Structure
The Legislative Branch is made up of
Congress
What is the term length of a Senator?
6 years
What is the age requirement to be a representative in the House?
You must be at least 25 yrs old
Give one example of a type of committee
Standing
Select
Joint
Conference
One advantage of being an incumbent
Voters know them
accomplishments
$$ to campaign
What kind of legislature is Congress?
Bicameral legislature
How many members are in the Senate?
100
How many members are there in the House of Reps
435
What is a proposed draft of a law called
Bill
Who can use a filibuster and why would they want to?
Used by Senators when they do not want a bill to pass, but do not have enough support from his/her colleagues to vote against it
List TWO powers of the legislative branch.
Grant statehood
Declare war
Regulate interstate trade
create laws
raise and maintain military
How do we determine how many senators each state gets?
2 senators per state
How do we determine how many representatives each state gets?
based on population
Committees are important because...
The improve the organization of Congress
Representation is...
Political actors act in the best interest of their constituents
Which chamber is in charge of choosing the President if the electoral college fails?
House of Representatives
Direct election of Senators granted by which amendment?
17th Amendment
How long can a representative be reelected for?
There is no term limit
What is the purpose of having committees in Congress?
evaluate information and recommend course(s) of action to the chamber
Describe the process of how a bill becomes a law.
Under the Constitution, any other laws or regulations that are “necessary and proper” can be created by Congress if need be. What is this called?
Elastic Clause
List one power of the senate only
Trial of impeached officials
Confirm Presidential appointments
Ratify treaties
List one power of the House of Reps. only
Start bills dealing with $$
Impeach officials
Choose President if no majority in Electoral College
The _______ Committee to Investigate the Jan 6th Attack on the US Capitol is what type of committee?
Select Committee
Describe packing and cracking in terms of gerrymandering
“Cracking” when they attempt to divide groups of people that are likely to vote for the same candidate/party. If they are divided then their voting strength as a group is weakened…
“Packing” is when they cram certain voters into as few districts as possible where their power is only limited in those few and the others districts overpower them.