Respond to the following quote: “Though the President is Commander in Chief, Congress is his commander… this is not a Government of kings…,but a Government of the People, and … Congress is the people”

The Legislative Branch Chapter 10 Unit 3

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3 branches of Government

Legislative Branch Congress is Bicameral Two Separate Houses Senate and House of Representatives Law-making branch of government Created by Article I of the Constitution Currently in 110 th Congress January 4, January 3, 2009 Sessions of Congress Period in which Congress conducts businesses

Legislative Branch Older, better educated, more white, more male, and richer than the rest of the United States. In the 110th Congress Average age of both House Members is African-Americans in the House There are 30 Hispanics Seven Members of the House and Senate are of Asian or Native Hawaiian ancestry There is one Native American in the House Total number of women is 90 There are 16 in the Senate and 74 in the House,

House of Representatives Qualifications- written in constitution 25 Years of Age Must live in State 7 Year US Citizen Unwritten Qualification Must live within district

House of Representatives Size Current size of House of Representatives is 435 members Each state is guaranteed at least 1 Representative Only 1 Representative Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming Washington D.C., Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico

House of Representatives Terms Representatives are elected every 2 years No constitutional limit on the number of terms

House of Representatives Elections Every 2 years Single Member Districts Off year elections Party in power usually loses seats Incumbents carry huge advantage 75-85% Re-Election Rate Why??

House of Representatives Elections Connections to interest groups, corporations, PACs Pork-barrel politics More campaign $ Name Recognition Franking Privileges

House of Representatives Reapportionment Redistribute seats every 10 years based on population Reappointment Act of Permanent Size = Following each census, Census Bureau sets number of seats for each state 3.President sends Bureau’s plan to Congress 4.Congress approves and send to state legislatures to draw new lines if necessary

As of the 2000 census: Average population per district: 646,946 people State with the most districts: California (53) District with the greatest area: Alaska At-large District with the smallest area: New York's 15th District with the most people: Montana At-large (905,316) District with the fewest people: Wyoming At-large (495,304) Oldest district: Delaware At-large (Same geographical borders since 1789) ts_of_congress/representative_number s.htmlhttp://congress.indiana.edu/scripts/fac ts_of_congress/representative_number s.html

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House of Representatives Districts Redistricting Contiguous Territory Equal number of inhabitants Compact Territory Techniques can concentrate opposition votes into one district or divide and conquer Has significant impact on membership

Chicagoland

House of Representatives Gerrymandering District lines redrawn in favor of a political party or racial group Elbridge Gerry MA

The Senate Chapter 10 Section 3

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Senate Size Constitution Sets number at 2 per state (100 Senators) Represent a larger, more diverse population (constituents) Illinois Senators: tact_information/senators_cfm.cf m?State=IL tact_information/senators_cfm.cf m?State=IL

Senate Election: 17th Amendment- voters decide senator, prior to this senators were chosen by state legislators Only one Senator is elected per election Term: 6 year term No term limit Terms are staggered Continuous Body All seats are never given up for election at the same time Only 1/3 expire (33 or 34)

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Senate Qualifications: Higher requirements then House At least 30 years of age Must have been citizen of US for 9 years Must be inhabitant of the State from which they are elected

Leadership ts_of_congress/congressional_leaders. htmlhttp://congress.indiana.edu/scripts/fac ts_of_congress/congressional_leaders. htmlhttp://congress.indiana.edu/scripts/fac ts_of_congress/congressional_leaders. htmlhttp://congress.indiana.edu/scripts/fac ts_of_congress/congressional_leaders. html

ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htm Does Congress affect your life?? ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htmhttp://congress.indiana.edu/learn_abo ut/launcher.htm