1. United States Government
Tuesday, October 13, 2015

2. Warm-Up: Review Questions
Which of the following correctly describes the structure of the U.S. Congress?
A) It is unicameral
B) It is bicameral
C) It is tricameral
How is the number of a state’s representatives in the House determined?
How many U.S. Senators does each state have?

3. Structure and Powers of Congress

4. The House of Representatives
Term: 2 years
Qualifications:
25 years old
7 years as a U.S. citizen
Resident of represented state
Number of representatives: 435
Head of House of Representatives
Speaker of the House
Decides the committees each member will serve on
Decides the order in which bills will be heard

5. House of Rep’s: Special Powers & Procedures
All money (appropriations) bills start here
Selects the President in the absence of an Electoral College majority
Write the articles of impeachment against high ranking officials
Procedures:
The majority party has more power in the House than in the Senate, due mainly to the lower chamber’s procedures:
Rules are more formal
Rules set by the Rules Committee (controlled by the majority party; does not exist in the Senate)
Absence of the filibuster (more on this later)

6. The Senate Term of office: 6 years Qualifications:
30 years old
9 years a citizen of the U.S.
Resident of the represented state
Number of Senators: 100
Head of the Senate: U.S. Vice President
Day to day head of Senate: President Pro Tempore
Powers: Officially decides committee members and order bills are debated.
Majority Leader: Most powerful member of the Senate
Begins debate on legislation; influences committee membership

7. Senate: Special Powers & Procedures
Approves all treaties
Approves all Presidential appointees
Chooses the Vice President in the absence of an Electoral College majority
Acts as the jury in all trials of Impeachment
Special Procedure: The Filibuster
Senate has a reputation as “the world’s greatest deliberative body”
Debate on legislation may go on indefinitely
In order to force an end to debate, Senate may vote for cloture—which requires 60 votes
Filibusters used to require Senators objecting to legislation to actualy speak (“debate”) continuously on the Senate floor
Today, the filibuster has become procedural
Effect: Senate essentially requires a super-majority (60 votes) to pass any major legislation

8. Congress Both houses make their own rules for behavior and punishments
Censure: formally reprimand, written in the record
Fines and penalties may be set for some offenses
Expulsion: members with gross misconduct may be thrown out of office

9. Congress: Privileges and Compensation
Salary : $147,000 per year, plus:
Medical and dental benefits
Free office, parking, and trips to home state
Staff budget
Tax break on second home
Franking privilege: free postage on all mail to constituents
Immunity or legal protection:
Cannot be sued of anything they say or write while carrying out their duties
Cannot be arrested for minor offenses while Congress is in session
May not hold other political office at the same time

10. Powers of Congress Raise and collect taxes Borrow money
Regulate commerce
Set laws for Naturalization and Bankruptcy
Coin Money
Punish counterfeiting
Post office
Copyrights and patents
Establish lower federal courts
Declare war
Establish the military and National guard
Make rules and allot funds for the military and National guard
Punish pirates
Run Washington D.C. and all federal property
**Elastic clause- implied power

11. Implied Powers
The “necessary and proper clause” gives Congress the power to make laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers
Also known as the ‘elastic clause’ it stretches the power given Congress

12. Powers Denied to Congress
Congress could not make laws concerning the slave trade until 1808
Cannot suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus: government must show cause for holding a suspect except in wartime
No ex post facto law- cannot punish a person for an act committed before there was a law against it.
No direct tax (changed by the 16th Amendment)
No tax on exports
All states must be treated the same
Congress must approve all expenditures of the President through laws
No titles of nobility

13. Discussion Questions
1) Describe one change that you would make to the qualifications and/or terms of Representatives or Senators and explain your reasoning.
2) Should representation in the Senate be based on population?
3) Should the filibuster be eliminated?