1. Chp. 10: Congress

2. Objectives p. 002

3. Essential Understandings p. 000

4. Essential Questions p. 000

5. Section 1: The National Legislature p. 003

6. Reasoning For a Bicameral Congress p. 003 1.Historical a.British Parliament b.most of the colonial governments 2.Practical a.to settle the conflict between the New Jersey and Virginia Plans during the Constitutional Convention b.New Jersey Plan – representation is equal (Senate) c.Virginia Plan – representation is proportional to the population of the state (House) 3.Theoretical a.the legislative branch was designed to be the most powerful branch of the government b.Framers were saw bicameralism as a way to diffuse the power of Congress

7. Terms and Sessions p. 003 1.Terms a.a term lasts two years b.starts on Jan 3 rd of odd numbered years  Jan 3, 2011 – start of the 112 th Congress 2.Session a.a session is one year (two per term) b.adjourns – suspend until next session c.no house may adjourn without the consent of the other d.the president may prorogue a session if the two cannot agree on a date for adjournment 3.Special Sessions a.a meeting to deal with some emergency situations b.only 26 ever called  most recent was held in 1948 by Harry Truman to consider anti-inflation and welfare measures after WWII c.Congress meets year-round now which reduces the likelihood of special sessions

8. Section 2 The House of Representatievs p. 003

9. Size and Terms p. 005 1.435 members a.apportioned on the basis of their respective populations b.each state guaranteed at least one representative c.two year terms – no limit to number of terms 2.Reapportionment (redistribute) a.every ten years after the census 3.Reapportionment Act of 1929 a.set the permanent size of the House at 435 (each person represents about 720,000) b.after each census, the Census Bureau determines the number of seats each state should have

10. Size and Terms p. 005 4.Congressional Elections a.held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November on each even-numbered year a.all states follow this guideline (Alaska can hold elections in October, but chooses not to) b.Off-Year Elections are congressional elections not held on the same year as the presidential election c.usually the party in power loses seats 5.Districts a.each of the 435 members of the House represents a district in the U.S. b.single-member district – only one person can win in that district 6.Gerrymandering - district lines have been drawn so that the party in power in a state can maintain power a.try to concentrate the opposition’s voters in one or more districts b.try to spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts

12. Qualifications p. 005 1.Formal a.must be at least 25 years old b.must have been a citizen of the United States for seven years c.must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected  custom requires that the representative live in the district he/she represents d.the House can refuse a seat to a member-elect by a majority vote e.the House can expel a member by a 2/3 vote 2.Informal a.usually have to do with a member’s vote-getting abilities b.factors such as party identification, name familiarity, gender, ethnic characteristics and political experience 3.Frank Wolf (R) (1992-present from VA’s 10 th district) – House Appropriations Committee, Transportation Appropriations subcommittee

14. Section 3: The Senate p. 007

15. Size, Election, and Terms p. 007 1.Size a.100 members b.2 from each state c.represent their entire state 2.Election a.originally elected by state legislatures b.17 th Amendment allowed them to be elected by popular vote c.at-large – elected from the State as a whole 3.Term a.six year terms – no limit to number of terms b.a third go up for reelection every two years  helps keep the Senate a continuous body – all the seats are not up for reelection at one time c.greater job security d.less subject to the pressures of public opinion and special interest groups

16. Qualifications p. 007 1.30 years old 2.must have been a citizen of the US for at least nine years 3.must be an inhabitant of the State from which he or she is elected 4.the Senate can refuse a seat to a member-elect by a majority vote 5.the Senate can expel a member by a 2/3 vote 6.Mark Warner (D) (2009-Present) – Committee Assignments – Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Rules and Administration; Budget; Commerce, Science, and Transportation 7.Jim Webb (D) (2007-present) – Committee Assignments – Foreign Relations; Veterans ’ Affairs, Armed Services; Joint Economic Committee

17. Section 4: The Members of Congress p. 009

18. Personal and Political Backgrounds p. 009 1.the members of Congress are not a representative cross section of the American people 2.57% are Protestant, 29% are Roman Catholic, 7% are Jewish (other religious affiliations represented include Greek Orthodox, Quaker, Unitarian Universalist, Mormon, Buddhists, and Muslims 3.more than a third of the House and over half the senators were lawyers 4.92% of House Members and 99% of Senators have a college degree HouseSenate Avg. Length of Service9.8 years11.4 years Republicans24247 Democrats19251 Independents02 White36095 Black440 Hispanic262 Asian92 Foreign Born81 Women7417 Average Age5762

19. Five Major Roles p. 009 1.Legislators a.help make laws (main function of Congress) 2.Representatives of their Constituents a.represent the people that vote for them b.trustees – decide each issue based on its merits and not on the opinion of their constituents c.delegates – decide each issue based on the opinion of their constituents d.partisans – side with political party on issues e.politicos – attempt to balance being trustees, delegates and partisans 3.Committee Members a.specialize in one area of the law b.earn prestige and power 4.Servants of their Constituents a.try to help based on issues important to their constituents 5.Politicians

20. Compensation p. 009 1.Salary a.for all Senators and Members is $174,000 b.for the Speaker of the House is $223,500 c.for the Majority and Minority Leaders is $193,400 d.control their own salaries 2.Nonsalary Compensation a.special tax deductions for maintaining two residencies b.travel expenses c.a generous retirement plan to which the contribute d.office staff expenses e.franking privilege – allows them to mail letters postage free 3.Membership Privileges a.free from arrest except in cases of treason, felony and breach of the peace b.protected from libel or slander while conducting official business