Week 25 Notes

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Week 25Notes

• How the Congress is organized
• How a person is elected to the House of
  Representatives and the Senate
• Term of Office
• Duties and Responsibilities of the Congress
• Leadership of the House of Representatives and
  the Senate
• Name_______________________________
• Period______________________________
• Date_______________________________
• Mr. Furman

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Legislative Branch

• Article 1 Section 1 Explains how the
  Legislative branch (Congress) will be organized
  and what powers it will have.
• There are 18 delegated powers given to the
  Congress.
• All legislative powers herein granted shall be
  vested in a Congress of the United States, which
  shall consist of a Senate and House of
  Representatives.

Capitol Building
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Legislative Branch

• The main job or duty of the Congress is to make
  and pass laws for the U.S.A.
• - To make and borrow money for the U.S.A.
• - To regulate trade.
• - Establish a post office and build roads.
• Declare war.
• Has final approval of the Federal Governments
  budget.- power of the purse
• To establish inferior (lower) courts to the
  Supreme Court.
• - The Elastic Clause gave the Congress the power
  to make all laws that they see as necessary and
  proper to deal with the changing needs of the
  country. These implied powers are not
  specifically stated in the Constitution. I-8-18

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House of Representatives

• The House of Representatives (HR) is known as the
  lower House.
• There are 435 members in the House of
  Representatives (This number doesnt change).
  Each state can send one representative for every
  690,000 people. Every 10 years a census is
  taken, and states can either gain or lose
  representatives based on the states changing
  population.
• Each state is divided into congressional
  districts.
• Example- Arizona has 8 Congressional Districts

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House of Representatives
Representative Rick Renzi, District 1 Elected
2002 Representative Trent Franks, District
2 Elected 2002 Representative John Shadegg,
District 3 Elected 1994 Representative Ed
Pastor, District 4 Elected 1991 Representative
Harry D. Mitchell, District 5 Elected
2006 Representative Jeff Flake, District
6 Elected 2000 Representative Raul Grijalva,
District 7 Elected 2002 Representative Gabrielle
Giffords, District 8 Elected 2006

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House of Representatives

• Qualifications
• 25 years of age.
• 2) 7 years a citizen of the U.S.A.
• 3) Must live in the congressional district that
  he/she represents.

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House of Representatives

• Leadership
• The Speaker of the House is the leader in the
  House of Representatives. The political party
  that holds the majority in the House of
  Representatives elects one of their own to serve
  as Speaker.
• Nancy Pelosi
• California (D)

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House of Representatives

• Leadership
• Speaker
• Nancy Pelosi
• California (D)
• Majority Leader Minority Leader
• Steny H. Hoyer John Boehner
• Maryland (D) Ohio (R)

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Senate

• The Senate (S) is known as the upper House.
• There are 100 members in the Senate. Each state
  can send two senators to Congress. The senator
  who was elected first and has served the longest
  is know as the senior senator from the state,
  while the other is know as the junior senator.

AZ
Junior Senator Jon Kyl (R)
Senior Senator John McCain (R)
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Senate

• Qualifications
• 30 years of age.
• 2) 9 years a citizen of the U.S.A.
• 3) Must live in the state that he/she represents.

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Senate

• Leadership
• The Vice-President is the leader (president) of
  the Senate.
• Most of the time the Vice President is not there,
  and a President Pro-tempore (temporary president)
  is in charge of the Senate. The political party
  that holds the majority in the Senate elects one
  of their own to serve as President Pro-Tempore.

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Senate

• Leadership

Vice President Dick Cheney (R) United States
President Pro TemporeRobert C. Byrd (D) West
Virginia
Majority LeaderHarry Reid (D) Nevada
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R)
Kentucky
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Getting Elected to Congress

• Every two years, approximately one-third of the
  Senate, and all the members of the HR are
  elected. Both Senators and Representatives are
  chosen through direct election. The candidate who
  receives the greatest number of votes wins.
• The term of office for the House of
  Representatives is 2 years.
• The term of office for the Senate is 6 years.
• A representative or senator may serve an
  unlimited number of terms.

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Getting Elected to Congress

• Congress meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washington,
  D.C. The current 110th United States Congress
  first convened on January 4, 2007.
• Every two years a new Congress is elected and
  convenes. For example, in January 2009, the
  111th Congress will meet.