Legislative Branch

Bicameral Legislature

• House • Senate

Expressed Powers• Lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises, provided they are uniform

throughout the United States.• Borrow money.• Regulate commerce with foreign countries, among the states, and with Indian

tribes.• Establish rules for naturalization.• Establish uniform bankruptcy laws throughout the United States.• Coin money and regulate its value, as well as the value of foreign coin, and set

the standard for weights and measures.• Provide punishment for counterfeiting US coins and securities.• Establish post offices and post roads.• Securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors exclusive right to their

writings and inventions.• Create courts inferior to the Supreme Court.• Define and punish piracy and felonies committed at sea, and offenses against

the laws of nations.

Expressed Powers• Declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures

on land and water.• Raise and support armies.• Provide and maintain a navy.• Make rules for the government and regulation of land and naval forces.• Provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress

insurrections and repel invasions.• Provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for governing those that

are in the employ of the United States, reserving to the states the appointment of officers and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.

• Exercise exclusive legislation over the District of Columbia, and all other places purchased from states for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings.

• Make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by the Constitution in the federal government or any department or officer thereof.

Constituent

• The people that a representative is responsible for

Filibuster

• Debating so long that you delay voting on an issue.

Gerrymander

• Redrawing voting districts to favor the party in power.

Gerrymandering

Florida Capitol - Tallahassee

• 40 Senators• 119 House Reps

US Capitol – Washington DC

• 100 Senators• 435 House Reps

State Committees• Agriculture AG• Appropriations AP

– Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice ACJ– Appropriations Subcommittee on Education AED– Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax AFT– Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government AGG– Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services AHS– Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development ATD

• Banking and Insurance BI• Children, Families, and Elder Affairs CF• Commerce and Tourism CM• Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities CU• Community Affairs CA• Criminal Justice CJ• Education ED• Environmental Preservation and Conservation EP• Ethics and Elections EE• Gaming GM• Governmental Oversight and Accountability GO• Health Policy HP• Judiciary JU• Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security MS• Reapportionment RE• Regulated Industries RI• Rules RC• Transportation TR

Veto

• Chief executive (President) objects to a law.

• 2/3 of congress can override a veto

Pocket Veto

• President has 10 days to review a bill

• He holds the bill until congress adjourns (closes).

Majority Party vs. Minority Party

Special Interest Group

• Any voluntary association that seeks to publicly promote and create advantages for its cause

• 3 types - Economic, public, and social.

Lobbyist

• Attempt to influence legislatures.

• Usually part of an interest group or large corporation.

Lobbyist