Transcript AP Gov PPT - Legislative Branch

LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
by: B4 - MIDDLE GROUP
11/28/2012
Powerpoint Outline
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
1. Requirements
2. Selection Process
3. Powers of Legislative
Branch
4. Checks and Balances
Powerpoint Outline
Congress
1. Requirements
2. Selection Process
3. Powers of Legislative Branch
4. Checks and Balances
1. Requirements
By: Efren Aguilar, Justin Avellen, Gabriel Castro
House
Must be 25 years of age or older
Must be a citizen of the U.S. for 7
years
Must live in the state he is chosen
in
Senate
Must be 30 years old or older
Must be a citizen for 9 or more
years
Must live in the state chosen in
2. SELECTION
PROCESS
By: Ivan Limeta, Allen Sison, & Dominic Hernandez
Selection Process
A person becomes candidate for representative or senator
in the U.S. Congress by running in a primary election.
Voters select candidates in the primaries because of their
personalities, positions on issues, or overall reputation.
Political parties exercise little control over the choice of
who is nominated to run for congressional office.
Assigning of Committee
Chairs: Senate
The majority part chooses one of its members, usually the
person with the greatest seniority, to be president pro
tempore of the Senate, presiding officer of the Senate in
the absence of VP of US.
Presiding over the Senate is a tedious chore so the
actual task of presiding is usually assigned to some
junior senator.
Majority Leader - is chosen by senators of the majority
party
Minority Leader - is chosen by senators of the other party
Senators of both majority and minority parties elect a whip,
a senator who helps the party leader stay informed about
what party members are thinking.
Assigning of Committee
Chairs: Senate (contd.)
Each party in the Senate also chooses a Policy Committee
composed of a dozen or so senators who help the party
leader schedule Senate business, choosing what bills are
to be given major attention and in what order.
The key aspect of selecting party leaders, of making up
the important part committees, and of assigning freshman
senators to Senate is achieving ideological and regional
balance.
Assigning of Committee
Chairs: House of
The Speaker Representatives
is the most important person in the House.
He/she is elected by whichever party has majority.
Decides the committees to which new bills shall be assigned.
The majority party elects a floor leader, called the majority
leader. The other party also chooses a leader, the minority
leader.
The majority leader becomes Speaker when the person in
that position dies or retires, provided that the Speaker’s party
is still the majority.
Each party also has a whip, with several assistant whips.
3. POWERS OF THE
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
By: Julius Bugante, Joe Macias, Alex Espinosa, Francisco Silva
Legislative Branch
-Bicameral
-Senate and House of
Representatives
-535 members
-435 House Representatives
-100 Senators
Non-Legislative Tasks of
Congress
• Oversight- Congress reviews the work of federal
agencies, which in turn helps check the
executive branch. It also investigates charges of
corruption and waste, holds hearings where
experts and citizens discuss the governments
problems and suggest solutions
•
Public education- Hearings for awareness of
government and societal problems. Floor
debates over gun control, tax cuts, social
security reform, healthcare reform and sending
Non-Legislative Tasks of
Congress
•
Represents constituents within the governmentMembers of congress not only vote on laws they also
help constituents in their dealing with the government.
They can receive and can act on complaints about
federal services, sponsor voters who seek scholarships
or federal contracts, and solicit constituents' suggestions
about how to improve the government
Types of Powers
General Powers- The intent of the branch. In other terms,
the main picture.
Enumerated Powers- Specific powers defined by the
Constitution.
Implied Powers- Powers that are assumed to exist.
General Power (Congress)
-Authority over financial matters
-Provide defense and welfare for the
citizens of the United States.
-Impeachment Powers.
Enumerated Powers (Congress)
Authority Over Financial Matters
• To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and
excises, to pay debts...all duties, imposts and
excises shall be uniform throughout the United
States
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To borrow money on the credit of the United States
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and
uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies
throughout the United States
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and
among several states, and with the Indian tribes.
Enumerated Powers (Congress)
Defense of the United States
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To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and offenses against the law of nations.
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water.
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use
shall be for a longer term than two years.
To provide and maintain a navy.
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval
forces.
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union,
suppress insurrections and repel invasions.
Enumerated Powers (Congress)
Defense of the United States
•
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To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia,
and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the
service of the United States, reserving to the states
respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority
of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by
Congress.
