The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch

A) Purpose: To make the Laws B) Structure: Bicameral consisting of 2 Houses C) Location: Washington D.C.; U.S. Capital D) Term: 2 years or 6 years E) Composition: Senate-100 Members;53 Democrats, 45 Republicans, & 2 Independents House of Representatives- 435 Members; 232 Republicans & 200 Democrats; 3 Vacancies Congress

House of Representatives • Number of Members: 435 • Qualifications: 25 yrs. Old, 7 Years U.S. Citizen, Living in the Area you represent • Term of Office: Elections take place every 2 years • Representation-what is the importance of the census, reapportionment and redistricting=>Draw new lines based on population every 10 years with the census

Lawmaking/Debate Rules:http://www.house.gov/ Leadership: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) Majority Leader: Eric Cantor (R-VA) Minority Leader: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

What is A “Whip”? A whip is a role in party politics whose primary purpose is to ensure control of the formal decision-making process in a parliamentary legislature. Whips are party 'enforcers', who typically offer both inducements and punishments to party members. In modern times, most whips are concerned primarily with ensuring a desired attendance for an important vote. The usage comes from the hunting term whipping in, i.e. preventing hounds from wandering away from the pack • House Majority Whip: Kevin McCarthy(R-CA) • Minority Whip: Steny H. Hoyer (D-MA)

A) Number of Members: 100 B) Qualifications: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. [U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 3] Term in Office: 6 years. National elections take place every even-numbered year. Every four years the president, vice president, one third of the Senate, and the entire House are up for election (on-year elections). On even-numbered years when there isn't a presidential election, one third of the Senate and the whole House are included in the election (off-year elections). Senate

Lawmaking Debate Rules: http://rules.senate.gov/

President Pro Tempore: is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking senator. The U.S. Constitution states the Vice President of the United States serves ex officio as President of the Senate, and is the highest-ranking official of the Senate even though he or she only votes in the case of a tie. During the Vice President's absence, the President pro tempore is the highest-ranking official in the Senate and may preside over its sessions. The President pro tempore is elected by the Senate and is customarily the most senior senator in the majority party F. Senate Leadership • Senate Majority Leader: Harry Reid (D-NV) President Pro Tempore: Patrick Leahy(D-VT) Vice President: Joe Biden

Republican Leadership: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Democratic Whip: Dick Durbin (D-IL) Republican Whip: John Cornyn (R-TEX)

The current salary (2011) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year. Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2011)Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members. Senate LeadershipMajority Party Leader - $193,400Minority Party Leader - $193,400 House LeadershipSpeaker of the House - $223,500Majority Leader - $193,400Minority Leader - $193,400 Salary and Benefits

Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation.Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes. Members of Congress are not eligible for a pension until they reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing 25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. Please also note that Members of Congress have to serve at least 5 years to even receive a pension.

The amount of a congressperson's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or her salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.

Privileges • Franking Privileges • Allowances to pay staff • Trips • Telephone/Internet • Health Care • Free from arrest-Lawsuit while working

Under the Constitution, members of both houses enjoy the privilege of being free from arrest in all cases, except for treason, felony, and breach of the peace. This immunity applies to members during sessions and when traveling to and from sessions.[34] The term "arrest" has been interpreted broadly, and includes any detention or delay in the course of law enforcement, including court summons and subpoenas. The rules of the House strictly guard this privilege; a member may not waive the privilege on his or her own, but must seek the permission of the whole house to do so. Senate rules, on the other hand, are less strict, and permit individual senators to waive the privilege as they see fit. • The Constitution also guarantees absolute freedom of debate in both houses, providing, "for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place." Hence, a member of Congress may not be sued for slander because of remarks made in either house. However, each house has its own rules restricting offensive speeches, and may punish members who transgress them. • Obstructing the work of Congress is a crime under federal law, and is known as contempt of Congress. Each house of Congress has the power to cite individuals for contempt, but may not impose any punishment. Instead, after a house issues a contempt citation, the judicial system pursues the matter like a normal criminal case. If convicted in court, an individual found guilty of contempt of Congress may be imprisoned for up to one year.

Another privilege is the use of the Library of Congress. One of the Library's missions is to serve the Congress and its staff. To do this, the Congressional Research Service provides detailed, up-to-date and non-partisan research for senators, representatives, and their staff to help them carry out their official duties. The franking privilege allows members of Congress to send official mail to constituents at government expense. Though they are not permitted to send election materials, borderline material is often sent, especially in the run-up to an election by those in close races. • A legislator in either house is a "member of Congress," though usually only representatives are referred to in speech as a congressman, congresswoman, or congressperson, because senators are almost universally referred to as senator.

