HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE

CHAPTER 5, SECTION 1PART 2

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

• Why are the House and the Senate different when they both are houses within the Legislative Body?

I CAN:

1. Explain how both Houses of Congress are similar and different

2. Analyze the House and Senate based on their major facts and information

3. Understand the idea of gerrymandering and how it affects Congressional elections

4. Evaluate the leadership structure in both the House and the Senate

VIDEOS ON SENATE AND HOUSE

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-YKvx3vH7c&feature=related• Cram for the Exam

BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS• Made by Connecticut

Compromise• Every two years 1/3 of

Senators and all house members are up for election• Print rules every two

years• Republicans sit on right;

Democrats sit on left• All proposed laws start

as bills

BOTH HOUSES CONT.• 27th Amendment- pay

increase would not take effect until next voting cycle

• Franking privilege- Congressional members can send mail for free

• May get up to $150,000 a year when they retire

• Cannot be arrested while they are attending Congress or going to Congress

• Cannot be sued for anything they say on the house or senate floor

DISCIPLINE IN CONGRESS

• Censure- vote of disapproval, majority of each house, lose of committee chair• Expulsion- removal

from office, 2/3 votes from corresponding house

DISCIPLINE IN CONGRESS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFQ7T8iiNEo• Congressman dismissed for wearing hoodie

CENSURE IN CONGRESS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMnKltzA44Q&feature=fvsr• Today in History: McCarthy Censure• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaI2rd-c_1M• McCarthy on his Censure• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqQD4dzVkwk• Have you decency sir

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1goLynHyFaY• Facts of Congress

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

• 435 members based on state population• 2 year terms• No term limits• Elections held in

November of even numbered years• Off-Year elections-

occurring during nonpresidential years

HOUSE CONT.

• Salary of Members: $174,000• Debate in house is

limited to 1 hour• All tax and revenue

bills originate in the House• Lower turnout during

elections• 90% reelected

QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS

1. 25 years old2. Citizen of the

US for 7 years3. Legal

residents of the state that elects them

QUALIFICATIONS OF HOUSE

• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/What-Are-the-Requirements-to-be-a-Representative-.htm

OATH OF OFFICE FOR MEMBERS

• I, (Name of Member), do solemnly swear (of affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

OATH OF OFFICE VIDEO

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8cGgELJzBw

REPRESENTATION AND REAPPORTIONMENT

• Reapportionment Act of 1929- sets House at 435 total seats for 50 states

• Reapportionment- reassigning representation based on new number of population for each state

• Based on census- population count every 10 years• Each state can gain/loss seats based on population

but cannot go above 435 seats• State legislatures sets up congressional districts for

each representative and draws boundary lines• Redistricting- setting up/drawing new district lines

after reapportionment has taken place

WESBERRY VS. SANDERS 1964

• “One person, One vote” rule, each vote in a congressional district should be worth about the same• Today each district has around 710,000 people

REDISTRICTING VIDEO

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7qJvprHXw

2010 CENSUS AND HOUSE DISTRICTS

2010 KENTUCKY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS

GERRYMANDERING

• Process of drawing district lines to gain an advantage for one group or another; abuse of state redistricting power• Elbridge Gerry-

Governor of Massachusetts• District shapes usually

very irregular

4 TYPES OF GERRYMANDERING

1. Incumbent- agreement by both major parties to create safe districts for incumbents in office

2. Partisan- Benefits one political party over the other (usually whom every is in office during redistricting phase)

3. Racial-district lines drawn to either favor or harm ethnic/racial groups

GERRYMANDERING VIDEO

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mky11UJb9AY&feature=endscreen&NR=1• Animal Kingdom video

POTENTIAL GERRYMANDERING

GERRYMANDERING CONT.

• Packing- drawing lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible• Cracking- dividing an opponent’s voters into

other districts, weakens opponents voter base

REDISTRICTING VIDEO

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh4qAJDUOcc• Gerrymandering, Packing, and Cracking

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnQTE1zhXgU&feature=related• Gerrymandering and Redistricting for women

RULES AND COMMITTEES

• Aimed at defining that actions an individual representative can take

• Rules are geared to move legislation quickly once it reaches the floor

• Committees do most of the work (especially in House)

• Membership is larger, organize into smaller groups to accomplish work more efficiently.

LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE: 6 PURPOSES

1. Organizing and unifying party members2. Scheduling the work of the House3. Making certain that lawmakers are

present for key floor votes4. Distributing and collecting information5. Keeping the house in touch with the

President6. Influencing lawmakers to support the

polices of their political party

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

• Presiding officer and most powerful leader• Chosen by caucus

from majority party• Follows Vice-

President in line of succession• Salary- 223,500• John Boehner (R-

OH)

ROLES OF THE SPEAKER• Chooses chairperson

and majority party members to Rules Committee and other committees• First to speak on

legislation and recognizes members to speak on legislation• Schedules bills for

action and refers bills to proper committees

HOUSE FLOOR LEADERS

• Majority/Minority Leaders- a party, not House official, who carry out party agendas, plan legislative programs, and steer important bills through Congress

HOUSE FLOOR LEADERS

• Majority/Minority Whip- Assistant floor leaders whose goal is to watch how party members intend to vote, encourage them to vote with the party, and see party members are present to vote

LEADERSHIP VIDEO

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgB6-pVzOp4&feature=relmfu• Facts of Congress: Congressional Leaders

VIDEO TOUR OF HOUSE

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gADaGOSYeA&feature=relmfu

LAWMAKING PROCESS• To introduce a bill, it must

be placed in the Hopper, a mahogany box near the front of the room

• Only 10 to 20 percent of bills introduced ever make it to the full house for a vote

• Those that survive committees are put on a Calendar, listing the bills up for consideration

THE HOPPER

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_hOx8E2uo

5 CALENDARS OF THE HOUSE

1. Union- lists bills dealing with money2. House- Most other public bills3. Private- bills dealing with individual

people or places4. Consent- any bill the House gives

unanimous consent to debate out of regular order

5. Discharge- petition to discharge a bill from committee

HOUSE RULES COMMITTEE

• Provides “rule”, or special order, for each bill• When will bill be

debated, how long debate can last, and can the bill be amended• Resolves disputes

between two committees• Controlled by majority

party and so reflects their priorities

HOUSE QUORUM• Minimum number of

members who must be present to permit a legislative body to take official action• 218 members are

needed for a majority• Committee of the Whole

will sometimes meet and only 100 members are needed to move a bill to the whole house floor

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VIDEO

• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/United-States-House-of-Representatives.htm

WHY WE HAVE A SENATE

• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/About-the-U-S--Senate.htm

• Facts of Congress Senate• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4aMGlf6bA

SENATE

• 100 Senators• 6 year terms• No term limits• Run at-large elections, meaning they are statewide and cover a larger constituent base

SENATE CONT.

• Continuous body- portion of members retain their seats during elections• Fewer rules than in

House• More informal

atmosphere• Usually allows

unlimited debate

SENATE BILLS SCHEDULED

• Senate Leaders control the flow of bills to committees, floor debates and vote• Runs day to day

operations on unanimous consent-set aside rules and consider bill from calendar.

TWO SENATE CALENDARS

1. General Orders- lists all bills the Senate will consider

2. Executive Calendar- schedules treaties and nominations

BILLS CONT.• Filibuster- stall or

block legislation and prevent a vote from occurring• Can only be stopped

by invoking cloture- cuts debate to 1 hour on a bill and then have a vote• Takes 3/5 (60) votes

to enact cloture

FILIBUSTER VIDEOS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQIG-kfT9bI• Facts of Congress• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVc2kMXF_8c• George Mitchell on Filibuster• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a94cm4Fv_34• History of the Filibuster

SENATE LEADERSHIP: VICE PRESIDENT

• President of the Senate• Votes in case of a

tie• May recognize

members, put questions to a vote, but may not take part in Senate debate

PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE

• Means “for the time being”• Presides in absence

of the Vice President • Elected by the

Senate and usually senior member of the majority party• 4th in line of

succession

SENATE MAJORITY/MINORITY LEADERS

• Most important officers in the Senate• Sets agenda for

Senate• Oversees and

manages floor debates• Steer the party’s

bills through the Senate

WHY WE HAVE A HOUSE AND SENATE

• http://video.about.com/usgovinfo/Why-We-Have-a-House-and-a-Senate.htm

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFRqkw5KoI&feature=related• Legislative Powers and Principles• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=DqRxNnjUEtM&feature=related• Congressional Pork and Earmarks