Congress:The LegislativeBranchCongress, consisting of the House of Representatives & the Senate, exercises its powers by passing legislation, representing the people, & checking the power of the other branches of gov’t.

Chapter5

Sec. 1:Congress

The voters elect members of Congress to represent them and to enact laws in their name. Congress plays a vital role in our gov’ts system of checks and balances.

DO NOW

How is the number of Senators and Representatives awarded to each state? Explain how this system came about.

Learning GoalsObjectives (Students will learn)

How Congress represents the people.

Why the structure of Congress is important.

What the role of Congress is in the system of checks & balances.

Essential Question

What powers does the Constitution give to Congress?

I.Congress & The PeopleA. Representing the people

i. Constituents: People who live within a specific geographic area

B. Members of Congressi. Mid-50s, Wealthy, white, male

C. The House of Representativesi. Apportionment: Distribution of House

seats among states based on population.D. The Senate

i. Originally elected by state legislatures, now by the state’s people.

II. Congress & Checks & Balances

A. Power of the Pursei. Power to approve all spending by fed. gov’t.ii. Appropriation: Bill that sets aside funds for a

specific purpose.

B. Power of Advice & Consenti. Senate must agree to treaties and

appointments of ambassadors, federal judges, and Supreme Court justices.

C. Impeachment Poweri. Impeachment: Charge officials in the executive

or judicial branches with wrongdoing & bring them to trial

III. Other Checks & BalancesA. Check the Supreme Court by

starting amendment process.B. Check the executive by

overriding a presidential veto w/ supermajority.

i. 4% of vetoes have been overridden

C. Oversight: Review how the executive branch is operating and make sure it is following the law.

Exit Slip1. What do a Congress member’s

constituents share? 2. How many senators does the Constitution

allow each state?3. How did the Great Compromise create a

bicameral legislature?4. What term refers to a special type of act

that Congress uses to set aside funds for specific purposes?

5. The power of impeachment is important to our system of checks and balances because it allows Congress to do what?

Section 2

The Constitution gives Congress many expressed powers, and it implies some others. The Constitution also places limits on the powers of Congress.

Do NowWhat are some areas of American life that Congress is involved in today that it was not at the time of the writing of the Constitution?

Learning GoalsObjectives (Students will learn…)What types of power

Congress has.What are the

expressed powers of Congress.

What are the implied powers of Congress

What are some of the limits on the powers of Congress

Essential Question

Why did the founders of the nation want to limit the powers of Congress?

I. Expressed Powers of CongressA. Financing Powers

i. Indirect tax: Tax levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the gov’t.

ii. Direct tax: Tax an individual pays directly to the gov’t.

iii. Deficit: Spend more than take in

B. Commerce Poweri. Commerce Clause: Right to regulate interstate

commerce.

C. Defense Related Powersi. Power to declare war.

D. Other Expressed Powersi. Coinage, copyrights, weights & measures,

naturalization, bankruptcy

II. Implied Powers of CongressA. Loose & Strict Constructionists

i. Loose Constructionists say the Constitution is open to interpretation.

ii. Strict Constructionists say the Constitution must be read literally w/out interpretation.

B. Necessary & Proper Clause Todayi. Laws essential for carrying into execution the

powers of Congress.

C. Nonlegislative Powersi. Subpoenas: Documents that require people to

testify.ii. House of Reps vote for President if no one gains a

majority of the electoral college.

III. Limits on the Powers of CongressA. Writ of Habeas Corpus

i. Court order forcing police to present a person to face charges.

B. Bill of Attainderi. Law that punishes a person w/out trial

C. Ex post facto lawsA. Criminalizes action that took place in the past when

it was legal.

D. The Changing Powers of Congressi. The Great Depressionii. World War IIiii. Creating new agencies in the Executive

Exit Slip1. Tax levied on one person but passed on to another for payment to the government 2. Tax that individuals pay directly to the government 3. Amount by which the government’s expenses exceed its revenue 4. Clause of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce 5. Legal document that requires a person to testify in a certain matter 6. Court order that forces the police to present a person in court to face charges 7. Type of law, explicitly forbidden by the Constitution, which punishes a person without a trial

Sec. 3: House of

Representatives

The House of Representatives, with its frequent elections and regular reapportionment, is the more representative chamber of Congress. Its members carry out much of their work in committees.

Do Now

Which chamber of Congress do you think is the most powerful and why?

Learning GoalsObjectives (Students will learn…)

The key features of the House of Representatives & its membership.

Some of the challenges that reapportionment & redistricting raise.

How the leadership of the House is organized.

The role of committees in the operation of the House.

Essential Question

How does reapportionment effect who has political power?

I. Membership in the House

A. Formal Qualificationi. At least 25 yrs. Oldii. U.S. citizen for at least 7

yearsiii. Resident of state

representing.

