The Congress
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Transcript The Congress
Chapter 10
Section 1
The Congress: Bicameral
House of Representatives:
Must be 25 years old to
serve
Must be a citizen for 7
years
2-year terms
Has 435 members
Representation based on
population
Represent their own
districts
Senate:
Must be 30 years old to
serve
Must be a citizen for 9
years
6-year terms
Has 100 members
2 senators for each state
Represent the entire state
The Congress: Bicameral
House of Representatives:
As there are more
members, there are more
rules
Leaders have more
power to control what
goes on
Every representative is
up for election every 2
years
Senate:
Only has 100 members,
so is considered more
prestigious
Senators up for election
every six years with a
stagger of every two
years
1/3 up for election every
2 years
The Congress: Reapportionment
Every 10 years we count “all” of the people in the
country (the census)
Reapportionment is when the number of
representatives changes in a state to reflect changes in
the state’s population (House of Representatives only)
California has the most representatives with 53
Michigan has 15
The Congress: Powers
Delegated Powers: Powers that are expressly written in the
constitution
Taxing
Legislating
Regulating commerce
Implied Powers: Powers that are not expressed, but which
are assumed over time
Non-Legislative Powers: Impeachment-if the Congress
feels the president (or other federal official) has violated
their oath of office
The house investigates & impeaches
The senate convicts by a 2/3 vote
The Congress: Organization
House of Representatives:
Speaker of the House is top
dog (always a member of
the majority party)
Next is the majority leader
Last are the whips
Make sure things get done
Minority leader heads the
opposition (has his own
whips)
Senate:
President & president
tempore are top dogs
Next is majority leader
Last are whips
Minority leader heads the
opposition (has his own
whips)
Vice president is president
of the senate
He votes if there is a tie in
the senate
The Congress: Committees
There are over 11,000 bills introduced in congress,
every 2-year session
Not everyone can read every bill
So the work is divided among committees
The Congress: Committees
Standing Committees: Continue from one house to the
next (armed services, agriculture and budget committees)
Select Committees: Separate in each house, usually
temporary and study specific issues (juicy issues such as
investigatory issues)
Joint Committees: Made up of members of both houses,
usually more mundane, day-to-day issues
Conference Committee: Temporary, made up of both
houses and makes sure both senate and house bills have
the same language
Having the right committee assignment can really help a
person’s career (TV appearances, Newspapers)