Section 1
What type of legislature did the Constitution establish?
bicameral legislature
What are the three types of powers granted by the Constitution?
Inherent Powers, Expressed Powers, and Implied Powers
How many seats are currently in the House?
435 seats
How many members are in the Senate?
100 members
What percent of bills get passed and become laws?
3%
Where was the first capital of the United States?
New York City
Who are strict constructionists?
Anti-Federalists who argue that Congress should only be able to use implied powers that are absolutely necessary to carry out its expressed powers.
How are the seats distributed? About how many people does one seat represent?
They are distributed by population; about 735,000 people.
How are members of the Senate chosen, and how long are Senators terms?
Senators are chosen by state legislatures, and they serve 6 year terms.
How do the House and Senate introduce bill?
The House puts the bill into a wooden box called a hopper, and the Senate hands the paperwork to a clerk.
What is the U.S. Capitol?
The building where Congress meets.
Name 3 ways Congress can gain new property.
Treaty, purchase, conquest, admitting new states, discovery, unclaimed land, or by exercising eminent domain.
Name the 3 requirements members of the House must meet?
Members must be at least 25 years old, be a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, and be a resident in the state they represent.
Name the 3 requirements to be a Senator.
Must be at least 30 years old, a U.S, citizen for at least 9 years, and must live in the state they represent.
What are the 3 actions a president can do on a bill?
Sign the bill into law, veto the bill, or refuse to sign the bill (pocket veto).
What two presidents were impeached?
Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
What does the Elastic Clause do?
It allows Congress to decide how it should carry out the powers given by the Constitution.
What is gerrymandering and how can it be used for political advantage?
Gerrymandering is when state governments draw district boundaries in favor of their political party; it can be used to give their political party more chances of winning elections.
How does the Senate fill vacancies?
The governor of that senator's state appoints a replacement; the governor usually chooses a new senator from their own party.
Who makes up the conference committee and what is its purpose?
Members of a conference committee are taken from each chamber of congress to debate the bill; the purpose is to come up with a report of the bill to pass to the president's desk.
Why is the purpose of having two houses of Congress?
One house can check the power of the other.
Name 3 nonlegislative powers.
Congress can propose constitutional amendments, Congress has electoral duties when elections must be decided or a new vice president appointed, congress can impeach certain federal officials, the senate must approve major presidential appointments and ratify official treaties.
Who is the most powerful member of the House and what are 3 things they do?
Speaker of the House: they speak on the House floor, assign bills and laws to certain committees, organize and run debates, and assign members to certain committees.
Explain the filibuster.
A filibuster is when opponents refuse to stop talking in an effort to prevent voting; it is usually used when the minority knows the measure will pass when it comes to vote so the hope is to stall action long enough to be forced to move on to other government business.
What is the process for a bill to become a law?
The bill goes through both branches of congress, then to the conference committee, then to congressional approval, then to the president who signs the bill into law.