To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over
such District (not exceeding a ten mile square) as may, by
cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress,
become the seat of the government of the United States, and to
exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent
of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the
erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other
needful buildings.
Enumerated Powers (Congress)
Welfare of the United States
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To establish post offices and post roads
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for
limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their
respective writings and discoveries
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court
Enforce rights of citizens, including voting rights, due process, and
equal protection under law.
Override a veto made by the president by a two thirds supermajority in
both chambers.
Implied Powers (Congress)
Necessary and Proper Clause
"To make all laws which shall be necessary and
proper for carrying into execution the foregoing
powers, and all other powers vested by this
Constitution in the government of the United
States, or in any department or officer thereof."
Enumerated Powers
(Senate)
-Elect their own officers (e.g. president pro
tempore, chaplain, secretary, sergeant at arms)
-Impeach the president. The Senate has the
sole power to try all impeachments.
-Has the power to amend or reject bills made
by the House of Representatives.
Enumerated Powers
(House of Representatives)
Revenue bills must originate at the House of
Representatives.
Appropriation bills must originate at the House of
Representatives.
Has the power to amend or reject bills made by the Senate.
4. Checks and Balances
President and Congress
Executive recommendation power
Legislative appropriations power
Senatorial advice and consent
Division of powers concerning war
President and Congress
When the president vetoes a bill by returning
it to Congress while Congress is still in
session, the Constitution allows Congress to
try to override the veto.
If the president pocket vetoes a bill, Congress
does not get a chance to override the veto.
Adjournment prevents Congress from
reconsidering the bill and holding an override
vote.
Other Legislative
checks and balances
Legislative appropriations power
Senatorial advice and consent
Division of powers concerning war
Congressional oversight work
Removal of the president and other
executive offices by impeachment.
Presidential veto
To pass Congress, a bill must receive majority votes.
218 out of 435 representatives in the House must vote in
favor of the bill.
To pass Senate, a bill must receive majority vote.
51 out of 100 Senators plus the vice president must vote
in favor of the bill.
When the Senate has a split 50-50, the vice-president
casts the tie-breaking vote as president of the Senate
under Article 1, Section 2, of the Constitution.
Article 1, Section 7
This procedure can do many things, if the president
signs the bill in ten days, it becomes a Law. The
president can also choose to do nothing with the bill, if
ten days pass and Congress is still in session when
the president has not acted on it, the bill becomes a
Law.
Veto it.
When Congress adjourns before the president has
had the bill for ten days. It prevents the president from
having the return veto of the ten days, called the
Checks and Balances
The House of Representatives has the sole
power of Impeachment, which is power over
the judicial and executive branch.
The Senate has the sole power to try all
Impeachments, in order to remove a person
from office, and to limit a person’s ability to
hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or
profit under the United States. They are to be
judged and punished according to the law.
Checks and Balances
Congress can forgo the power of the Executive
branch to enforce arrest, as they have immunity
from arrest while in session.
The House of Representatives has the power to
create bills that raise revenue, which is money
that other branches use. The Senate may add on
to or concur with these bills. Also, the Congress
has the power to tax, so the legislative branch has
the power of the money, which funds any action
by the other branches.
Checks and Balances
The Legislative Branch has the power to present
bills to the president in order the get them passed
as laws/get him to sign the bill. If he does not
agree with the bill, then the House can raise
objections with a 2/3 vote from both the House
and the Senate to get the bill passed into a law,
which overrides a president’s veto power. This is
the same case in any order, resolution, or vote
that needs the vote of the house and the senate,
except in the case of questioning adjournment.
Checks and Balances
Congress, not the Judicial or Executive branches,
has the power to provide punishment for
counterfeiting money or piracies.
Congress has the power to create courts inferior
to the Supreme Court.
he legislative branch has power forgoing any
other branch by passing a law that they deem
necessary and proper.
Checks and Balances
Senate can also refuse to ratify a treaty the president signed if he does not
get a 2/3 vote from them.
Senate must give their advice and consent in order for the president to
appoint ambassadors, other types of public ministers and consuls, judges of
the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United State. Senate has the
power to refuse a presidential appointment to said offices. Congress can
bestow this power as they see fit, in the case of appointments to inferior
offices, to the President, to the Courts of Law, or to heads of departments.
Congress has the power over the Judicial branch to declare punishments of
treason.