The Legislative Branch

How many?

Each 10 years the Census is used to determine a state’s number of representatives

Each representative in the House of Representatives has approximately 650,000 constituents

Census- Official count of the people in the country

According to the Constitution,To become a Senator or Congress member you must…

Be a resident of the state in which you are elected

Be at least 25 years old for the House and a citizen for 7 years

Be at least 30 years old for the Senate and a citizen for 9 years

Most legislators…

Have at least a college (and usually and advanced) degree

Backgrounds in business or law

Powers of the Congress

1. Levy and collect taxes2. Borrow money3. Regulate interstate and foreign

commerce4. Coin money5. Declare war

House Senate

435 members 2 year terms Elected in districts Quicker to act Less prestigious Less press coverage Limited floor debate More influence on

budget

100 members 6 year terms Elected by state Slower to act More prestige More press

coverage Longer floor debates More influence on

foreign affairs

The House of Representatives

435 Members

42 African Americans 75 women 27 Latinos 6 Asian Americans 1 Native American 3 Openly gay members 2 Muslims 2 Buddhists

House LeadershipSpeaker of the HouseJohn Boehner (OH)

Majority LeaderEric Cantor

Minority LeaderNancy Pelosi

Majority WhipKevin McCarthy Minority Whip

Steny Hoyner

The Speaker of the House

Majority partyIs elected from whole House votePresides over House, assigns bills to

committees and appoints representatives to special committees and commissions

Decides what and when bills will be debated

How many Representatives in the House does each state have?

Minnesota’s 8 Districts

Our home district!

The Senate

100 members 17 women1 Latino1 African American1 Japanese American1 Native Hawaiian American13 JewsThe average age is 62

Senate Leadership

President of the Senate (Vice President of the US)

President pro tempore

Majority Leader

Majority Whip

Minority Leader

Minority Whip

How Congress checks other branches Oversees executive agencies Senate approves presidential appointments House can vote to impeach an official and the

Senate conducts the trial Senate must approve (ratify) all treaties Congress can override presidential veto Congress can vote to amend the Constitution Can create federal courts

Elections…

Since 1990, representatives running for re-election in the House have won 90 percent of the time. About 80 percent of incumbent senators win.

Copy down how a bill becomes a law onto p. 2 of your packet from p. 227 of the textbook