Vocab
The people that an elected official represents
Constituents
What is the purpose of the legislative branch?
To make laws
How many members make up each House of Congress
Reps - 435 (based on population of state)
Senators - 100 (2 per state)
What is the difference between expressed and implied powers?
Expressed powers are specifically stated in the Constitution.
Implied powers are not directly stated in the Constitution.
How often must Congressional districts be reapportioned?
Every 10 years (through the census)
To manipulate the boundaries of a district to favor one political party
Gerrymander
What is the title given to the head of the House of Representatives? Who currently holds this position?
Speaker of the House - Mike Johnson
Who is your representative for the 11th district in Congress?
Lloyd Smucker
What are 2 things Congress can't do (limits of power)?
1. Congress cannot make a law that violates the Bill of Rights.
2. Congress cannot tax U.S.-made products that are sent to other countries to be sold (exports).
3. Congress cannot grant titles of nobility (i.e., King, Queen, Prince, etc.).
As our country grows in population, how does that make the job of Congressmen/women harder to do their job?
With a growing population, it can be increasingly difficult to communicate and effectively represent hundreds of thousands of people.
A minimum number of members that must be present in order to conduct business
Quorum
How can gerrymandering affect the outcome of an election?
- A political party within a state ends up with a majority of the seats of representatives, which leads to political gain for the party. This then denies some citizens, especially minorities, the right to elect representatives who can best meet their needs. As a result, it has led to low voter turnout in elections because the minority party in the district feels they have little say in being able to combat the majority.
How often are Representatives and Senators elected?
Reps - All are elected every 2 years
Senators - Every 6 years, 1/3 of the senators are up for election/reelection (staggered election)
Give 5 examples of expressed powers given to Congress.
- Borrow money for the U.S.
- Create Federal courts below the Supreme Court
- Declare war on other countries/U.S. enemies
- Coin (make) money
- Create and support the armed forces
- Establish rules for naturalization
- Create post offices
- Regulate trade
- Collect taxes
When can Congress create laws that are necessary and proper? Provide an example of this:
Congress is allowed to make whatever laws are necessary and proper in order to carry out its (expressed) powers, which are written in the Constitution.
Ex. creation of banks in order to help carry out the expressed power of collecting taxes; drafting soldiers in order to raise and maintain an army
To divide and distribute the seats in a legislative body on the basis of population
Apportionment
Under the Constitution, who is the head of the Senate, what is the title given to the person running the day-to-day operations, and who currently holds this position?
Under the Constitution, the V-P is the head of the Senate, but it is the President Pro Tempore who runs the day-to-day operations. Currently, the person who holds this position is Charles E. Grassley.
Who are your 2 PA Senators?
John Fetterman and Dave McCormick
What are the 3 special powers given to only the House of Representatives?
- Power to impeach the President and other federal officials
- Power to decide who becomes the President if neither candidate wins a majority of the electoral votes
- Power to create bills that affect raising taxes on the American people
Give an example of a standing, special, and joint committee.
Standing - Examples: Agriculture, Armed Services, Budget, Education, Homeland Security, Veterans’ Affairs
Special - Events Surrounding the 2012 Attack in Benghazi, Aging, Ethics, Intelligence, 6th Attack on the Capitol
Joint - Economic, Library, Printing, and Taxation
Name and explain the 3 main types of committees.
Standing - A permanent committee that specializes in particular subject area
Special - A temporary committee that’s formed for a specific purpose to investigate, study, and consider measures
Joint - A permanent committee that includes members of both the House and the Senate who conduct studies
What are the 4 factors Congressmen/women must consider when making decisions on issues?
1. Does the Constitution give Congress the power to pass the laws?
2. What is their own personal opinion?
3. What are the views of their political party?
4. What do their voters think?
What are the basic requirements to become a Representative and Senator?
Representative - Must be at least 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years, and a resident of the state he/she represents
Senator- Must be at least 30 years of age, a U.S. citizen for at least 9 years, and a resident of the state he/she represents
What are the 3 special powers that only the Senate possesses?
- Power to hold impeachment trials of the President and other federal officials
- Power to ratify treaties created by the President
- Power to approve appointments of federal officials made by the President
Describe the process of a bill becoming a law.
- bill is proposed
- Bill is introduced in the House and is assigned a committee to study it
- If approved by the committee, it is sent to the full House floor for a debate and vote.
- If passed, the bill goes to the Senate who will review, debate, and vote on the bill.
-If passed by both houses of Congress, it will next go to the President. If there are differences between the House and Senate bills, however, the bill will be sent to a Conference Committee (made up of members from both houses) who will compromise and rewrite the bill in hopes of satisfying both houses. Once a compromise is made, the bill will be sent back to both houses for a final vote.
- If it passes the final vote, the rewritten bill will go to the President, who will either approve or veto the bill.
- If the bill is vetoed, it can be overridden by a 2/3rds vote in both houses of Congress and become a law.