Transcript Chapter 10: Congress - Sacred Heart Academy

Chapter 10
Section 1
The National Legislature
Why a bicameral Congress?
• Three reasons:
– Based on British
Parliament and state
legislatures
– Settled a conflict at the
Constitutional
Convention
– Check each other (both
houses must pass a bill
before it is sent to the
President)
Terms & Sessions
• Sessions (the time each
year when Congress
meets) begin in January
and continue until
Congress votes to adjourn
(end the session)
• A Congressional term has
two sessions
• If Congress needs to meet
after they have adjourned,
the President may ask for a
special session
How many representatives?
• Each state has two
senators
• Representatives for each
state are determined by
population
– California has the most
representatives, 53
– Alaska, Delaware, Montana,
North Dakota, South
Dakota, Vermont, and
Wyoming have only one
representative each
– The average representative
represents about 647,000
people
Section 4
The Members of Congress
Their Backgrounds
• Most have college
degrees
• Many were born in the
states they represent
• Most have been to
college
• 1/2 of senators and 1/3
of representatives have
studied law
Their Jobs
• Vote on bills
• Voting options:
–
–
–
–
Vote as delegates
Vote as trustees
Vote as partisans
Vote as politicos
• Also serve on
committees
– Committees decide if
bills receive floor
consideration
Their Benefits
• $174,000
• Speaker of the House
and floor leaders receive
additional payment
• Allowances for travel
• Medical insurance
• Offices and money to
pay staff
• Franking privileges
• Restaurants, gyms,
pools, parking
Section 2
The House of Representatives
Size & Terms
• 435 elected officials
• Two-year terms
– Elections held between
presidential elections are
called off-year elections or
midterm elections
• Each state is divided into
districts
– Each district elects its own
representative
• The Speaker of the House
is the leader
– Elected by the majority
party
– Serves two years
Reapportionment
• Every 10 years, the U.S.
takes a census
• As the population of the
country grew, Congress
added seats
• In 1920, the number of
representatives reached
435, and Congress
decided that was big
enough
• 1929: Reapportionment
Act – representatives are
redistributed
Districts
• Most states are divided
up into districts
• The seven states that
have only one district
elect their
representatives atlarge, i.e., to represent
the whole state
What is gerrymandering?
• States must draw district
boundaries to include a
similar population in
each district
– In Wesberry v. Sanders,
the Supreme Court said
that each person’s vote
should be worth the same
• Gerrymandering in the
term for unfair
districting, which can be
done in a number of
ways
Requirements
• At least 25 years of age
• Citizen of the United
States for 7 years
• Resident of the state
from which they are
elected
• The House is
empowered to judge the
qualifications of its own
members, and may
dismiss members for a
number of reasons
Section 3
The Senate
How many members are
in the Senate?
• 2 senators per state
– Math: How many
senators are there now?
– Math: How many
senators were there in
the first Congress?
• Six-year terms
• Represent the entire
state
• More concerned with
national issues
What are the
qualifications for senators?
• 30 years old
• Citizen for nine years
• Resident of the state
they represent
• Continuous body:
– 1/3 of Senators are elected
every two years
– Only one senator from a
state is elected at a time
• Can judge members
qualifications and expel
members