Congress: House of Representatives & Senate

1. Chapter 10, Sections 2 & 3 Congress: House of Representatives & Senate

2. House of Representatives Chapter 10, Section 2

3. Qualifications • Formal • Must be 25 years of age • Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years • Must be an inhabitant of the State from which he/she is elected • Informal • Must live in the district which he/she represents

4. Qualifications • House can challenge or refuse to seat a member-elect • Rarely successful • May also be punished for “disorderly behavior” by majority vote • With 2/3 vote, can expel members • Has only happened 5 times, most recently in 2002

5. Size and Terms • Constitution says the total number of seats in the House is apportioned, or distributed, among the states based on population • There are currently 435 members. • Each state is guaranteed at least one representative. • District of Columbia, Guam, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa also have a representative.

6. Size and Terms • Constitution says Congress must reapportion, or redistribute, the seats in the House after each census • A census occurs every 10 years. • Representatives serve 2-year terms • No constitutional limit on how many terms one person can serve

7. Reapportionment • Reapportionment Act of 1929 • “Permanent” size of the House if 435 members • Each seat represents ~ 650,000 people • After each census, the Census Bureau is to determine the number of seats each state has • When this plan is ready, the President will present it to Congress • If, within 60 days of receiving the plan, neither house rejects it, the plan becomes effective

8. Congressional Elections • Tuesday following the first Monday of November in even-numbered years • Elections that occur in between presidential elections are called off-year elections • More often than not, the party in the presidency during off-year elections loses seats in Congress

9. Congressional Districts • Some states have only one representative, so they represent the entire state • State legislatures responsible for drawing congressional districts within the state • Each district must be made up of “contiguous territory” • Districts should have as equal populations as possible

10. Gerrymandering • What is gerrymandering? • Drawing a Congressional district to the advantage of a political party that controls the State legislature • Most often takes 1 of 2 forms: • Lines drawn to concentrate the opposition’s voters in one or a few districts, leaving the others safe for the dominant party • Lines drawn to spread the opposing party’s voters as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting the opposition’s ability to win elections in that region

11. Gerrymandering

12. Senate Chapter 10, Section 3

13. Qualifications • Formal • Must be 30 years of age • Must have been a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years • Must be an inhabitant of the state from which he/she is elected • Senate can also challenge or refuse to seat a member-elect, and be punished for “disorderly behavior” by majority vote • With 2/3 vote, can expel members

14. Size and Terms • States have equal representation • Every state has 2 Senators. • There are a total of 100 Senators. • Serve 6-year terms • No Constitutional limit on how many terms Senators can serve • Makes Senators less subject to the pressures of public opinion

15. Senatorial Elections • Terms in the Senate are staggered • Only a third of Senate terms expire every 2 years • Senate is a continuous body • All of its seats are never up for election at once • Senators are elected • Only 1 Senate seat up for election at a time • Unless other seat is vacated by death, resignation, or expulsion

16. Members of Congress Chapter 10, Section 4

17. Jobs of Congress Members • Five major roles • Legislators • Representatives of their constituents • Committee members • Servants of their constituents • Politicians

18. Jobs of Congress Members • Representatives of constituents • Must vote hundreds of time • Trustees – vote on independent judgment • Delegates – vote as they think their constituents would • Partisans – vote in line with their party • Politicos – try to balance all of the above • Servants of constituents • Help with government problems • Fulfill requests of constituents

19. Jobs of Congress Members • Committee Members • Screen proposed laws (bills) and decide which go to the floor for voting • Oversee various agencies of the executive branch

20. Personal & Political Backgrounds • “Average” member of Congress • White male in early 50s • Some cultural diversity • More women now than ever • Barack Obama was only the 5th African American in the Senate when elected in 2004 • Nearly all members are married with an average of 2 children • Nearly all went to college • Almost half of Senators are lawyers

21. Compensation • Congress chooses their salary • Today, Senators’ and Representatives’ salary is $162,00 annually • Speaker of the House makes $208,100 • President pro tem, majority leaders, minority leaders all make $180,100 • “Fringe” benefits • Special tax deduction to help with maintaining two residencies • Generous travel allowances, healthcare, retirement • Franking privilege – mail letters postage-free