American Citizenship

American Citizenship Chapter 10 Notes Congress

Section 1 • The National Legislature

A Bicameral Congress • The U.S. is considered a “Representative Democracy” • Representatives of the people are responsible for the day-to-day work of government • Article 1 of the constitution sets down the guidelines for the U.S. Representative Democracy • Known as Congress • Historical • Learned about bicameral congress from Britain

A Bicameral Congress (Con’t) • Practical • Framers created the bicameral also in order to appease both the big states (Virginia Plan) and the small States (New Jersey Plan) • Theoretical • Bicameral also helped to help keep the Legislative branch from becoming to powerful

Terms and Sessions • Terms of Congress • Each term of Congress lasts for two years and numbered consecutively • Changed with the 20th Amendment • Now Congress terms begin noon of the 3rd day of January, and last for two years

Terms and Sessions (Con’t) • A session of Congress is when Congress assembles and conducts business • Congress adjourns until the next session • However, in order for one house to adjourn, the other must approve • President can prorogue, or adjourn Congress if they cannot come to agreement on date to adjourn • Special Sessions • Only the President can call Congress into a special session • Meeting to deal with some emergency • The President can also call each house separately into special session

Section 2 • The House of Representatives

Size and Terms • The Exact size of the House is not fixed by the constitution • Currently it is 435 members • However each seat in the House must be apportioned among the states on the basis of their respective populations • Distributed • Could change with the coming Census in 2010 • Representative must be chosen every second year • Thus they serve for two-year terms • No term-limit for members of Congress

Reapportionment • Redistribute the seats in the House after each decennial census • Originally there were 65 House Seats in the 1790’s • A Growing Nation • The census of 1910 brought the number of House members to 435

Reapportionment (Con’t) • The Reapportionment Act of 1929 • Created the “permanent” size of the House to 435 • However they could still change it • After each census, the Census Bureau determines the apportionment • Once the plan is ready, the President sends it to Congress • If no action is taken on it within 60 days, it becomes law

Congressional Elections • Constitution allows each state to determine it’s date for congressional elections • Date • However, since 1872, Congress required that the elections be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November in even number years • Off-Year Elections • Those congressional elections that occur in the nonpresidential years • Party-in-power tends to lose power in the off-year elections • party that holds the presidency

Congressional Elections (Con’t) • Districts • The Constitution does not call for congressional districts • Today all congressional districts are single-member districts • only one person is voted for that district • Congress allowed each state to determine their own size of their congressional district • however it needed to be appropriate in size and population

Congressional Elections (Con’t) • Gerrymandering • Congressional districts that have been drawn to the advantage of the political party that controls the state’s legislature • Very prevalent today • Two major ways used • To concentrate opposing voters into a few districts • Spread the opposing voters thin throughout all districts • Could even use Gerrymandering on the urban versus rural population of states

Congressional Elections (Con’t) • Wesberry v. Sanders, 1964 • Supreme Court ruled that the population differences among congressional districts were so great as to violate the Constitution • Did not stop Gerrymandering, but forced a little more representative of each individual

Qualifications of House Members • Formal Qualifications • Must be at least 25 years of age • Must have been a citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years • Must be an inhabitant of the State from which they are elected • Generally speaking, they must also live in the district for which they are elected • The House is responsible for judging elections of member-elects • The House can also punish members for “disorderly behavior”

Qualifications of House Members (Con’t) • Informal Qualifications • Have to do with a candidates vote getting abilities • party identification, name familiarity, gender, ethnic characteristics, and political experience

Section 3 • The Senate

Size, Election and Terms • The Senate is often called the “Upper House” • Size • The Constitution calls of their to be two senators for every state • Today the U.S. has 100 senators • Election • Originally the Constitution provided that the members of the Senate were to be chose by the State legislatures • 17th amendment changed it to be popular vote for Senate positions

Size, Election and Terms (Con’t) • Term • Senators serve for six-year terms with no term-limits • The Senate is a continuous body • All the seats are never up for election at the same time • Only a third of senator seats are elected for every two years • With the six-year term, less likely to be persuaded by public opinion and more likely to see the “big picture” • In recent history, the Senate has provided a great deal of president candidates

Qualifications for Senators • A senator must be at least 30 years of age • Must have been a citizen of the U.S. for at least 9 years • Must be an inhabitant of the state from which they are elected • Like the House, the Senate can punish individuals for “disorderly conduct”

Section 4 • The Members of Congress

Personal and Political Backgrounds • There is a variety of different cultures represented in the Congress • However they tend to be White males, over the age of 50

The Job • They play five major roles • Legislators • Representatives of their constituents • Committee members • Servants of their constituents • Politicians • Representatives of the People • Trustees • believe that each question they face must be decided on its merits • make decisions based on independent judgment, and not on views held by their constituents

The Job (Con’t) • Representatives of the People (Con’t) • Delegates • see themselves as agents of those who elected them • tend to vote on the views held by their constituents • Partisans • they feel duty-bound to vote in line with the party platform and wishes of their party’s leaders • Most prevalent today • Politicos • attempt to combine the basic elements of the previous three

The Job (Con’t) • Committee Members • Proposed laws (bills) are referred to committees in each chamber • as committee members, they screen the proposals • Also serve an oversight function • check to see that various agencies in the executive branch are working effectively and legally • Servants • Meet the needs of their constituents on a federal level

Compensation • Salary • Senators and representatives are paid a salary of $155,000 a year • Speaker of the House makes $193,500 a year • President Pro Tem and the majority and minority floor leaders in both houses receive $167,500 a year

Compensation (Con’t) • Nonsalary Compensation • Each member receives a special tax deduction • Generous travel allowances • Good life and health insurance • Retirement plan • Receive an office in either House or Senate office building near the Capitol • Given funds to hire staff and operation costs • Franking privilege • allows them to mail letters and other materials postage-free by substituting their facsimile signature (frank) for the postage • Also gymnasiums, pools, parking, advertisement, etc.

Compensation (Con’t) • The Politics of Pay • Very difficult for Congress to increase their pay • President veto, and unhappiness from constituents • Membership Privileges • Cannot be arrested while their branch is in session • Also maintain legislative immunity

American Citizenship