1. Congress Unit
FRQ Practice

2. 1. Bicameral (two-house) legislature
a. created by the “Great Compromise” at the Constitutional convention; wanted equal rep. for small states (Senate) and proportional rep. for large states (House); checks and balances: each part could check the other—and make sure it did not abuse its power; would have to compromise on laws together

3. 1. Bicameral legislature (cont.)
b. House: has the power to initiate bills about revenue (taxes)—because it is closest to the people with its elections every 2 years; it also brings up charges of impeachment against an elected official
c. Senate: approves presidential appointments (Cabinet members, federal judges, and ambassadors)—to check the president

4. 2. Committee system of Congress
a. after bills are introduced in Congress, they are assigned to committees to be discussed, amended, and debated
could also be sent to subcommittees—and hold hearings about the bills to find out views for and against the bill (usually from the public or experts)
bills are sent back to the committee to be voted on and then to the House or Senate for floor debate
conference committee: House and Senate meet to resolve differences between the bills
joint committee: members of both House & Senate

5. 2. Committee System of Congress (cont.)
b. advantages: more efficient work than the whole House or Senate; Congresspeople are experts in certain areas (policy speacialists); states have different interests—so their elected official should serve on the committee that best meets those
disadvantages: many bills do not make it out of committee; work might be done behind closed doors (no transparency); committee chairs and assignments are done by the majority party (plays favorites)

6. 3. Power of the majority party
a. chooses the Speaker of the House—who then makes committee assignments (including chairs); affects the rules of how bills will be debated—including time limits, amendments to the bills, and adding “pork” to them
b. the House has limited debate on bills, while the Senate has unlimited debate; House Rules Committee: sets the parameters for debate; Senate uses the filibuster to stop debate—requiring cloture (60 votes to end)
c. House Rules could prevent a bill from coming to the floor—or make it faster to pass with limited discussion; Senate: can block a bill from getting voted on or debated; but can make it easier to pass bills since it is smaller than the House