The Senate and the House of Representatives

Two Houses of Congress Congress Lawmaking body of the federal government Composed of two houses The Senate Equal representation of the states The House of Representatives Representation is based on state population They did this in part to make sure that both small and large states would be fairly represented Allows each house to check the actions of the other The system prevents Congress from passing laws in haste

The House of Representatives How Membership is Divided Census, taken every ten years, determines how many seats each state will receive Originally only 65 members, the House has grown to 435 members, which is now the limit Congressional Districts District boundaries must be drawn, so each district is almost equal in population State legislators draw the district Sometimes they draw district lines that favor a particular political party, politician, or group of people, called gerrymandering

The House of Representatives Electing Representatives Regular elections are held in November of each even-numbered year All representatives are elected for two-year terms If a representative dies or resigns before the end of a term, the governor of the representative’s home state must call a special election to fill the vacancy

Qualifications of Members- HOR A representative in the House must: Be at least 25 years old Have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years Be a legal resident of the state he or she represents

Jobs of the House of Reps Sole power of Impeachment Elects the president if there is a tie in electoral votes Speaker of House chosen by H.O.R.

The Senate Regardless of size, each state is to have two senators in the Senate 100 members Each senator represents the entire state 6-year terms Only 1/3 of the Senate’s membership comes up for election every two years If a senator dies or resigns most states allow the governor to appoint someone

Qualifications of Members- Senate A Senator must: Be at least 30 years old Have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years Be a legal resident of the state he or she represents

Jobs of the Senate Approves or rejects treaties Serve as Jury at Impeachment trial Vice President= President of Senate

Salary and Benefits Congress receives a yearly salary of $145,100 They receive an allowance to pay staff members They also have franking privilege – the right to mail official letters or packages free of charge They also have immunity or legal protection They cannot be arrested in or on their way to or from a meeting in Congress

Rules of Conduct The House and Senate have passed codes of conduct for their members Make full disclosure of their financial holdings Cannot use campaign funds for personal expenses Congressman can be removed from office Less serious offenses may bring a vote of censure or formal disapproval of a member’s actions

Congressional Powers House of Reps. + Senate = Congress Create and collect Taxes Regulate Commerce with other nations Borrow Money Coin Money Declare War Raise support for Armies Maintain Navy

Congressional Power Cont. Call a Draft Propose Amendments Elastic Clause- Gives congress powers to write laws about new situations Both Senate and House meet in Capitol Building