The most sensational, Educational, inspirational, operational article 1 of the constitution

1. The most sensational, Educational, inspirational, operational article 1 of the constitution Section 1 & 2

2. Section 1: Congress Established • All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

3. What That Means • -Congress (House & Senate) have the sole power to make laws. The President can huff and puff but can’t pass a law himself. • The Senate represents the states. • The House represents the people. • Bicameral – two level legislature

4. Section 2: House o’ Reps • The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state legislature.

5. What That Means • -They get elected every two years (and usually re-elected). • -It used to mean that states get to decide for themselves who votes. Undone by Amendments 15, 19, 24, and 26.

6. Are you qualified? • In the House of Representatives you have to be 25 years old, a citizen of the US for 7 years, and you gotta live in your state. • Most states make you live in the district you represent within the state…but that’s a state law, not the Constitution.

7. How many Reps do we get? • The Constitution says, “Representatives…shall be apportioned among the several states…according to their respective numbers”. Translation: More people = more representatives. • The part that isn’t there anymore, “which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to servitude for a term of years, but excluding Indians, plus three-fifths of all other persons.” (The notorious 3/5ths Compromise, overturned by the 13th Amendment)

8. How many Reps are there total for all the states? • 435 • The Constitution doesn’t require a number, but the House decided in 1913 to go with 435 and it has been that ever since. • Every state gets at least 1. Seven states only have 1. California has the most at 53. Texas has second most.

9. What if a Rep dies or quits or run away? • The governor of the state must order a special election and whoever wins fills out the two year term…even if it’s only for a few weeks.

10. The Speaker, Impeachment, and Taxes • At the beginning of every new two year term the House of Representatives chooses a new leader, who sets the agenda (what they’re going to work on). • The Speaker is usually the head of whichever party has more Reps in the House. • The Speaker is third in line to be President, after the Vice President.

11. Like I said, impeachment and taxes When a President is impeached, it is the House that gets to file the charges and make the accusations. (They’ve only done it twice and both times it failed). It is the House’s responsibility to introduce “bills of revenue” as the Constitution puts it…that’s taxes folks.

12. Some HoR trivia for ya • First woman Speaker: Nancy Pelosi of California in 2007 • Only President to go back to the House: John Quincy Adams (mostly so he could heckle Southerners) • First black Rep: Joe Rainey of South Carolina, 1870 • First black female Rep: Shirley Chisholm of New York, 1968 • First female Rep: Jeanette Rankin of Montana, 1916 (before she could vote) • Youngest Rep: William Claiborne of Tennessee, 1797, he was 22 years old…which isn’t legal but they let it happen anyway • Oldest Rep: Ralph Hall of Texas, retired in 2015 age 91.

13. Section 3: The Senate • “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each senator shall have one vote”

14. What That Means • Each state gets two senators who each serve six year terms. • The terms are staggered so basically each state has a senatorial election every three years. • We (the people) vote for the senators. But it didn’t used to be that way. The state legislature (the people in Springfield) used to pick the senators. The 17th Amendment changed that.

15. Vacancies • If a Senator dies or retires or takes another job or something…there is either a special election or the Governor can appoint somebody. (Unlike the H o R, where the Constitution says there has to be a special election). • The Blagojevich problem….

16. Qualifications • 30 years old (see a pattern here) • Citizen for 9 years. • Live in the state (technically)

17. The Vice President is the President and the President Pro Tempore is 2nd in line after the Vice President to be President • The Vice President is the “president of the Senate”…which means he gets to cast a vote is there’s a tie, otherwise he does nothing but go to meeting and wait for the real President to die. • If the real President DOES die, then the “President Pro Tempore” becomes president of the Senate, because the Vice President is now the President. • The President Pro Tempore is (almost always) the longest serving Senator. • The President Pro Tempore is also #4 in line to be the President.

18. Impeachment & Sole Powers • They get to be the jury in impeachments (remember the House gets to bring the charges) • They ratify treaties (2/3rds super majority) • They confirm appointments made by the President (judges, cabinet) • Congratulations! Now you know all about the House and Senate