CONGRESS

The Bicameral Congress 0 British Parliament – has consisted of two houses since 1300s 0 Most colonies and early states had bicameral legislatures 0 Constitutional Convention (1787) 0 Consideration given to Virginia and New Jersey plans 0 the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) 0 Senate – equal representation (2 per state) 0 House of Representatives – representation based on population

Terms of Congress 0 Each term lasts two years 0 First term March 4, 1789 – March 4, Why did this date (March 4) change??? 0 Congress now begins a new term at noon on January 3 rd of every odd-numbered year. 0 Congress began a new term this year on January 3rd 0 Sessions of Congress 0 Time when Congress assembles to do conduct business 0 Two sessions for each term – one per year 0 Prior to World War II – Congress was in session 4-5 months/year 0 Congress currently remains in session most of the year 20 th Amendment

Terms of Congress cont’d 0 When Congress adjourns 0 Suspension of business until the next session 0 Requires approval of both houses when exceeding 3 days 0 President has the power to prorogue (end a session) 0 Only when Congress cannot agree upon a date 0 Never been done 0 Special sessions 0 Called by President only 0 For emergency situations 0 Only 27 have been called 0 Most notable in 1861 and President can also call House or Senate into special session individually 0 Senate has been called upon 46 times 0 Consider treaties or appointments Why are there fewer special sessions these days?

The House of Representatives 0 Consists of 435 members 0 Number not fixed by the Constitution 0 Set by Congress 0 Each state has at least 1 0 Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming 0 House members serve terms of two years 0 No limit on number of terms 0 Qualifications: 0 25 years old 0 US citizen for at least 7 years 0 Resident of state in which elected 0 Georgia’s Representatives to the 113 th Congress 0 Jack Kingston (R) 0 Sanford Bishop Jr. (D) 0 Lynn Westmoreland(R) 0 Henry Johnson (D) 0 John Lewis (D) 0 Tom Price (R) 0 Robert Woodall (R) 0 Austin Scott (R) 0 Doug Collins (R) 0 Paul Broun (R) 0 Phil Gingrey (R) 0 John Barrow (D) 0 David Scott (D) 0 Tom Graves (R)

Tom Price (R) Phil Gingrey (R)

Reapportionment – redistribution of the seats in the House 0 Began with 65 seats 0 First national census taken in 1790 (4 mil) 0 Increased # to 106 seats 0 Census of 1910 resulted in 435 seats 0 Reapportionment Act of Permanent size of the House is 435 members 0 Each seat represents approximately 650,000 people 0 Who could change this? 0 Census Bureau determines number of seats each State should have – after each census 0 President sends Census Bureau’s plan to Congress for approval 0 If neither house rejects after 60 days, it becomes effective _Questionnaire_Info.pdf

The Senate “shall be composed of two members from each state” 0 Started with 26 members 0 Currently 100 members representing 50 states 0 Serve 6-year terms 0 No limit to number of terms 0 Terms are staggered 0 1/3 are up for election every two years 0 Makes the Senate a continuous body 0 Less subject to public opinion & special interests 0 Qualifications: 0 30 years old 0 Citizen of US for at least 9 years 0 Resident of state in which elected 0 Georgia’s Senators: 0 Saxby Chambliss (R) 0 Johnny Isakson (R)

Senate Facts 0 Longest serving Senator 0 Robert Byrd (D-WV) 0 51 years, 5 months 0 Salary: $1, $174,000 0 Leadership gets $193,400 0 Participated in the Olympics: 0 Wendell Anderson – Hockey 0 Bill Bradley – Basketball 0 Ben Campbell - Judo 0 Gone on to serve as President: 0 James Monroe 0 John Q. Adams 0 Andrew Jackson 0 Martin Van Buren 0 William Henry Harrison 0 John Tyler 0 Franklin Pierce 0 James Buchanan 0 Andrew Johnson 0 Benjamin Harrison 0 Warren G. Harding 0 Harry Truman 0 John Kennedy 0 Lyndon Johnson 0 Richard Nixon 0 Barack Obama

Congressional Elections Since 1872 elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 0 At-large 0 Elected by state as a whole 0 Party with plurality of voters had advantage 0 Single-member district 0 Voters in each district choose from a field of candidates SENATE 0 Chosen by the voters in each state since… 0 1/3 of senators are up for election every two years 0 3 classes of senators 0 Only one senator from a state is elected in any given election Which states still vote “at-large”? 17 th Amendment (1913)

Differences Between House and Senate House of Representatives 0 Larger body (435 members) 0 Shorter term (2 years) 0 Smaller constituencies (elected by districts) 0 Younger membership 0 Less media visibility 0 No power over treaties or presidential appointments Senate 0 Smaller body (100 members) 0 Longer term (6 years) 0 Larger constituencies (elected by state) 0 Older membership 0 High media visibility 0 Approves/Rejects treaties and presidential appointments

Congressional Profile (as of 2011) 0 Age 0 Senate – 62 years old (Youngest 39; Oldest 87) 0 House – 56 years old (Youngest 29; Oldest 89) 0 Religion 0 57% Protestant 0 29% Catholic 0 7% Jewish 0 Occupations 0 Law 0 Business 0 Public Service/Politics 0 Gender 0 83% male 0 17% female 0 Education 0 Bachelor’s Degree 0 92% of House 0 99% of Senate 0 Master’s Degree 0 19% of House 0 16% of Senate 0 Ph.D 0 2% of House 0 0% of Senate

Congressional Leadership Senate 0 President of the Senate 0 "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided." 0 President Pro Tempore – “for the time being” 0 Serves in VP’s absence 0 Early years – served on temporary basis 0 Chosen based on personal characteristics, popularity, & reliability 0 Since mid-20 th century 0 Senior member of the majority party 0 Cannot vote to break a tie Joseph Biden Patrick Leahy

Congressional Leadership cont’d 0 Senate Majority Leader 0 Harry Reid (D) 0 Majority Whip 0 Richard Durbin (D) 0 Senate Minority Leader 0 Mitch McConnell (R) 0 Minority Whip 0 John Cornyn (R) 0 Floor leaders are elected by members of their own party 0 One serves as majority leader; one as minority leader 0 Serve as spokesmen for parties’ positions 0 Whips are also elected by both parties 0 Responsible for counting heads and gathering party members for votes or quorum calls

Congressional Leadership cont’d House of Representatives 0 Speaker of the House ( Leader of the majority party) 0 Elected by whole House 0 Presiding officer and administrative head 0 Majority Leader 0 Represents Republicans on House floor 0 Elected every 2 years 0 Plans legislative agenda 0 Majority Whip 0 Assists leadership in managing legislation 0 Keeps track of legislation 0 Ensures presence of party members for votes John Boehner (R) Eric Cantor (R) Kevin McCarthy (R)

Congressional Leadership cont’d 0 Democratic Leader 0 Nancy Pelosi (D) 0 Represents Democrats on the House floor 0 Counterpart of majority leader 0 Works to protect rights of minority party 0 Democratic Whip 0 Steny Hoyer (D) 0 Assists leadership in managing party’s legislative policy 0 Tracks legislation 0 Ensures presence of party members for votes