Post on 05-Jan-2016
transcript
Unit Two – The Legislative Branch
The First Quiz
Review!
What is the main job or purpose of Congress?
What is the main job or purpose of Congress?
They’re the legislative branch, so their main
purpose is to make laws.
How many members in the House?
How many members in the House?
435 voting members
How many members in the Senate?
How many members in the Senate?
100
How long is a session of Congress?
How long is a session of Congress?
1 year, but a congressional term is two sessions, (and a term is 2 years long).
How much of the Senate is up for re-election at a
time?
How much of the Senate is up for re-election at a
time?
One third
Why does the Federal government conduct a
decennial census?
Why does the Federal government conduct a
decennial census? It’s mandated by the
Constitution, but representation on several levels depends on representation, so we need to know how many people live
where.
What is the purpose of Congressional Committees?
What is the purpose of Congressional Committees?
It’s where all the work on bills happen. Easier to get work done among smaller work
groups. Debate happens on the floor of the House /
Senate.
What is a bicameral legislature?
What is a bicameral legislature?
A legislative branch of government that has two houses. We have two, the House (population) and the
Senate (equal representation)
What does the House Rules Committee do?
What does the House Rules Committee do?
The most powerful committee in the House, all bills to here and then are assigned to another committee, then the bill goes
back into this committee before going back to the floor for
debate and vote.
What is the Speaker of the House?
What is the Speaker of the House?
The presiding officer in the House from the majority
party, lots of power, influence proceedings by
deciding which members can speak, and informal power in
just getting things done.
How is redistricting and reapportionment related?
How is redistricting and reapportionment related?
They both apply to representation in Congress,
reapportionment is determining what states either
gain or lose, redistricting is drawing up new lines in the states who’ve lose seats.
What is a caucus?
What is a caucus?
A meeting, usually closed, of a small group of people
in Congress of like interests, like the Black
Caucus, minority caucus.
What is Gerrymandering?
What is Gerrymandering?
When a state legislature redraws congressional districts, in interesting
shapes, that benefits the party in power.
What do Party Whips do?
What do Party Whips do?
Just like the name sounds, they are party leaders who
serve as assistant floor leaders and watch how
party members intend to vote on bills and help keep
people in line.
The End