Committees • Purpose of Committees: • Divide Work • Filter out good from bad • Inform the public • Legislative sub-organization in the United States Congress that handles a specific duty (rather than the general duties of Congress). Committee membership enables members to develop specialized knowledge of the matters under their jurisdiction. As "little legislatures," committees monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to their parent body.

Types of Committees • Standing Committees- are permanent panels identified as such in chamber rules (House Rule X, Senate Rule XXV). • Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for consideration by their respective chambers. They also have oversight responsibility to monitor agencies, programs, and activities within their jurisdictions, and in some cases in areas that cut across committee jurisdictions. • Most standing committees recommend funding levels—authorizations—for government operations and for new and existing programs. A few have other functions. For example, the Appropriations Committees recommend legislation to provide budget authority for federal agencies and programs. The Budget Committees establish aggregate levels for total spending and revenue that serve as guidelines for the work of the authorizing and appropriating panels.

Subcommittees- are formed by most committees to share specific tasks within the jurisdiction of the full committee. Subcommittees are responsible to, and work within the guidelines established by, their parent committees. In particular, standing committees usually create subcommittees with legislative jurisdiction to consider and report bills. They may assign their subcommittees such specific tasks as the initial consideration of measures and oversight of laws and programs in the subcommittees’ areas.

Select Committees- are established generally by a separate resolution of the chamber, sometimes to conduct investigations and studies, and, on other occasions, also to consider measures. Often, select committees examine emerging issues that don’t fit clearly within existing standing committee jurisdictions, or which cut across jurisdictional boundaries. A select committee may be permanent or temporary (all current select committees in the House and Senate are considered permanent committees). Instead of select, the Senate sometimes uses the term special committee (as in the Special Committee on Aging).

Joint Committees- are permanent panels that include members from both chambers, which generally conduct studies or perform housekeeping tasks rather than consider measures. For instance, the Joint Committee on Printing oversees the functions of the Government Printing Office and general printing procedures of the federal government. The chairmanship of joint committees usually alternates between the House and Senate.

Committee of the whole — used by the House of Representatives, but not the modern Senate

A Conference Committee is a temporary joint committee formed to resolve differences between competing House and Senate versions of a measure. Conference committees draft compromises between the positions of the two chambers, which are then submitted to the full House and Senate for approval. • This is where many of the current Budget Bills sit.

Choosing members to Committees • Party Chairperson is very influential in choosing committee members. Seniority system also plays a “Big” role in selection. Decision on which areas individual members choose to specialize may be influenced by their constituency and regional issues of importance to them, as well as prior background and experience of the member. Senators will also try to differentiate themselves from the other senator from the same state, so that areas of specialization do not overlap.

Committee History • Since World War II committee sizes have increased resulting in more assignments per Member. Expansion of sizes has been attributed to Members' successful bids for additional assignments and the needs of party leaders to maintain an adequate supply of desirable seats to give out to colleagues. The average size of a House standing committee has increased from 25 to 40 Members since the beginning of the ``modern Congress'' in 1947. Seats on all House committees and subcommittees have increased from approximately 1,300 in 1947 to 2,600 in 1993, and the average number of assignments per Representative doubled from about three to six. The 112th Congress figures of 3,100 slots and seven assignments per Representative were considerably higher. Again, the stricter limit on subcommittees per committee and the demise of four select committees largely account for the lower figures of this Congress.

Senate Committees • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry • Senate Committee on Appropriations • Senate Committee on Armed Services • Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs • Senate Committee on the Budget • Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation • Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources • Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works • Senate Committee on Finance • Senate Committee on Foreign Relations • Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions • Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs • Senate Committee on Indian Affairs • Senate Committee on the Judiciary • Senate Committee on Rules and Administration • Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship • Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs • Senate Select Committee on Ethics • Senate Select Committee on Intelligence • Senate Special Committee on Aging • United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control

House Committees House Committee on Agriculture House Committee on Appropriations House Committee on Armed Services House Committee on the Budget House Committee on Education and Labor House Committee on Energy and Commerce House Committee on Financial Services House Committee on Foreign Affairs House Committee on Homeland Security House Committee on House Administration House Committee on the Judiciary House Committee on Natural Resources House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform House Committee on Rules House Committee on Science and Technology House Committee on Small Business House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House Committee on Veterans' Affairs House Committee on Ways and Means House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming

Joint Committees • Joint Committee on the Library • Joint Committee on Printing • Joint Committee on Taxation • Joint Economic Committee • http://www.govtrack.us/congress/committee.xpd

Interest Groups • A group of people with common goals who organize to influence government. Lobbyist-Interest group representative; Lobbying-Direct contact made by a lobbyist in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors

Super-PAC’s!!!! • An organization formed to collect money and provide financial support for political candidates. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMvG54GjtRI • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz3wZnIKdOg

The Legislative Branch