Created by: Bhavika Bhagat, Lauren Pasaraba & Christabelle Angeles Congress Created by: Bhavika Bhagat, Lauren Pasaraba & Christabelle Angeles

Okay...so what is Congress? It is a bicameral legislature separated into the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Why did the Framers create a bicameral legislature? The Founders were familiar with the British system of government, that consisted of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It carried out the Connecticut Compromise. It also instigated federalism - the idea that power be divided.

House of Reps. 435 members 2 year terms Rep. must be at least 25 years old, US citizen for 7 years, and a resident of the state they represent Directly elected by the people

Reapportionment Fixed at 435 seats in the House of Rep. through the Reapportionment Act of 1929 Each seat represents an average of 700,000 people It’s important as it increases or decreases the number of seats a state has in the House of Reps. AND electoral votes a state has in the electoral college A state’s potential influence depends on the number of seats it holds

Districts, gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, oh my! The Constitution doesn’t talk about districts In 1842, Congress stated that all seats in the House would be filled by single-member districts Each state legislature would be responsible for drawing the boundary lines Gerrymandering is a legislative process in which the majority party redraws district lines in order to ensure the maximum number of seats

Continued... Gerrymandering protects incumbents, discourages challengers, strengthens the majority party, and increases/decreases minority representation Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) made the principle of “one person, one vote,” which gave greater representation to suburbs and cities

Continued… The Supreme Court has limited redistricting in the following ways: Districts must be equally populated Districts must be compact Cannot dilute minority voting strength nor be drawn solely on race

Senate 100 members 6 year terms Must be at least 30 years old, US citizen for 9 years, and a resident of the state they are elected from Elected by voters in each state through the 17th Amendment

Special Powers House of Reps. Senate Initiate revenue bills Brings charges of impeachment Chooses the president when there is no majority in the electoral college Senate Ratifies treaties Confirms judicial appointments Confirms executive appointments

House of Representatives Organization Speaker of the House Second for presidential succession after the VP Presides over the House Oversees House business Majority leader is elected leader of the party that controls the House of Reps. Each parties have whips who keep close contact with their members to ensure party unity

Senate Organization The Constitution states the VP is the president of the Senate and can only vote to break a tie The president pro tempore rules the Senate when the VP is absent and is held by the member of the majority party with the longest service in the Senate. The true leader of the Senate is the majority leader.

Congressional Elections Incumbents usually win with their incumbency advantage that includes: Campaign contributions Free advertising Constituent service Franking privilege Gerrymandering

Committees Standing committees: permanent bodies that continue from one Congress to the next; focus on legislation in a particular area Select committees: special panels for a specific purpose for a limited time. Joint committees: like select committees and focus public attention on a major issue Conference committees: temporary; irons out differences between the different bills from the House and Senate.

House Ways and Means Committee Has jurisdiction on all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures Members CANNOT serve on other House committees.

House Rules Committee Sets guidelines for floor debate Gives each bill a rule that places it on the legislative calendar, limits time for debate, & determines the type of amendments allowed Controlled by the Speaker

Committee Chairs & Seniority Committee chairs call meetings, schedule hearings, hire staff, recommend majority members to sit on conference committees, & select all subcommittee chairs Historically led by the member with committee seniority from the majority party Now the committee chairs are elected, but seniority is still the norm

Oversight Also known as congressional review The senate confirms cabinet heads and presidential appointments to federal courts Some methods include: Setting guidelines for new agencies Holding hearings Using budget control Reorganizing an agency Evaluating an agency’s programs

Foreign Policy Congress has the power to declare war Senate has power to ratify treaties The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops The act was in response to presidential actions during the Vietnam War

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