1. Representing the People
Congress
Representing the People

2. Ch. 6-2

3. Powers of Congress
Legislative (law-making) Powers Expressed powers = powers of Congress specifically listed in the Constitution Implied powers = powers Congress infers through the “necessary and proper” clause of the Constitution. This clause is also sometimes called the “elastic clause” because it allows Congress to stretch its powers

4. Powers of Congress Legislative Powers Taxing and spending
Regulating commerce (trade)
Foreign relations and treaties

5. Non-legislative Powers
Powers of Congress
Non-legislative Powers
Proposing constitutional amendments
Counting electoral votes in presidential elections
Check other branches of government

6. Non-legislative Powers
The Power of Approval and Removal
Senate can approve or reject presidential appointments
Congress can remove elected officials when they have committed serious wrongdoing
The House can impeach - accuse officials of misconduct in office
The Senate then acts as a jury and
votes to convict / remove the
person from office

7. Non-legislative Powers
Oversight and Investigation
Congress can review how well a law is put into practice
They can conduct special investigations

8. Limits on Congress’ Power
Congress cannot suspend the writ of habeas corpus – this is a court order requiring police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person
Congress cannot pass bills of attainder – this is a law that punishes a person without a jury trial
Congress cannot pass ex post facto laws – these are laws that make an act a crime after the act has been committed

9. Limits on Congress’ Power
Congress cannot do anything that is forbidden by the Bill of Rights
Congress cannot favor one state over another
Congress cannot tax interstate commerce
Congress cannot tax exports

10. Ch. 6-3

11. Requirements for Senators
Senators must:
Be 30 years old
Live in the state they represent
Have been a U.S. citizen for 9 years before being elected

12. Requirements for the House
Representatives in the House must:
Be 25 years old
Live in the state they represent
Have been a U.S. citizen for
at least 7 years before
being elected

13. Senators and Representatives
½ are lawyers
Almost all have college degrees
Tend to be active in community organizations
Most have held elected offices at the state or local level

14. Frank Salary and benefits $174,000 / year
Free office space, parking, trips to
home state
Send job related mail without
paying postage – this is the
“Franking privilege”
Frank

15. More benefits Low-cost life insurance Gym Special restaurants
Medical clinic

16. Congressional Staff
Serving in Congress is a full-time job (although it wasn’t always)
Senators and Representatives hire staff to help them
Assistants in offices in Washington, D.C. and in home districts
Interns and pages (students) to help with research, office duties, run errands

17. Members of Congress at Work
Sessions of Congress begin January 3rd every year
Continue through most of the year
Senators’/Representatives’ job is to represent the people of their district
3 major jobs

18. Lawmaking Write and introduce bills Take part in committee work
Listen to input of people for and against a bill
Vote on the floor of the House or Senate

19. Casework
Helping people in their districts with problems dealing with the bureaucracy of the federal government
Congress gets 80,000 s per day

20. Helping the District or State
Getting projects for the district or state
Post offices, dams, military bases, veterans’ hospitals, mass transit systems, contracts for services that are going to benefit people in the district
Pork-barrel projects = primarily
benefit the home district or
state

21. Do you remember Mr. Smith?
Ch. 6-4
Do you remember Mr. Smith?

22. How a Bill Becomes a Law
Private bills concern specific people or places
Public bills apply to the entire nation – things like taxation, civil rights, terrorism
Joint resolutions – passed by both houses of Congress… used for constitutional amendments, to designate money for a special purpose, correct errors in bills already passed

23. Committee Action and Floor Debate
Committees research and review bills, pass them, kill them, change them, ignore them…
Back to the floor of Congress
Riders = completely unrelated amendments added to a bill
Filibuster = talk a bill to death
Cloture = end a filibuster with a 3/5 vote
Vote

24. The bill passed the House and Senate… now what?
Presidential action
Veto = president refuses to sign
Pocket veto = president does nothing and Congress adjourns… bill is dead
President does nothing and Congress is still in session = LAW! 