Unit 2: Legislative Branch Review

1. Unit 2: Legislative Branch Review “The Lawmaking Branch “

2. What does “Bicameral” mean?

3. Bicameral simply means two houses. The House of Representatives and the Senate collectively make up the Congress

4. A nationwide census is given every ten years to determine what?

5. A census is used to determine the amount of representation each state will receive in the House of Representatives. Every 10 years, after the census is taken, Congress determines how the seats in the House are to be apportioned, or distributed. If a state's population decreases from one census to the next, the number of its representatives may be reduced. States whose populations grow may be entitled to more representatives.

6. Who is the presiding officer of the Senate?

7. The presiding officer in the Senate is the Vice President. Currently the Vice President is Joe Biden (D) from Delaware

8. Who is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives?

9. The Presiding officer of the House of Representatives is called the “Speaker of the House” Currently the new Speaker of the House is John Boehner (R) from Ohio

10. What are the qualifications for becoming a Representative?

11. The qualifications for being a member of the House of Representatives is as follows: • at least 25 years old • a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years • a legal resident of the state they represent • Serve 2 year terms • Elections are held in November of each even-numbered year.

12. What are the qualifications for becoming a Senator?

13. The qualifications for being a Senator is as follows: • at least 30 years old • a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years • a legal resident of the state they represent • Serve 6 year terms • One third (1/3) of the Senate's membership comes up for election every two years in November.

14. Who presides over the Senate when the Vice President is absent?

15. The President Pro-Tempore will preside over the Senate when the Vice President is absent. The current President Pro-Tempore is Daniel Inyoue (D) from Hawaii

16. The Elastic clause allows Congress to?

17. The elastic clause allows Congress to: Allows Congress to stretchits delegated powers to manage new situations and to pass laws related to situations that developed long after the Constitution was written. (airline industry, internet) Necessary and Proper Clause “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers”

18. List examples of “expressive” powers… Found where?

19. An expressive power is…. • Specifically listed in the Constitution • Article 1, Section 8 • Coin Money • Impeach and remove executive and judicial officers • Control commerce/trade • Approve the president’s budget • Make laws • Declare war • Approve presidential appointments

20. List 3 checks the Legislative Branch has over the Executive Branch…

21. Overrides vetoes Impeaches the President and Vice President Approves federal judges

22. List two checks the Legislative Branch has over he Judicial Branch

23. Approves federal judges  Impeaches federal judges

24. If a bill passes the House of Representatives it would then go to…

25. If a bill passes through the House of Representatives then the next step would be to go through the Senate

26. Representation for each state in the House of Representatives is determined by ….

27. Representation for each state is determined through the census that is collected every 10 years

28. If the President vetoes a bill can it still become a law? How?

29. If a president vetoes a bill it can ABSOLUTLY still become a law. This is one of the major checks that the Legislative Branch has over the Executive Branch. • Actions of the president regarding a bill: • He can sign the bill and declare it a law • He can veto the bill and send it back to Congress(where it would need 2/3 vote from both houses to make it a law • He may hold the bill for 10 days, when it becomes a law or is killed by pocket veto

30. All appropriations ($$$) bills are introduced where?

31. All appropriation bills will dealt with in the House of Representatives.

32. List the special powers of the Senate?

33. The special powers that only the Senate holds are…. • hold impeachment trials • select the vice president when no candidate has sufficient electoral votes • approves treaties • approve high officials

34. List the special powers of the House of Representatives…

35. The special powers only held by the House of Representatives include… • begin impeachment proceedings • initiate bills to raise money (appropriation bills) • select president when no candidate receives sufficient electoral votes

36. Define Majority party?

37. The majority party is the political party that holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate

38. Define Minority party…

39. Minority party is the political party that has less seats in either the House or Senate

40. The Speaker of the House is always a member of the ____________party

41. The Speaker of the House is a position always held by the majority party. They are selected among members of the majority party who will choose their leader

42. How many congressional districts are there in Virginia?

43. There are currently 11 congressional districts in Virginia.

44. Which high government officials can be impeached?

45. The federal officials that Congress can bring to trial include the president, vice president, and federal judges. Congress may remove these officials from office if they are found guilty of serious crime. The procedure of drawing up and passing the list of charges in the House of Representatives is called impeachment.

46. What is an interest group?

47. An interest group is…… "An organization of people with shared ideas and attitudes who attempt to influence public policy."

48. What is the goal of a lobbyist?

49. The goal of a lobbyist is as an activist usually paid by an interest group to promote their positions to legislatures.

50. What steps must be taken for a bill to become a law?