1. Chapter 8: The Legislative Branch SECTION 1: The Members of Congress

2. Focus Congress = Legislative Branch = Lawmaking Branch – Consists of 2 houses – Senate & House of Representatives – Most important job – MAKE LAWS – LAWS – say what you can and cannot do and establish policy

3. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking Local versus National Needs – Each member represents a small group called constituents. – Each member all represents the nation as a whole – Sometimes needs of constituents conflict with those of the entire nation. Political Parties – Members are responsible to their parties. – Parties work to get certain people into Congress, therefore, they expect those people to represent the party’s idea in government. – This can also cause conflict between party needs and constituents' needs.

4. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking (continued) Interest Groups (IG) – To get re-elected members run campaigns and raise money for certain groups – Members gain support from certain interests groups – IG= Votes & Money – IG work to convince Congress to support certain bills and reject other bills. – Lobbyists - people who represent certain IGs and inform members of Congress about their position on certain bills.

5. The Responsibilities of Lawmaking (continued) Factors in Decision Making – Members vote on 100s of bills – To make a decision: Members must weigh conflicting information presented by constituents, party members and lobbyists. Members must use conscience and values. Servants of the People – 2 nd Most important role is to serve the people – Must give information and help constituents with special needs or interests – Serving their constituents makes it more likely that the constituents will vote for them again if the Congress member decides to run again.

6. Members of Congress at Work Too much work and too little time to do it all Almost impossible to complete all the work Members spend a great deal learning about issues on which they must vote. Members try to be present on the floor of Congress as much as possible. They attend meetings, give and listen to speeches, and ultimately vote on a bill. Congressional Staff – 12000 members – Legislative assistants – study bills – Caseworkers – respond to constituents’ requests – Try to link local offices to offices in Washington, DC.

7. Representatives Census – taken every 10 years to see distribution of representatives (Reps) in the House (how many Reps each state should have). States can gain or lose Reps. 435 Reps total Congressional District (CD) – Area that a Rep represents – each CD must have about the same number of people (647,000) Drawing districts may cause controversy (can be drawn to have more members of certain parties)

8. Senators Each state has 2 Senators Serve 6 year terms – with 1/3 of Senators are elected every 2 years Senators pays attention to the needs of the state they represent as a whole Longer, overlapping terms makes senators less likely to make quick, unwise changes in the law

9. Requirements, Benefits and Salary Representatives – must be at least 25 years old and be a citizen for 7 years. Senators – must be at least 30 years old and be a citizen for 9 years. BOTH – must live in the state they represent. – Salary - $145,100 (in 2001) – Benefits – allowance to pay for expenses and their staff; free use of the postal service.

10. ATTENTION!!!!!! THESE NOTES ARE ONLY ON CHAPTER 8: SECTION 1 THE QUIZ WILL CONSISTS OF ALL OF CHAPTER 8 (Sections 1, 2, 3, & 4) I posted these notes to make sure you copied all notes from other students (remember each group was assigned a section to take notes on and share with the rest of the class).