state’s population: the more Two from each state, no matter
Determined By people living in the state, the
what the size of the state’s
more Representative the state will population
have.
Qualifications
Length of Term
Special Powers
▪ Must be 25 years old
▪ Must be 30 years old
▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 7 years ▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 9 years
▪ Must be resident of state
▪ Must be resident of state
2 years
6 years
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Senate
▪ Impeaches federal officials ▪ Conducts impeachment
Special Powers ▪ Introduces money bills
trials
▪ Selects a President if the ▪ Approves Presidential
Electoral College fails to
appointments
do so
▪ Ratifies (approves)
treaties
Congress
The United States Congress
House of Representatives
Total Members
435 Members
Senate
100 Members
The state’s population: the more Two from each state, no matter
Determined By people living in the state, the
what the size of the state’s
more Representative the state will population
have.
Qualifications
Length of Term
▪ Must be 25 years old
▪ Must be 30 years old
▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 7 years ▪ Must be U.S. citizen for 9 years
▪ Must be resident of state
▪ Must be resident of state
2 years
▪ Impeaches federal officials
Special Powers ▪ Introduces money bills
▪ Selects a President if the
Electoral College fails to do so
6 years
▪ Conducts impeachment trials
▪ Approves Presidential
appointments
▪ Ratifies (approves) treaties
Structure of Congress
Two Houses – (bicameral)
Why?
Bicameral Legislature
1. Historical
British Parliament
2. Practical
Compromise
3. Theoretical
Checks & Balances
Members of Congress
Not a cross section of the
American people
Historically - Mr. WASP
Male, White, Anglo-Saxon,
Protestant
Informal Qualifications
MOST MARRIED, HAVE
CHILDREN,ARE MEMBERS OF A
CHRISTIAN CHURCH, UPPERMIDDLE CLASS
MANY ARE LAWYERS
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE
Privileges, Benefits &
Penalties
PAY- $162,000YR.
Perks - Congressional staff,
travel allowances, pension
plans & Health, Franking
Privileges & free parking
Misconduct- Ethics committee
Congressional Elections
Incumbents usually win
Why?
Advertising – name recognition
Credit Claiming - Pork Barrel &
casework
Safe districts
gerrymandered
Figure 11.2: Percentage of Incumbents
Reelected to Congress
Source: Harold W. Stanley and Richard G. Niemi, Vital Statistics on American Politics, 1999-2000 (Washington,
D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2000), table 1-18.
DUTIES
1. Legislators
2. Committee members
Serve on 2 or 3 Standing committees
Serve on 4 to 7 subcommittees
3. Rep. of their constituents –
Voice for the people back home
Models of Representation
1. Trustee
Decide each bill on its merits
2. Delegates –
What “the folks back home” want
Suppress own views
3. Partisans –
First allegiance: political party
Partisanship is the leading factor
in influencing legislators votes on
most important measures
4. Politicos
Combines elements of trustee,
delegate & partisan roles
4. Servants of their constituents Examples - Pork barrel legislation, Letters
of recommendation & Flags
Pork – legislators’ appropriations of funds for
special projects located within their
congressional districts
Powers of Congress
Strict v. Liberal Construction
Strict – a narrow interpretation of the
powers of Congress
Liberal – a broad interpretation of the
powers of Congress
Delegated Powers -
(Article 1
section 8) aka- Enumerated Powers
Power to tax
Power to borrow
Power to regulate Commerce
Coin money
Bankruptcies
War Powers
Declare War
Raise Armies & Navies
Power to tax Article 1, section 8, Clause 1
Purpose – to provide for the public needs
Limits on taxing
Only public purposes
May not tax exports
16th Amendment
Power to tax incomes
Income tax is progressive – higher % for
the people who make the most
Figure 16.5: Federal Taxes on Income, Top
Percentage Rates
Source: Updated from Congressional
Quarterly Weekly Report (September 18,
1993), 2488.
Figure 16.4:
Tax Burdens
in Nineteen
Democratic
Nations
Implied Powers- Article I,
Section 8, Clause 18
“to make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper for carrying
into execution the foregoing
(expressed) powers.”
“Elastic Clause”
Nonlegislative powers
Impeachment
oversight & investigation
Constitutional amendments
Senate - confirm appointments &
ratify treaties
Leadership in Congress
The U.S. Congress: The U.S.
Congress
House of Representatives
Speaker of the House
Majority Floor
Minority Floor
Majority Whip
Minority Whip
House of Representatives
Speaker of the House1. Presides over the House
Considered the Head of the House & party
2. Appoints select & conference
committees
3. Appoints the rules committee
4. Assigns bills to committees
5. Second in line for the presidency
Speaker of the House– John
Boehner ( R )
Majority & Minority Floor
Leader
1. Partisan position picked by
individual parties
2. Floor leader & legislative strategist
Majority – McCarthy
Minority - Pelosi
Majority Leader –Kevin
McCarthy (R)
Minority Leader
Party Whips
1. Assistant floor leader
2. Inform party leaders on the
“mood” of the House
Senate
President of the Senate
Majority Floor
Majority Whip
President pro Temp.
Minority Floor
Minority Whip
Senate
Vice President
1. President of the Senate
2. Presides over the Senate
3. Votes in case of tie
Joseph Biden
President pro Tempore
1. Ceremonial job
2. Presides when
the VP is absent
3. Third in line for
the presidency
after the Speaker
Orrin Hatch (R)
Majority Leader
1. True leader in the Senate
2. Recognized first for all debates
3. True leader of the Majority party
Majority – McConnell
Minority - Reid
Majority Leader – Mitch
McConnell
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Types of Committees
Standing – These are permanent bodies
with specified legislative responsibilities(they discuss bills)
Committee Chairmen
Head a standing committee
Chosen by the majority party
Decide when they will meet
Which bills they will discuss
Decide when to hold public meetings
Seniority Rule
What is it?
The head of a committee is almost always
the longest-serving member of the committee
from the majority party
Criticisms – ignores ability and
discourages younger members
Bills
A proposed law
All revenue bills must begin in the House
of Representatives
Bills
10,000 proposed laws per term
About 6% become law
Two Types
1. Public – entire nation
2. Private – certain people or places
Riders to Bills
Riders are provisions not likely to
pass on its own merit
Attached to an important measure
certain to pass
“Christmas Tree” bill – many riders
attached
Resolutions
Three types – Joint resolution,
concurrent resolution and Resolution
Joint Resolution
Has the force of law
May be used to appropriate money &
propose constitutional amendments
Concurrent Resolution
State position
Example – Foreign matters
Resolutions
Used for such things as the adoption
of a new rule or procedure
Court Cases
 Buckley v. Valeo 1976
Political spending is protected by the
1st Amendment. However, there is
sufficient public interest in
establishing a level playing field to
justify limits
 Wesberry v. Sanders 1964
Court ruled that each district must
represent approximately the same
number of people as all others
Joint- Both representatives & senators
serve. Conference committees are a type
of joint committee
 Shaw v. Reno 1993
Ruled against racial gerrymandering
Should members of Congress have a term
limit similar to the President? Why or
Why not?