B. Informal Qualificationsi. Voter Appealii. Raise moneyiii. Military/Celebrity

background

II. Reapportionment & Redistricting

A. Reapportionmenti. Seats are

redistributed among the states based on the census.

B. Gerrymanderingi. Drawing district

boundaries for political advantage.

III. Leadership in the House

A. Speaker of the HouseA. Most powerful member of the House

& member of majority party.

B. Floor LeaderA. Manages the actions & strategy of

the party, assistant to Speaker.

C. WhipsA. Encourage fellow party members to

vote as the party leaders want.

D. Party CaucusA. Meeting of all the House members

from a particular political party.

E. House RulesA. Create any rules to carry out

business.

IV. The Role of Committees

A. Standing Committeesi. Permanent committees addressing the

major areas of law proposals.

B. Select Committeesi. Carry out specific tasks to serve for a

limited duration.

C. Joint Committeesi. Address broad issues affecting both

chambers. ii. Committee Chairs: Selected by House

majority party.iii. Committee Membership: Request

assignments & party caucus votes.

1. According to the formal qualifications listed in the Constitution, members of the House must be at least ____________________old. 2. Every 10 years, the House must undergo __________________, a process that uses the results of the census to redistribute House seats among the states. 3. Drawing congressional district boundaries for political advantage is called ___________________. 4. The ____________is the most powerful member and presiding officer of the House. 5. Proposed laws are called?

Sec. 4: The Senate

Senators represent entire states, have longer terms, and follow different rules of debate. These features help give the Senate its reputation as a more weighty and careful body than the House.

Do Now

Who elects members of the Senate? Who use to elect the members of the Senate? Who gained power when the election process changed?

Learning GoalsObjectives (Students will learn…)

1. The major features of the Senate and its membership.

2. The Senate’s leadership posts.

3. The role of committees in the Senate.

4. The distinctive rules & traditions of the Senate.

Essential Question

How is the Senate seen as being a more stable institution in Congress?

I. The Senate & its MembershipA. Formal Qualifications

i. At least 30 yrs. Oldii. U.S. citizen at least 9 yearsiii. Resident of the state

representing

B. Election of Senatorsi. State legislaturesii. 1913: 17th Amendmentiii. Direct popular election

C. Informal Qualificationsi. Older, wealthier, “millionaires’

club”ii. 16 women, 1 A.A., 2 Asians, 2

Hispanics

II. Senate LeadershipA. Constitutional

Positionsi. President of the

Senate: The Vice President of the U.S.

ii. President pro tempore: Presides in absence of the president of the Senate

B. Party Leadersi. Senate Majority Leader:

Most powerful position held by member of majority.

III. Senate Committees & TraditionA. Senate committees:

Similar to the House

B. Seniority Rulei. Chairs of committees go to

the most senior majority senator on committee.

C. Filibusteri. Opponents of a measure

refuse to stop talking in order to prevent a vote.

D. Cloturei. 2/3 vote could end a

filibuster.

Exit Slip DIRECTIONS: Choose five of the vocabulary

terms from the word bank. Use these terms to write a summary of what you learned in the section.

president of the SenateSenate majority leader filibusterpresident pro temporeseniority rulecloture

Sec: 5The Legislative

Process

The main job of Congress is to make laws. The process of making laws is well established and orderly.

Do Now

Explain the process of how a bill becomes a law.

Learning GoalsObjectives

How bills are introduced in Congress.

What happens to a bill in committee.

What happens to a bill on the floor of Congress.

The actions a president can take on a bill.

Essential Question

Why is it so hard for a bill to become a law?

I. Bills in CongressA. Introducing Bills

i. Either chamber can propose a bill, except all tax bills start in the House.

ii. Rider: Provision in bill that has nothing to do with main topic.

iii. Joint Resolution: Used in special situations like war.

iv. Concurrent Resolutions: Matters that effect both chambers of Congress

B. Bills in Committeei. Referral → Subcommittee → Markups →

Discharge petition → Rules Committee

II. Bill on the Floor & the PresidentA. Committee of the Whole

i. Entire House becomes a committee

B. Quorumi. Number needed to legally

conduct business.

C. Roll-Call Votei. Required to publicly state their

vote.

D. Conference Committeei. Members from each chamber

meet to discuss why a bill didn’t pass in 1 of the 2 chambers.

Presidential Action on a Bill

A. Sign a bill into a lawB. Not sign for 10 days

& becomes law.C. Pocket Veto:

President doesn’t sign a bill & session of Congress ends killing bill.

D. Veto a bill.

Exit Slip1. number of House members needed

present to legally conduct business2. provision added to a bill, perhaps because

it would be unlikely to pass on its own3. a form of vote in which members of

Congress must publicly state their vote 4. measure used in extraordinary

circumstances that is signed by the president and has the force of law

5. measure endorsed by both houses of Congress that is not signed by the president and does not have the force of law