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Unit 3 – Legislative Branch/Congress. The Capitol Building. The Capitol Building. Main Ideas. Congress is bicameral , which means divided into two houses. In the House of Representatives, States are represented according to population. In the Senate, each State has 2 Senators.
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Main Ideas • Congress is bicameral, which means divided into two houses. • In the House of Representatives, States are represented according to population. • In the Senate, each State has 2 Senators. • Congress meets for two-year terms
Two Houses of Congress House of Representatives Senate
The Constitution • Congress is part of the Legislative Branch • Therefore, our Congressmen have the job of translating the public will into public policy in the form of law • James Madison called it “the first branch” of the National Government • Article I of the Constitution created the Legislative Branch. It is the very first and longest of the three articles of the Constitution.
Bicameralism • Why is Congress divided into two houses? • Because our founding fathers saw bicameralism as a way to diffuse the power of Congress, which prevented it from overwhelming the other two branches of government. • NJ Plan & VA Plan
Congressional Terms • Each term of Congress lasts 2 years. • The beginning of each 2 year term is “noon of the 3rd day in January” of every odd numbered year. • So the Congressmen we elected lastyear started January 3rd, 2013. • While each term is 2 years, there are no term limits in Congress. • This means the same Senator or Representative can stay in Congress for life as long as he/she keeps getting reelected.
Term Limits: Videos • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QORVqG3rN5Y&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPRJMGnGrfE&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Sessions • A session of Congress is that period of time during each year when Congress assembles and conducts business. • There are two sessions to each term of Congress, with one session each year. • These sessions usually last most of the year, with several short weeklong breaks during a session.
Special Sessions • A special session is a meeting of Congress or an individual house to deal with some emergency situation. • Only 27 special sessions of Congress have ever been called by the President. • Most recent: President Harry Truman in 1948 in the aftermath of World War II. • Senate alone has been called into special session 46 times to consider treaties or presidential appointments, but not since 1933. • The President may call Congress into a special session, however Congressional leadership has as well…though their authority is not supreme.
House of Representatives • Representation based on population • Each state guaranteed 1 seat in the House. • Example: Alaska & Delaware each have 1 representative. • 435 Representatives total. • Redistribution of the number of members takes place every 10 years, which coincides with the census.
Qualifications for the House • Must be at least 25 • Citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years • Must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected
Reapportionment Act of 1929 • In 1920, The House kept getting bigger & bigger. Conducting business became difficult. • 1920 census comes out & if Congress were to reapportion seats in the House, then some States would have to lose seats if every State were to be represented according to its population. • But they did do something in 1929: The Reapportionment Act. • Set the “permanent” size of Representatives at 435.
Districts • Each Representative in the House represents their district • We are in VA’s 10th Congressional district. • Republican Frank Wolf is our Rep. • In small states with only one Representative, the district is the whole state, and the entire population votes – not just a district (Ex: Delaware & North Dakota).
The Senate • Equal Representation (NJ Plan!) • 6 year terms • All time record – Republican Strom Thurmond was elected to the Senate 8 times, and served for 48 years. • Each state gets 2 Senators • Virginia’s are: • That means, 100 Senators total. • 50 x 2 = 100 Above: (D) Mark Warner (D) Tim Kaine
Qualifications for the Senate • At least 30 years old • Citizen of the U.S. for at least nine years • Must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected
The Senate • The Founding Fathers hoped that the smaller Senate would be a more enlightened and responsible body than the House. • They thought the House would be too often swayed by the immediate impact of events and by the passions of the moment • “The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body”
The Senate • The Senate is a “continuous body” • This means that all of its seats are never up for election at the same time. • 6 year terms give Senators some job security • Since they represent an entire State, they have a huge constituency, which means the people and interests the Senators represent.
Gerrymandering • Gerrymandering – District lines that have been drawn to the advantage of the political party that controls the State’s legislature • Most often gerrymandering takes one of two forms: • Lines are drawn to concentrate the oppositions voters in one or a few districts, thus leaving the other districts comfortable safe for the dominant party • Or to spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting the oppositions ability to win anywhere in the region • Happens today!
The Profile of Congress • The average member is a white male in his early 50s. • There are more women in Congress today than ever • There are 42 African Americans, 24 Hispanics, 5 Asian Americans, and 1 Native American in the House. • There is 1 African American, 2 Hispanics, 1 Asian American, and 1 Native Hawaiian in the Senate.
The Profile of Congress • Well over 1/3rd in the House and well over ½ in the Senate are lawyers, and nearly all went to college. • There are several multi-millionaires • However, a surprisingly large number of the men and women who sit in Congress depend on their congressional salaries as their major source of income. • So do these people represent the people?
How They Cast Their Votes • Our representatives can vote on four different views • 1.) Trustees– These representatives vote on the basis of themselves. They don’t represent their constituency. • 2.) Delegate– These representatives vote on the basis of their constituency only. They vote on what “the folks back home would want.” • 3.) Partisans– These representatives vote in line with the political party they identify with • 4.) Politicos – A combination of all the above.
Salary and Benefits • Senators and Representatives make $162,000 per year. • A few make more: The Speaker of the House makes $208,100 per year • House Minority/Majority floor leaders in both houses make $180,100 per year. • They also receive special tax deductions • They receive travel allowances to go to Washington • Franking Privilege: Allows them to mail letters and other materials postage-free by substituting their signature instead of the postage.