Legislative Branch of the Federal Government 535 is the magic number (This is the total membership in the U.S. Congress.) The framers intended to make the Legislative branch more powerful than any other branch. Each term of congress begins on Janurary1st of odd numbered years. For example, the 112 th term started in January of Each term is given a number to identify it The Congress currently in session is the 112 th Typical session Typical sessions are from January until November or December. Congress may also meet in times of crisis A joint session is when both houses of Congress meet; this usually occurs when the President gives his yearly State of the Union address. House of Representatives 435 voting members allotted to the states according to population every 10 years a census, or population count taken by the Census Bureau, adjusts the number of representatives given to each state each state is divided into congressional districts What congressional district do we live in? The 3 rd district the boundaries are drawn by the state legislatures and must be roughly equal in the number of people, or constituents, in each district Sometimes gerrymandering may occur, which is when a district is drawn or shaped for political reasons. For example, is most a of a states representatives are Democratic, they might draw the lines so that as many districts as possible have more Democratic voters than Republican voters. The members of the House of Representatives are closer to their district constituents than the Senate Each senator represents his or her states interests Senators serve six- year terms but elections are staggered so that no more than one-third of the senators are up for reelection at any one time. Majority and Minority The party that has more than half of the members is know as the majority party The remaining party is the minority party The House of Rep. is lead by the Republican Party and the US Senate is lead by the Democratic Party The Speaker of the House (John Boehner- R-OH) The members of the majority party meet in a caucus, or closed meeting to choose the speaker. The entire membership of the House then approves the choice The Speaker is the most powerful person within the H.O.R. The Speaker steers legislation, is in charge of house debates, and is third in line in the presidential succession the presiding officer is the Vice President of the United States and is called the President of the senate The president pro tempore, which means for the time being is the ceremonial leader The floor leaders are the most powerful leaders in the senate The floor leaders make sure that the laws Congress passes are in the best interest of their party. they speak for their parties push bills along try to sway votes Party whips help the floor leaders round up votes and report to the floor leader where things stand Types of Committees Permanent committees are called standing committees. the senate has 17 standing committees the house has 19 standing committees the standing committees cover things like education, veteran affairs, and commerce select committees are created to do a special job for example in 1976 the House formed the Select committee on Assassinations to investigate the assassinations of J.F.K. and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. when the work is done in select committees they are disbanded joint committees include members from both houses deal with taxation, printing, economics, and the library of Congress Conference committee a conference committee helps both houses of Congress agree on details of a proposed law Representatives and Senators want to be on committees that affect their districts and states For example, a representative from a district that is a farm area might want to serve on a agriculture committee Seniority the leaders of political parties make committee assignments they look at expertise, seniority, and members preferences, and loyalty to the party the chairperson of the committee is normally the person who has the most seniority the chairperson is one of the most powerful positions in Congress because he or she will decides when and if a bill will be studied when a committee will meet and who will serve on a subcommittee Section 2 (p ) 1. Where are the United States Congress expressed powers located in the U.S. Constitution? 2. Please explain how Congress can have powers that are not expressly presented in the Constitution. 3.Please give an example of an implied power that the Congress has. 4. Besides lawmaking, what can Congress do? 5. What are three limitations on Congress power? 1. What are the qualifications to become a U.S. House of Representative? U.S. Senator? 2. What are 3 privileges that a member of Congress receives? 3. What is the purpose of a personal staff? 4. What are the 2 jobs of a member of Congress? Give an example of each. 5. What are two ways a member of Congress can help their district/state? 7. What are pork-barrel projects? Expressed Powers- These are powers granted to the Congress in Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Powers denied to the Congress are things that the Congress cannot do. For example: Deny us our writ of habeas corpus Create ex post facto laws Create bill of attainders Impeachment process- this is when the HOR brings articles of impeachment against an elected official. This is when you accuse an official of misconduct. Approval/Rejection of presidential nominees What do the members of Congress do all day? Two jobs: Casework Legislative work