Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Legislative Branch The Law Making Branch. Legislative Power comes from Article I   Section 1: Legislative Powers   Section 2: House of Representatives.

Similar presentations


Presentation on theme: "Legislative Branch The Law Making Branch. Legislative Power comes from Article I   Section 1: Legislative Powers   Section 2: House of Representatives."— Presentation transcript:

1 Legislative Branch The Law Making Branch

2 Legislative Power comes from Article I   Section 1: Legislative Powers   Section 2: House of Representatives   Section 3: Senate   Section 4: Congressional Elections   Section 5: Procedure – –Quorums, Open Voting Records, and Adjournment   Section 6: Compensation, privilege, restrictions on holding office   Section 7: Bills   Section 8: Enumurated Powers –Collect taxes, declare war, pay for debts, coin money, maintain Army and Navy –Make Laws Necessary and Proper to carry out powers – Elastic Clause   Section 9: Limits on Congress   Section 10: Limits on States

3 Organization  2 houses (bicameral) – to divide the power even further and ensure citizens are represented  House of Representatives – the people’s house – 435 representatives  Senate – the upper house – 100 representatives

4 Qualifications  House of Representatives –25 years old –US citizen for 7 years –Live in represented state  Senate –30 years old –US citizen for 9 years  Live in represented state

5 Term & Membership  House of Representatives –2 year term –State can not set term limits (see below) –435 members  Senate –Six year terms –State can not set term limits  1995, Supreme Court ruled term limits for Representatives and Senators unconstitutional –100 senators – 2 from each state

6 Census  Population count taken every ten years to determine representation for the House  If your state gains in population it can gain a seat in the House  If your state loses in population it can lose a seat in the House  Representatives are elected by a district and serve that district  After a census is taken the state legislatures apportion (redraw) districts on the state map  Gerrymandering – draw oddly shaped districts to benefit a party or for political reasons  All districts are supposed to have the same number of constituents (voters)

7 Apportionment of Representatives after 2010 Census

8 New District Lines in South Carolina

9 North Carolina’s 12 th District Lighting Bolt District -Example of Gerrymandering

10 Duties  House of Representatives –Introduces appropriations bills –Elects presidents if no majority –Happened once in 1824 Adams over Andrew Jackson –Impeaches officials  Senate –Ratify treaties –Elects VP if no majority –Impeachment trials –Approves appointments

11 Benefits of Congress  2013 Salary- $174,000 –Both House and Senate leaders get paid more (Speaker of the House = $223,500) –Stopped raise last 4 years to save taxpayer money ($850,000)  Trips to home state are paid for  Allowance for staff and furniture for their offices  Insurance and Pension  Discounts  Franking privilege – send job related mail without postage  Given immunity for minor crimes –Only crimes that they can be arrested for are treason, a felony, and breach of the peace

12 Franking Privilege

13 Punishments  Expulsion – forced to leave by 2/3 vote by either house  Censure – wrong doings made public –Very embarrassing –Senators: Most recent 1990, David Durenberger was censured for unethical conduct relating to reimbursement of Senate expenses and acceptance of outside payments and gifts –Representatives: David Crane was censored for in 1983 for inappropriate sexual behavior with a congressional page –Charlie Rangel in 2010 Charlie Rangel in 2010Charlie Rangel in 2010

14 Senate  Continuous body – 1/3 goes up for election every 2 years – ensures stability –Senators divided into classes. –Class II was up in 2008 – Dole lost to Hagan Class II Class II –Class III - 2010 = Burr won against Elaine Marshall Kay Hagan - D Richard Burr - R

15 Congressional Sessions  Regular Session – 2 regular sessions, one for each year beginning January 3 – month long vacation in August –The 113 th Congress started Jan. 3, 2013  Special Session – Called by the President – used if there is a crisis or high need for change  Joint Session – House & senate meet together at the same time

16 Roles of a Congressman  Make Laws  Represent the People –Trustee – people trust their judgment –Delegate – Agent of the people –Partisan – Agent of the party –Politicos – combination of all 3  Committee Work  Servant of the people –Pork Barrel Spending –Casework - VideoVideo Patrick McHenry NC 10 th District Representative Since 2005

17 Congressional Leadership  Official –Majority Party – party with most members – dominates the leadership positions  Currently the Democratic Party in the Senate and Republicans in the House –Minority Party – party with least members –Seniority – years of experience – used to determine leadership positions

18 House Chamber

19 Senate Chamber

20 Congressional Leadership Cont.  House Leader – Speaker of the House –Always from the majority party –3rd in line to the presidency –Most powerful leadership –Currently John Boehner (R – OH)  Senate Leader – –Vice President – official leader – only there for tie- breaker & State of the Union – Currently Joe Biden –President Pro-Tempore – presiding official leader – 4th in line for presidency  Currently Daniel Inouye (D – Hawaii) –Senate Majority leader has the true power in the Senate  Harry Reid (D – Nevada)

21 House and Senate Leaders Speaker of the House John Boehner President of the Senate Joe Biden President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

22 Congressional Leadership Cont.  Party Leaders –Each house has its own party leaders that work on behalf of the party –Floor Leaders – make sure the upcoming bills are in the best interst of the party – also decide committee assignments –Party Whips – keep track of voting intentions of party members – makes sure representatives vote on party lines

23 Current Leadership in the Senate  Senate Majority Whip –Richard Durbin (D-IL)  Senate Minority Leader –Mitch McConnell (R-KY)  Senate Minority Whip –John Cornyn (R-TX)

24 Current Leadership in the House  House Majority Leader – Eric Cantor (R-VA)  House Majority Whip – Kevin McCarthy (R- CA)  House Minority Leader – Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)  House Minority Whip – Steny Hoyer (D-SC)

25 Congressional Committees – p 181  Standing Committees – permanent committees specializing in certain areas then divided into subcommittees  Select Committees – Temporary Committees formed to complete a task  Joint Committees – Members of both houses meet together  Conference Committees – both houses meet together to discuss different versions of a bill  House Committees House Committees House Committees  Senate Committees Senate Committees Senate Committees

26 Committee Membership  Majority party has a majority in all committees  Party leadership determines membership on committees  Ex. McHenry serves on the Budget, Financial Services, and Oversight and Government Reform Committees

27 Congressional Powers  Legislative – pg 149 –Expressed – listed in Article I –Implied – Elastic clause – Necessary and Proper  Non-legislative –Powers that make the government run efficiently –Checks & Balances powers –Do not involve making laws

28 Limits on Power  Suspension of Writs of Habeas Corpus – have to explain why being held by police  Can’t pass Bills of Attainder – laws that punish without a trial  Can’t pass Ex Post Facto Laws – laws that make an act a crime after it has been committed  Can’t favor one state over another


Download ppt "Legislative Branch The Law Making Branch. Legislative Power comes from Article I   Section 1: Legislative Powers   Section 2: House of Representatives."

Similar presentations


Ads by Google