Congress Memb ers of Congress strive to represent the interests of their constituents while keeping in mind the needs of

1. Congress • Members of Congress strive to represent the interests of their constituents while keeping in mind the needs of the country as a whole. • Congress is a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives and a Senate.

3. Represent the interests of their constituents, the voters in the district that elected them.

4. House of Rep. • Number of representatives each state can elect based on state’s population • Apportionment: distribution of seats according to population. Representatives serve two-year terms • Senate • There are 100 members • Each state represented by two senators. Senators serve six-year terms

6. Congress and Checks and Balances • Through appropriation, Congress can prevent president from carrying out policies • Senate approves treaties, and Presidential appoints. • Has oversight power • Can impeach federal officials for high crimes, and misdemeanors.

8. The Powers of Congress • Congress has extensive expressed, inherent, and implied powers. • The extent of Congress’s implied powers is a subject of debate.

9. Defining the Powers of Congress • Three types of powers held by Congress • Expressed: spelled out in Constitution • Implied: suggested in Constitution in the necessary and proper clause • Inherent: powers a government maintains simply because it is a government

10. Expressed Powers of Congress • Uses power to “lay and collect taxes” by levying direct taxes and indirect taxes • Declare war, raise army and navy, post office, borrow money, and coin money.

11. Expressed Powers of Congress (cont’d.) To regulate foreign and interstate commerce To establish uniform rules of citizenship

12. Implied Powers of Congress • Loose and Strict Constructionists • Strict constructionists • Congress should only exercise powers explicitly granted in Constitution. • Loose constructionists • Congress should have more freedom to interpret Constitution

14. Nonlegislative Powers • Ability to issue subpoenas, documents that require person to testify House-Under Twelfth Amendment, House can choose president if no candidate receives majority of electoral votes Senate approves appointments and treaties.

15. Limits on the Powers of Congress • Congress may not suspend writ of habeas corpus. • No bill of attainder, law that allows person to be punished without trial • No ex post facto laws, laws that criminalize a past action

16. Section 3 at a Glance • The House of Representatives • Membership in the House of Representatives is apportioned to each state on the basis of its population. After each census, seats in the House are reapportioned among the states and new district boundaries are drawn. • The Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful leaders in government.

17. Membership in the House • Formal Qualifications • House members chosen by direct popular vote • Representative must be at least 25 years old and resident of state he or she represents. • Members must also have been U.S. citizen at least 7 years

19. Reapportionment and Redistricting • Changes in Population • Reapportionment based on most current census figures • Gerrymandering: redrawing district boundaries for political gain • One Person One Vote • According to Constitution, each person’s vote must have same basic value

21. Leadership in the House • The Speaker of the House • The presiding officer of the House is called the Speaker of the House. • Elected by his or her peers • Member of majority party • The Speaker has authority over much of the business of the House. • Presides over debates • Rules on points of order • Assigns bills to committees

22. Leadership in the House (cont’d.) • Other Leadership Posts • Party officers elected at beginning of term at party caucus • Both Democratic and Republican Parties elect floor leader • Both parties elect whips, function is to secure votes in line with party leadership

24. The Role of Committees • Standing Committees • Standing committees: permanent committees that address broad topics • Other Committees • Select committees: meant to carry out specific task • Joint committees include both House and Senate members; address issues that affect

26. Section 4 • The Senate • Each state has two senators, regardless of population. Like the House, the Senate relies on a system of committees.

27. Debate in the Senate

28. The Senate and Its Membership • Formal Qualifications • Must be at least 30 years old • Must reside in state he or she represents • Must be U.S. citizen at least nine years • Serve six-year terms • Since 1913, 17th Amendment, elected by direct popular vote

30. Senate Leadership • Constitutional Positions • Senate’s presiding officer • Vice president of the United States is president of the Senate • When presiding officer absent • President pro tempore presides in absence of president of the Senate. • Senate majority leader most powerful position in Senate

32. Committees in the Senate • Types of Senate Committees • 16 standing committees and dozens of subcommittees • No senator can chair more than one committee • Committee chairmanships generally chosen by seniority rule

34. Rules and Traditions • The Filibuster • Senate places fewer limits on debate than House • Senators may use stalling tactics like filibuster • Opponents of measure refuse to stop talking hoping to prevent measure from coming to vote • Cloture can limit filibuster, requires two-thirds vote to end debate

35. Debating the Issue

36. Section 5 • Congress at Work • Bills may be introduced in either house and usually get assigned to committees for analysis and revision. • Differences between House and Senate versions of a bill are resolved in a conference committee. • The president needs to sign a bill for it to become law.

37. Bills in Congress • Introducing Bills • Both houses of Congress introduce bills • Other Types of Action • Joint resolution: similar to a bill • Used for certain circumstances • Must be signed by president, carries force of law • Concurrent resolutions: address operations in both chambers, do not carry force of law

39. The Conference Committee • Resolving differences between House and Senate versions of a bill is the responsibility of a conference committee. • If conference committee does not reach agreement, bill may die

41. Presidential Action on a Bill • President can sign bill into law • President can choose not to sign bill • After 10 days if Congress still in session, bill becomes law • pocket veto • President may outright veto bill