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Government Chapter 5 Section 1: Roles and Powers of Congress

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1 Government Chapter 5 Section 1: Roles and Powers of Congress

2 Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government was so important to the framers of the Constitution that it was the first branch of government they discussed in the Constitution.

3 Congress has three key roles.
1. Make laws 2. Oversees the performance of government agencies 3. Provides services to the people its members represent.

4 Making Laws Members of Congress must weigh the conflicting influences, in particular, their… personal beliefs constituents’ interests interest groups’ concerns political party loyalty.

5 Personal Beliefs A congressperson’s personal beliefs about what promotes the public good significantly influence his or her voting decisions. Voted against an amendment to Flag burning. Why?

6 Constituents’ Interests
Members of Congress are elected to serve as representatives of the people. Members of Congress are elected by people who live in one locality (a district or a state). Even though Congress makes laws for the whole country, members answer only to the people of their locality.

7 Constituents- the residents of his or her district or state.

8 The public is divided over whether members of Congress should support local interests over general national interests.

9 Interest Groups People acting together to achieve shared political goals. Provide information on issues, suggest legislation to congressmembers, and promote legislation that is favorable to their groups. Example: Abortion/ Animals and Wildlife

10 Political Action Committees
Separate political branches of interest groups that are formed for the purpose of participating in politics and giving money to candidates.

11 Congressmembers who vote for a bill favored by a certain interest group have received on average far larger campaign contributions from that group than have members who voted against the bill.

12 Political Party Loyalty
Party loyalty has been increasing. Reasons include strong party leadership in Congress and in congressional election campaigns. Shared political beliefs.

13 Overseeing Agencies Congressional oversight- involves conducting investigations of agency actions and programs.

14 Investigates why agencies have been slow in regulating the use of a toxic chemical, or issues on discrimination.

15 Congress has found it favorably, politically, for being involved in these investigations.

16 Helping Constituents Roughly 17 percent of Americans report that they have at some time requested help from a member of Congress.

17 Individual Requests Most constituent mail involves issues such as…
obtaining information or expressing views about legislation requesting help with finding a government job asking for assistance with government services, such as Social Security.

18 Detecting Patterns Congressional staffs look for changes and patterns in constituent requests. Such patterns may signal a problem with a government program or a change in a constituents’ general attitudes.

19 Handling Requests A constituent that the congressmember particularly values- a close friend, generous campaign contributor, or large employer in the locality.

20 Members of Congress must avoid using the power of their office unethically to influence agencies on behalf of a particularly valued constituent.

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