THE BRANCHES OF U.S. GOVERNMENT

By: Jennifer A. Siefring

ED 417-02

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Body of government that makes the laws

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH:

House of Representatives

Senate

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The number of representatives per state is based on population

Each representative has a term

of 2 years Representatives are voted

directly by the people

QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME A

REPRESENTATIVE1. The elected member must be at least 25

years in age

2. The elected member must be a 7 year citizen of the U.S.

3. The elected member must be a resident of the state to which he is being elected to represent

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Denny

Hastert

OHIO’S 19 REPRESENTATIVES

John Boehner Sherrod Brown Steve Chabot Paul Gillmor Tony Hall David Hobson Stephanie Tubbs Jones Marry Kaptur James Traficant Jr.

Dennis Kucinich Steven C. LaTourette Robert Ney Mike Oxley Rob Portman Deborah Pryce Ralph Regula Tom Sawyer Ted Strickland Pat Tiberti

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Any bills dealing with raising revenue MUST originate in the House of Representatives

UNITED STATES SENATE

Number of senators is the same for each state (each state elects 2 senators)

The senators are directly elected by the voters

Each senator serves for a term of 6 years

QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME A SENATOR

The elected senator must by 30 years of age The elected senator must be a U.S. citizen

for at least 9 years The elected senator must be a resident of

the state to which he is being elected to represent

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE SENATE

Vice President Dick Cheney– President of the Senate– Does not vote unless

there is a tie

President Pro Temp Strom Thurmond– Senior Member of the

majority party– Presides over senate

when VP can’t make it

OHIO’S 2 SENATORS

Mike

DeWine George

Voinovich

U.S. SENATE

They have the exclusive right to advise and consent any matters regarding treaties and/or nominations.

They are the only group that can try impeachments.

RESPONSIBILITES OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Declare war Maintain armed forces Assess taxes Borrow money Minting currency Regulate commerce

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Body of government that enforces the laws

EXECUTIVE OFFICE: PRESIDENT

President of the United States, George W. Bush

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Presidential Term: 4 Years Elected by Electoral College Electoral College- Group of representatives

from each of the 50 states appointed to elect the president

The # of electors from each state = the # of state senators + the # of state representatives

QUALIFICATIONS TO BECOME PRESIDENT

Natural born citizen The candidate to be

elected must be at least 35 years of age.

The candidate to be elected must be a 14-year resident of the United States

PRESIDENTIAL POWERS

Commander-in-chief of the army

Aid in developing treaties

Nominate/appoint government officials (Cabinet)

OHIO’S PRESIDENTS

William Harrison

Ulysses Grant

Rutherford Hayes

James Garfield

Benjamin Harrison

William McKinley

William Taft

Warren Harding

JUDICIAL BRANCH

The body of government that interprets the laws.

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

Consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the president and approved by a majority of the Senate

Term: life or until removed from office

CURRENT JUSTICES

Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, David Souter, John Paul Stevens, Clarence Thomas

CHIEF JUSTICE

William

Rehnquist

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JUDICIAL BRANCH

Interpret the laws of our country Interpret the constitution Decide if a law is or is not

constitutional Their decisions affect law enforcement

and future lawmaking procedures

CHECKS & BALANCES AMONG THE 3 BRANCHES

To make sure each branch is doing its job- , our government uses a check & balance