The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch of government1Break downPart of the U.S. government that has the power to make lawsBicameral Congress made up of two chambers; Senate and the House of Representatives2Congressional SessionsTwo years, two sessionsJan 3rd (odd yr)-Jan 3rd , Jan 3rd-Jan 2nd (even yr)Adjourn in Aug.-1 month summer vacation, national holidays

3Membership of the House435 Members (Congressional districts)Not a fixed number; apportioned based on populationTX has 36 representativesState with most (53)? States with just one (6)?25 years old, citizen for 7 years and legal resident of the state elected byElected for 2-year term, no limitNational census by the Census Bureau every 10 yearsPop. incr. -> rep. incr. first done in 1790, 59 members4Membership of the Senate100 members, 2 from each state30 years oldCitizen of the US for 9 years and legal resident of their state6-year terms-no limit, staggered elections direct election via popular vote (17th amendment)TX Senators?

5Salary and BenefitsSenate and the House salary: $174, 000Speaker of the House: $223, 500Benefits:Health & life insuranceAllowances (mail, office, personal expenses): $1.4 million perRetirementTravel

6Members of Congress535 voting members

Cannot vote, but can introduce bills, speak in debates, and vote in committees:4 delegates in the House; 1 each from District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin IslandsI resident commissioner from Puerto Rico7Congressional powersEach house has the power to introduce new legislation on ANY SUBJECT, except revenue billsEach house can vote against legislation passed by the other houseFour types of powers:ExpressedImpliedReservedConcurrentExpressed powersGrant authority over American national policy, both foreign and domesticInclude authority to set policy on basic matters of war and peaceThink: What governmental factors most influence our national policy?Power to taxRight to borrow moneyRegulation of commerce and currencyPower to declare warImplied powersOften controversial as these powers are not explicitly written in the ConstitutionReferred to as the Elastic ClauseThey can be stretched to encompass all that is seen as necessary to implement the expressed powers of CongressExamples:Military draftEstablishment of banksMinimum wageReserved powersSafety valve of ConstitutionBasically the 10th amendmentPassed in 1789, introduced by James MadisonAnything not explicitly stated as a responsibility of the Federal government is the responsibility of the statesCreated to keep the central government from getting too large and too powerfulThink: What laws are different based on the discretion of the states?Concurrent powersPowers shared by both states and the Federal governmentNot exclusive to either government systemHamilton- Important for states to maintain sovereigntyExamples: State and Federal TaxesRight to borrow money on creditEstablishment of courts under the Supreme CourtCreate roads

Exclusive powers-house of repsInitiate revenue bills- Why?Impeach officialsElect the U.S. President in case there is no majority in the Electoral College Need 131 electoral votesElection of 1824Each state delegation gets 1 voteExclusive powers-SenateResolution of ratification for treatiesApprove treaties with 2/3 voteConfirm Presidential appointments of Cabinet secretaries, federal judges, ambassadors, etc.Try Federal officials who were impeached by the House of RepresentativesLeadership in the House Speaker of the House NOT REQUIRED TO BE A CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERElected by the members of the House to act as its leader2nd in line for Presidency after the VPJohn Boehner, election Oct. 29, 20154 current candidatesMajority Leader- Kevin McCarthy (R)Represents majority party on House floorMinority Leader- Nancy Pelosi (D)Represents minority party on House floorActivity!In groups, come up with 3 qualifications that you believe the Speaker of the House should possessResearch one of the four current candidates, and present your findings to the classJason Chaffetz, Bill Flores, Nancy Pelosi, Daniel WebsterPresentation must include:State of representationDate office was taken for current positionPolitical party & experienceViews on controversial issuesWe will discuss the beliefs of each candidate, keeping in mind the qualificationsWe will have a class vote as to which candidate we believe would be most effective as the new SpeakerLeadership in the SenateVice President, Joe Biden, presides over Senate sessionsVotes only in the case of a tieCannot formally address the Senate without the permission of the SenatorsPresident Pro Tempore (Orrin Hatch) serves when VP is absentMajority Leader- Mitch McConnell (R)Represents majority party on the Senate floorMinority Leader- Harry Reid (D)Represents minority party on the Senate floorCongressional committeesHelp to organize the most important work of Congress- considering, shaping, and passing laws to govern the nationDecide which bills and resolutions move forward to consideration by the House or Senate as a whole~8,000 bills go to committee annuallyFewer than 10% of the 8,000 make it to the floorFour Types:Standing CommitteesSelect CommitteesJoint CommitteesConference CommitteesEach committee adopts its own rulesCommittee chairmen have enormous influence over the selection process

STANDING COMMITTEESConsider and shape the vast majority of the proposed lawsCan be combined or discontinued Most have been around for many yearsConduct federal investigationsSelect (Special) CommitteesTemporarily formed for specific purposes, often to study a particular issueUsually do not draft legislationExample Select Committees with limited life spans:JFK AssassinationMLK AssassinationSelect Committee on Aging and Select Committee on Indian Affairs have existed for a number of years, produce legislationSometimes long-standing select committees eventually become standing committeesJoint committeesSimilar purpose to Select Committees, but made up of both House and Senate membersSet up to conduct business between the Houses, and to help focus public attention on major issuesSome joint committees handle routine mattersSupervising the Library of CongressConference committeesSpecifically created when the House and the Senate need to reconcile different versions of the same billMade up of members from the House and Senate committees that originally considered the billOnce the Conference Committee agrees on a compromise, the revised bill is returned to both houses of Congress for approval

Domestic policy Concerns laws, governmental programs, and administrative decisions directly relating to all issues and activity within a nations bordersExamples:Health careEducationRegulation of business and industryGun lawsEnvironmental regulationsCongress & Foreign PolicyThe laws that Congress pass can influence U.S. interactions with other countriesApproval is needed for spendingConsent is required for finalizing trade agreementsExamples: How do we deal with the following?The Middle East has ~1/4 of the worlds oilNorth Korea would like to blow us upPalestine would like to wipe out the worlds ChristiansRussia is annexing part of UkraineIsraelWe like trading with China, but we dont like its government